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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14814 ***
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 14814-h.htm or 14814-h.zip:
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/4/8/1/14814/14814-h/14814-h.htm)
+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/4/8/1/14814/14814-h.zip)
+
+
+
+
+
+THE TALE OF JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK
+
+by
+
+BEATRIX POTTER
+
+Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," &c
+
+Frederick Warne & Co., Inc.
+New York
+
+1908
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+    A FARMYARD TALE
+    FOR
+    RALPH AND BETSY
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+What a funny sight it is to see a brood of ducklings with a hen!
+
+--Listen to the story of Jemima Puddle-duck, who was annoyed because the
+farmer's wife would not let her hatch her own eggs.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Her sister-in-law, Mrs. Rebeccah Puddle-duck, was perfectly willing to
+leave the hatching to some one else--"I have not the patience to sit on a
+nest for twenty-eight days; and no more have you, Jemima. You would let
+them go cold; you know you would!"
+
+"I wish to hatch my own eggs; I will hatch them all by myself," quacked
+Jemima Puddle-duck.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+She tried to hide her eggs; but they were always found and carried off.
+
+Jemima Puddle-duck became quite desperate. She determined to make a nest
+right away from the farm.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+She set off on a fine spring afternoon along the cart-road that leads over
+the hill.
+
+She was wearing a shawl and a poke bonnet.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When she reached the top of the hill, she saw a wood in the distance.
+
+She thought that it looked a safe quiet spot.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Jemima Puddle-duck was not much in the habit of flying. She ran downhill a
+few yards flapping her shawl, and then she jumped off into the air.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+She flew beautifully when she had got a good start.
+
+She skimmed along over the tree-tops until she saw an open place in the
+middle of the wood, where the trees and brushwood had been cleared.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Jemima alighted rather heavily, and began to waddle about in search of a
+convenient dry nesting-place. She rather fancied a tree-stump amongst some
+tall fox-gloves.
+
+But--seated upon the stump, she was startled to find an elegantly dressed
+gentleman reading a newspaper.
+
+He had black prick ears and sandy coloured whiskers.
+
+"Quack?" said Jemima Puddle-duck, with her head and her bonnet on one
+side--"Quack?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The gentleman raised his eyes above his newspaper and looked curiously at
+Jemima--
+
+"Madam, have you lost your way?" said he. He had a long bushy tail which
+he was sitting upon, as the stump was somewhat damp.
+
+Jemima thought him mighty civil and handsome. She explained that she had
+not lost her way, but that she was trying to find a convenient dry
+nesting-place.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Ah! is that so? indeed!" said the gentleman with sandy whiskers, looking
+curiously at Jemima. He folded up the newspaper, and put it in his
+coat-tail pocket.
+
+Jemima complained of the superfluous hen.
+
+"Indeed! how interesting! I wish I could meet with that fowl. I would
+teach it to mind its own business!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"But as to a nest--there is no difficulty: I have a sackful of feathers in
+my wood-shed. No, my dear madam, you will be in nobody's way. You may sit
+there as long as you like," said the bushy long-tailed gentleman.
+
+He led the way to a very retired, dismal-looking house amongst the
+fox-gloves.
+
+It was built of faggots and turf, and there were two broken pails, one on
+top of another, by way of a chimney.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"This is my summer residence; you would not find my earth--my winter
+house--so convenient," said the hospitable gentleman.
+
+There was a tumble-down shed at the back of the house, made of old
+soap-boxes. The gentleman opened the door, and showed Jemima in.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The shed was almost quite full of feathers--it was almost suffocating; but
+it was comfortable and very soft.
+
+Jemima Puddle-duck was rather surprised to find such a vast quantity of
+feathers. But it was very comfortable; and she made a nest without any
+trouble at all.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When she came out, the sandy whiskered gentleman was sitting on a log
+reading the newspaper--at least he had it spread out, but he was looking
+over the top of it.
+
+He was so polite, that he seemed almost sorry to let Jemima go home for
+the night. He promised to take great care of her nest until she came back
+again next day.
+
+He said he loved eggs and ducklings; he should be proud to see a fine
+nestful in his wood-shed.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Jemima Puddle-duck came every afternoon; she laid nine eggs in the nest.
+They were greeny white and very large. The foxy gentleman admired them
+immensely. He used to turn them over and count them when Jemima was not
+there.
+
+At last Jemima told him that she intended to begin to sit next day--"and I
+will bring a bag of corn with me, so that I need never leave my nest until
+the eggs are hatched. They might catch cold," said the conscientious
+Jemima.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Madam, I beg you not to trouble yourself with a bag; I will provide oats.
+But before you commence your tedious sitting, I intend to give you a
+treat. Let us have a dinner-party all to ourselves!
+
+"May I ask you to bring up some herbs from the farm-garden to make a
+savoury omelette? Sage and thyme, and mint and two onions, and some
+parsley. I will provide lard for the stuff--lard for the omelette," said
+the hospitable gentleman with sandy whiskers.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Jemima Puddle-duck was a simpleton: not even the mention of sage and
+onions made her suspicious.
+
+She went round the farm-garden, nibbling off snippets of all the different
+sorts of herbs that are used for stuffing roast duck.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+And she waddled into the kitchen, and got two onions out of a basket.
+
+The collie-dog Kep met her coming out, "What are you doing with those
+onions? Where do you go every afternoon by yourself, Jemima Puddle-duck?"
+
+Jemima was rather in awe of the collie; she told him the whole story.
+
+The collie listened, with his wise head on one side; he grinned when she
+described the polite gentleman with sandy whiskers.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+He asked several questions about the wood, and about the exact position of
+the house and shed.
+
+Then he went out, and trotted down the village. He went to look for two
+fox-hound puppies who were out at walk with the butcher.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Jemima Puddle-duck went up the cart-road for the last time, on a sunny
+afternoon. She was rather burdened with bunches of herbs and two onions in
+a bag.
+
+She flew over the wood, and alighted opposite the house of the bushy
+long-tailed gentleman.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+He was sitting on a log; he sniffed the air, and kept glancing uneasily
+round the wood. When Jemima alighted he quite jumped.
+
+"Come into the house as soon as you have looked at your eggs. Give me the
+herbs for the omelette. Be sharp!"
+
+He was rather abrupt. Jemima Puddle-duck had never heard him speak like
+that.
+
+She felt surprised, and uncomfortable.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+While she was inside she heard pattering feet round the back of the shed.
+Some one with a black nose sniffed at the bottom of the door, and then
+locked it.
+
+Jemima became much alarmed.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A moment afterwards there were most awful noises--barking, baying, growls
+and howls, squealing and groans.
+
+And nothing more was ever seen of that foxy-whiskered gentleman.
+
+Presently Kep opened the door of the shed, and let out Jemima Puddle-duck.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Unfortunately the puppies rushed in and gobbled up all the eggs before he
+could stop them.
+
+He had a bite on his ear and both the puppies were limping.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Jemima Puddle-duck was escorted home in tears on account of those eggs.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+She laid some more in June, and she was permitted to keep them herself:
+but only four of them hatched.
+
+Jemima Puddle-duck said that it was because of her nerves; but she had
+always been a bad sitter.
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14814 ***