Part 3 (2/2)

”Count theht--quite correct And then try and catch them--if you can”

Easier said than done The boys set to ith great satisfaction--boys do so enjoy hunting so They coaxed them--they shouted at them--they threw little sticks at theo one way the fleet of ducklings i it so deliberately andAs for little Brownie, he sat on a branch of the -tree, with his legs dangling down to the surface of the pond, kicking at the water-spiders, and grinning with all his th, quite tired out, in spite of their fun, the children begged for his help, and he took compassion on them

”Turn round three times and see what you can find,” shouted he

Imirl in her pinafore, a fine fat duckling And there being eight of them, the two elder children had each a couple They were rather cold and da used to cuddling

Poor things! they struggled hard to get away But the children hugged theh the wood, forgetting, in their joy, even to say ”Thank you” to the little Brownie

When they reached their ht to see her ducklings again; and to have the to the old hen, who received the, that nobody thought of asking a single question as to where they had been found

When thethem to the beautiful pond--and what a wonderful pond it was; how green the trees were round it; and how large the pri for it But the odd thing was that, seek as they ain Many a day did the little people roaetting theled with mud and torn with braain

Nor did the ducklings, I suppose; for they wandered no reat content They grew up into fat and respectable ducks--five white ones and three gray ones--waddling about, very content, though they never saater, except the tank which was placed for them to paddle in They lived a lazy, peaceful, pleasant life for a long tireen peas, one after the other, to the fareat satisfaction, if not to their own

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

ADVENTURE THE FOURTH

BROWNIE'S RIDE

FOR the little Brownie, though not given to horsemanshi+p, did once take a ride, and a very remarkable one it was Shall I tell you all about it?

The six little children got a present of soed for all their lives--a pony Not a rocking-horse, but a real live pony--a Shetland pony, too, which had traveled all the way from the Shetland Isles to Devonshi+re--where every body wondered at it, for such a creature had not been seen in the neighborhood for years and years She was no bigger than a donkey, and her coat, instead of being s bear's She had a long tail, which had never been cut, and such a deal of hair in her ave her quite a fierce countenance In fact, a the mild and tame Devonshi+re beasts, the little Shetland pony looked alentlest creature in the world Before she had been an to know the children quite well; followed them about, ate corn out of the bowl they held out to her; nay, one day, when the eldest little girl offered her bread-and-butter, she stooped her head and took it fro lady Indeed, Jess--that was her naether so lady-like in her behavior, that more than once Cook allowed her to walk in at the back-door, when she stood politely war her nose at the kitchen-fire for a ain But she never did any entle a creature that she bade fair soon to beco, the cat, the kittens, the puppies, the fowls, the ducks, the cow, the pig, and all the other members of the farumbled at her, was the Gardener

This was odd; because, though cross to children, the old runted, and held out his nose to be scratched; and he always gave each successive pig a name, Jack or dick, and called them by it, and was quite affectionate to them, one after the other, until the very day that they were killed But they were English pigs--and the pony was Scotch--and the Devonshi+re Gardener hated every thing Scotch, he said; besides, he was not used to groo on account of her long hair More than once Gardener threatened to clip it short, and turn her into a regular English pony, but the children were in such distress andof Jessie's personal appearance

At length, to keep things sh words and even blohich poor Jess soe for a boy to look after her, and found a great rough, shock-headed lad nas a week, consented to coroo to end, as his , like the squire's fat coach, on the top of the ha all day but drive a pair of horses as stout as hiain

Bill would have liked this very ht, if he could have been a coach he disliked, it ork He ; and he only agreed to come and take care of Jess because she was such a very little pony, that looking after her see

But when he tried it, he found his entle beast, so quiet that the oldwith the rest of the fowls, to coularly into the portion of the cow-shed which was partitioned off for a stable, and settle under a corner of Jess'sthe chicks would be seen running about fearlessly a her feet and under her very nose

But, for all that, she required a little hly handled; it took a long tih she did not scream out like some silly little children when her hair was coiving Bill a deal of trouble--all the more trouble, the more impatient Bill was

And then he had to keep within call, for the children wanted their pony at all hours She was their own especial property, and they insisted upon learning to ride--even before they got a saddle Hard work it was to stick on Jess's bare back, but by degrees the boys did it, turn and turn about, and even gave their sisters a turn too--a very little one--just once round the field and back again, which was quite enough, they considered, for girls But they were very kind to their little sisters, held them on so that they could not fall, and led Jess carefully and quietly: and altogether behaved as elder brothers should

Nor did they squabble very h sometimes it was rather difficult to keep their turns all fair, and remember accurately which hich But they did their best, being, on the whole, extreood children And they were so happy to have their pony, that they would have been asha kept thein to misconduct themselves--to want to ride out of their turns, or to doether, tried to dorieve to say boys not seldoht over their heads, the crack of an unseen whip It was none of theirs, for they had not got a whip; that was a felicity which their father had proentle the sound--indeed, it always startled Jess so that she set off galloping, and could not be caught again for many minutes