we can find some eggs?" and he spoke
quite loudly.

"Tut, tut!" exclaimed Mrs. Wibblewobble. "I heard Bully when he asked me
the first time. I merely said, 'Quack! quack!' because I was thinking. I
always say that when I think. Now be patient." So she said "Quack!
quack!" again, several times, and paddled around in the water, putting
her head under every now and then to dig in the mud for some snails.
"No," she finally said, "I have thought very hard, and I do not know
where you could find any eggs."

Sammie and Susie were quite disappointed, and Bully said: "Perhaps you
have some of your own you could let them have."

"No," answered Mrs. Wibblewobble, "all my eggs have been turned into
little ducklings. Here they come now."

Then all at once, as quick as you can scratch your chin, what should
come walking down to the pond but the dearest, nicest little ducklings
you ever saw. They all said, "Quack! quack!" which, as you knew, meant
that they were thinking, and Sammie and Susie did not want to disturb
them.

"This is my family," announced Mrs. Wibblewobble. "Family, those are the
Littletail children, and Bully, the frog." Then the ducklings all said,
"Quack! quack!" again, which this time showed that they had stopped
thinking, and they swam around just like their mother.

"Well," said Bully, "we shall get no eggs here. Come on, we will go see
Mrs. Cluck-Cluck, the fairy hen. Maybe she has some to spare."

But on their way they lost the road, and didn't know in which direction
to go. Then fox was, but he couldn't help himself. Then Sammie, Susie
and Bully walked on and on they heard a noise in the leaves, oh, such a
queer, quiet little noise! and then, what do you think? Why, the sly,
sly old fox stuck his head out.

"Whom are you looking for?" he asked, as softly as can be.

"We are looking for Mrs. Cluck-Cluck, to get some eggs," said Sammie.

"Ah, ha! Ho! ho!" laughed the sly old fox. "Come with me and I'll show
you her house. I'm sure she has some eggs."

Sammie and Susie thought this very kind of him, and they were just going
to follow that fox off when Bully warned them:

"Don't go," he said; "that fox only wants to eat Mrs. Cluck-Cluck up.
Let's run away."

So they ran away, and my! how angry that sly old fox was. He almost bit
his own tail. But Sammie and Susie did not mind. They were very thankful
to Bully for telling them of their danger. Then they hopped on and on,
until they were quite tired.