made just such a noise as she does when she sees a
hawk.

She thought they would all drown. But they didn't. They swam and dove
and shook the water from their little wings.

One day when they were about a quarter grown, Annie found
Fluffy-dumpty lying on the ground; she was quacking faintly. Her leg
was broken! Annie ran to papa.

"O papa! mend her leg just as you did my arm!" she said.

Papa is a doctor; and when Annie was a _very_ little girl she broke
her arm and papa mended it. So he did up Fluffy-dumpty's leg with a
splinter, and then wound a bandage round it. Annie took care of her.
Mary used to help Annie feed her with a spoon.

Fluffy-dumpty got well very fast. But when she was about three
quarters grown, she met with another accident. She fell down a steep
cellar way.

"Quack-quack! Take me out! Oh, take me out!" cried poor Fluffy-dumpty.
The other six ducks crowded around and looked down at her.

"We can't! we can't!" they cried. "We haven't got any hands. Call a
boy, do!" So Annie called Sam, who took her out.

How thankful Fluffy-dumpty was! She smoothed down her ruffled feathers
and said, "Quack-quack," softly. The other ducks all talked at once.

"What a narrow 'scape you had, Fluffy-dumpty!" said one duck.

"How did you happen to fall into that horrid place?" asked another.

"What a fine boy Sam is!" said a third duck.

"He's almost too good for a boy," said a fourth.

But it all sounded as if they only said "quack-quack!"

Every day of their lives these ducks got into the garden, and ate the
lettuce and strawberries and cabbage. So the gardener put a board over
the hole under the gate.

"Never mind," said big Broad-bill, "we know more ways than one." Then
the seven started off in a line, and marched round the garden till
they came to another hole, and in they went. The gardener was very
angry.

VICK IN TROUBLE.

Bertie had gone off and left Vick. He was so eager to see the soldiers
parade that he forgot all about him. This had never happened before.

When Uncle Ned gave Vick to Bertie mamma said: "Now, Bertie, you must
take the care of Vick. If a boy has a dog he must learn to care for
him. You must see that Vick is fed. You must bathe and comb him every
day; and you must give him plenty of exercise."

But as I said, Bertie had forgotten Vick that day. Vick did not know
what to make of it. His heart was almost broken.

"This is too bad!" he howled. "Here am I shut up with