it was lovely summer weather in the country and the golden corn the green oats and the haystacks piled up in the meadows looked beautiful the stork walking about on his long red legs chattered in the egyptian language which he had learnt from his mother the cornfields and meadows were surrounded by large forests in the midst of which were deep pools it was indeed delightful to walk about in the country in a sunny spot stood a pleasant old farmhouse close by a deep river and from the house down to the water side grew great burdock leaves so high that under the tallest of them a little child could stand upright the spot was as wild as the centre of a thick wood in this snug retreat sat a duck on her nest watching for her young brood to hatch she was beginning to get tired of her task for the little ones were a long time coming out of their shells and she seldom had any visitors the other ducks liked much better to swim about in the river than to climb the slippery banks and sit under a burdock leaf to have a gossip with her at length one shell cracked and then another and from each egg came a living creature that lifted its head and cried peep peep quack quack said the mother and then they all quacked as well as they could and looked about them on every side at the large green leaves their mother allowed them to look as much as they liked because green is good for the eyes how large the world is said the young ducks when they found how much more room they now had than while they were inside the eggshell do you imagine this is the whole world asked the mother wait till you have seen the garden it stretches far beyond that to the parsons field but i have never ventured to such a distance are you all out she continued rising no i declare the largest egg lies there still i wonder how long this is to last i am quite tired of it and she seated herself again on the nest well how are you getting on asked an old duck who paid her a visit