<div class="figcenter"> <SPAN name="XVI" id="XVI" /> <ANTIMG src="images/illus-xvi-p090.jpg" width-obs="326" height-obs="174" alt="THE DUCK POND" title="THE DUCK POND" /></div>
<p><span class="smcap">Sometimes</span> Peter Mink grew tired of
not knowing where he was going to sleep.
And now and then, when he happened to
be in some neighborhood that he liked, he
would try to find a place where he might
stay until he felt like roaming on again.</p>
<p>There was one neighborhood that Peter
liked very much. He often said that of all
the places in Pleasant Valley that he knew
anything about, there was no other as
charming as Farmer Green's duck pond.</p>
<p>The reason for his thinking that was
that he was specially fond of duck meat.
And, of course, it was convenient to be<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_91" id="Page_91"></SPAN></span>
able to swim under water, and steal upon
a fat duck, and seize her before she knew
that Peter was anywhere near.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <SPAN name="illus-004" id="illus-004"></SPAN> <SPAN name="illus-004-big" id="illus-004-big" href="images/illus-big-p90.jpg"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus-p90.jpg" width-obs="343" height-obs="519" alt="PETER PULLED JIMMY OUT OF THE MUD" title="PETER PULLED JIMMY OUT OF THE MUD" /></SPAN></div>
<p>Now, Peter Mink learned that there was
a muskrat who had built him a house in
the bank of the duck pond. And as soon
as Peter found out where the muskrat's
home was, he drove away the owner and
began to live in the house himself.</p>
<p>He found it very comfortable. And he
caught a duck every day, until at last
Farmer Green noticed that his ducks were
disappearing.</p>
<p>"I believe it's a mink that's taking
them," Farmer Green said to his son
Johnnie. "If it was a coon, he'd steal
more than just one a day.... Now, you
take the old gun and go down to the pond
and hide. And when I let the ducks go
out for their swim, I want you to watch
for a mink."</p>
<p class="flat"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_92" id="Page_92"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>Naturally, Peter Mink didn't hear what
Farmer Green said. If he had, no doubt
he would have left the muskrat's house at
once and moved on to some other neighborhood.</p>
<p>Early the next morning Johnnie Green
put the old gun on his shoulder and stole
down to the edge of the duck pond, where
he hid among some cat-tails. He kept his
sharp eyes on the bank of the pond, for
the ducks were just waddling down from
the barnyard, to enjoy their morning
swim.</p>
<p>As sharp as Johnnie's eyes were, they
did not see Peter Mink as he crept out of
his house and stretched himself in the sun.
Peter had fallen into the habit of sleeping
late and awaking each morning just as the
ducks reached the pond.</p>
<p>He saw them as they picked their way
down the bank. And for once he didn't<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_93" id="Page_93"></SPAN></span>
seem to care anything about them. To
tell the truth, he had breakfasted on duck
so often that he had at last grown a bit
tired of duck meat. And now he thought
that for a change an eel would taste good.
For the first time since Peter had driven
the muskrat from his home the ducks were
safe.</p>
<p>Peter paid no attention to them. And
unnoticed by Johnnie Green, he slipped
into the water and swam quickly to a place
in the pond where there was a warm
spring. He knew that the warm water
rose to the top of the pond. And he knew,
as well, that if an eel should happen to
swim over the spring, the rising water
would bear him to the surface of the duck
pond.</p>
<p>Peter Mink must have been a lucky fellow.
For he had hardly reached the
spring when he saw an eel right in front of<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_94" id="Page_94"></SPAN></span>
him. He seized the eel and swam toward
the bank. And there was such a commotion
in the water that Johnnie Green
couldn't help noticing it.</p>
<p>You see, the eel did not want to leave
the duck pond. He had always lived there,
and he liked it, too. So he twisted and
squirmed, trying his hardest to break
away from Peter Mink.</p>
<p>But Peter swam steadily on, though to
be sure he couldn't swim very fast, dragging
such a slippery fellow along with
him.</p>
<p>But finally he reached the shore. And
then he pulled the eel out of the water.</p>
<p>Still the eel tried to get away from him.
He wound himself about Peter Mink.
And several times he managed to throw
Peter head over heels. But Peter Mink
always rushed upon the eel again before
he could wriggle into the pond.</p>
<p class="flat"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_95" id="Page_95"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>All this time Johnnie Green had entirely
forgotten about his gun. He had
never seen such a sight before. And he
looked on with staring eyes, until at last
Peter dragged the eel away from the pond
and into some bushes.</p>
<p>Then Johnnie Green remembered why
his father had sent him down to the duck
pond. And he ran forward, all ready to
shoot.</p>
<p>But Peter Mink had vanished. He had
heard Johnnie running; and that was
enough to send him skipping away.</p>
<p>Peter was disappointed, because he lost
his breakfast. And Johnnie Green was
disappointed, because he lost Peter.</p>
<p>In fact, of all those present, the ducks
seemed to be the only ones that were really
contented. They had a fine swim. And
when night came, not one of them was
missing.</p>
<hr class="chapter" />
<p class="flat"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_96" id="Page_96"></SPAN></span></p>
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