Puck Volume 10, No. 303 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1882 edition. Excerpt: ...to walk it uses a crutch. They are greatly devoted to each other. Every day the fisherman gives the bird a number of fishes to eat, and allows it to idle its time away around the house. When the fisherman is too sick to attend to business, the stork goes flying over the sea, and brings home live fishes in its bill. When it has secured a sufficient quantity, it puts them in the wagon, hitches up the horse, and, sitting on the seat, with the whip in its talons, and the reins in its beak--after the manner of the late Phil Kearney--drives off to the market, disposes of its load, brings the money back and deposits it in its master's lap. Not long ago it went and induced another stork to come and live with them for company. After a while the new addition was trained to tread clams. It takes great pleasure in walking in the water and bringing clams up in its talons and depositing them in the boat which moves along beside it. One day, when the two storks were out walking, they met a couple of ostriches, who said they had escaped from a menagerie. The storks extended them a most cordial invitation to partake of their hospitality. The ostriches, who had had nothing to eat but gravel 'for the "preceding week, lost no time in accepting the invitation. They all went home together, and the guests were so delighted with the fisherman's home that they begged leave to remain with him forever. The wily fisherman consented, knowing that a single ostrich egg would make omelettes enough to last him a week And now they have a greater revenue than ever, and the fisherman is building a chateau and a yacht, and is going to live the balance of his life like a plumber, for the ostriches, out of gratitude, sell their feathers right out of themselves for his...