Children's Corner

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 17, 18 September 1930, Page 4

Children's Corner

FLAPPIE THE DUCKLING

Flappie was a duckling. But she was not the ordinary type of duckling who follows its mother about all the day long and never strays away from all the other little, ducklings. Oh no, Flappie was very fond of adventure, and often Vent for long walks by herself, and her mother was always having to go out into the fields and find her and fetch her home.

But, although Flappie was punished time after time for roaming, she still'wished to see more of the world. Even when she was locked up in the duck pen, she would think out some new walk for the next time that she could escape her mother's notice. Now Flappie and all her family lived on a farm which was only about. , three miles from a very big town. In fact, from the meadow where Flappie lived they could see the church spires and tall buildings and chimneys of the town. Flappie often stood looking at these tops of the town, longing to see more of such a wonderful place. So, one day, when her mother and brothers and sisters were splashing about in the pond, she quietly pushed her way through a hedge and out on to the broad white r,oad which, she had heard, went all the way into the big town. She walked and walked until she could hardly put one webbed foot in front of the other. Then a cart came rumbling by; and Flappie who was a very daring duckling, napped her wings and jumped on the back of it.

'jail aoi^ou }ou pip J9Aiap atlJj and. drove on towards the town. Soon there were houses on each side of the road; then a lot of shops, trams and ;^tors. Flappie felt i#h|*r frightened by all the noise and movement. But she said to herself, "I won t go back home yet; this is a fine adventure. Shan't I have a lot to tell my brothers and sisters." Suddenly the cart stopped outside a big shop; and a small boy called out to the driver, Hi! you've got a little duck on the back of your cart." "Well," said the driver, looking and seeing Flappie perched on the back of his cart, "I wonder how that got there. 111 catch and fatten it up for my Christmas dinner."

Of course, Flappie did not want to be caught and eaten, so when the driver tried to catch her, she dropped on to the ground and ran as hard as she could up the road, with the driver and a lot of other people running after her. There was such a scene. "Come on!" said one little boy to some others, "we'll catch it!" And off they went after poor little Flappie. Two policemen ran into the middle of the road and made snatches at her; but Flappie ran between their feet and raced on up the road. One motor-car went right over the top of her, but sh£" was so small that it did not touch her. She was now thoroughly frightened, and ran down the street crying "Cluck, cluck, cluck"' at the top of her voice. Then one of the policemen caught hold of lier tail. "Cluckety! Cluckety!" cried Flappie as she struggled hard and escaped leaving two of her lovely tail feathers in the policeman's hand.

But now there was a crowd of people all round her, all trying to catch her. Flappie tried hard to escape, for she did not want to be fattened up for a Christmas dinner.

All at once she had an idea. She flapped her wings very hard and took a flying jump into a motorcar which was driving past.

And where do you think she 'fell? Why, right on to the knees

of a little boy who was out for a ride with his rich uncle.

Bobby, for that was his name, was surprised to have a baby.. duck fall on to his knees. ' Oh, isn't it a pet?" he cried. "We will call it Flappie, .aiid I will take it home to play with."

"All right," said his uncle,, who was very kind as well as very rich, ''you will have to make a pond in the garden for it to. swim in "

But, when Bobbie arrived home, he did not wait to make a pond. He ran quickly upstairs and filled the bath with water. Then' he picked,up Flappie and dropped her on to the water. Flappie swam round and round the bath, enjoying the cool fresh water. She drank and drank until she could drink no more; then with a big effort, she opened her wings ane] jumped out of the bath on to the floor. "Hi,.hi!" shouted Bobbie, ''you mustn't go downstairs all wet." And he raced after her with a towel. But Flappie thought that he was chasing her, and ran so hard that she fell all the way down the stairs—bump, bump,- bump, she went and Bobbie came running after her waving the towel.

Flappie rushed into the room where Bobbie's uncle and auntie were having tea. Round and round the room she ran with Bobbie after her. Under the table they went and over the chairs. '' Stop ! stop ! stop !'' cried Bobbie 's uncle. But Flappie who was still frightened of the flapping towel, flew right into his face, then on to the table, and knocked over cups and cakes, sugar and milk, Bobbie's auntie shrieked, and Bobbie's uncle roared.

* At last Bobbie chased Flappie behind the piano, and wrapped the towel round her. She squawked loudly, but Bobbie would not let go of her. "Take her into the garden and put her into the tool shed," ordered his uncle. So- -Flappie, all wrapped up in th' towel; was shut in the tool shtrl.

But she had no sooner- crawled out of thy towel than she saw an open window. With a loud flutter of her wings she jumped on to the table. Then with another loud flutter she jumped through the * window. But, oh, what do you think she fell on? Why, Bobbie's great big black cat, who was lying asleep

in the middle of the bed of violets.

"Meow meow," said the eat as Plappie fell on it. "Squawk, squawk, cluck, cluck' cried Plappie as she ran down the garden path with the black cat running after her. He chased her all over the flower beds, knocking off flower tops and rooting •up roots. Round and round they went, until" suddenly Plappie spied a huge water butt; and with her last little bit of strength she managed to jump into it. Now, of course, she was quite safe, because cats do not like water. So Plappie floated calmly on the water, and the black eat sat on the edge of the butt, watching her. Then Bobbie's uncle came out and saw what, a me*ss they had made of his garden, and he was very angry. "We must get rid^of that duckling at once," he said. "First it rushes about the street, stopping all the traffic; then it runs madly round the house ■ breaking^every.thing; and now it has spoilt my lovely garden.

"We will send it to poor old Mr. Tomkins. He might like to keep it, and later on it will lay eggs for him." ' So they put Flappie into a basket. Bobbie and his uncle carried her into the motor-ear and they drove away to poor old Mr. Tomkins.

When they'had been'travelling for some time, Flappie peeped through the cracks in the basket, and -saw that they were in the very road,by which she had entered the town.

"Oh dear, oh dear," she thought, '."I don't want to go to poor old Mr. Tomkins. I want to go home." . Now Bobbie heard her moaning so he lifted up the lid of the basket a bit and peeped in. "What's the matter, Flappie?" he asked. "I'm sorry I cannot keep you, but you are so naughty."

Of course you know a*s -well as I do that Flappie had not meant to break cups and saucers and flowers but that she had been) frightened by the towel and the eat. So when she heard Bobble call her naughty, she was quiteangry. She pushed open the basket lid with her beak, and, before Bobbie could stop her, she had jumped out of the motor car into the hedge. Then she ran along a ditch and hid under a bush.

Bobbie and his uncle searched

everywhere, but could not find her. Plappie heard Babbie say, "1 wish we had kept Plappie. lam sure she would have been after a time." "I don't think so," replied his uncle! "I've never seen such a daring duckling." At last Plappie heard them get into the car and drive away. Then she crept, out of the bush and looked around her. And wasn't she surprised to see her mother walking towards her, followed by all her brothers and sisters. She was only a little way from the farm where she lived. "Why, Flanpie!" her mother said (in duck language, of course) "You naughty duckling." "I have such a lot of adventures to tell you about," said Wxp pie proudly. "That will ha/3 tD wait," said her mother. '"'Your brothers and sisters are going ,'.o play an the fields all day; but you must be shut up in the duck pen for being disobedient. *,'-.„.. ■, i>;> you see Plappie was not otiiy chased about all the time she was away but was punished when :*he got liwrie... I need not tell you that sh» never roamed so iar again.