The dinky ducklings
Date: 2025-05-04T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Birds -- Juvenile fiction; Brothers -- Juvenile fiction; Kindness -- Juvenile fiction; Uncles -- Juvenile fiction; Foxes -- Juvenile fiction; Aunts -- Juvenile fiction; Ducks -- Juvenile fiction

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The dinky ducklings

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: The dinky ducklings

Author: Lang Campbell

Release date: May 4, 2025 [eBook #76014]

Language: English

Original publication: New York, NY: Algonquin Publishing Company, 1928

Credits: Bob Taylor and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DINKY DUCKLINGS ***

THE DINKY
DUCKLINGS

by

LANG CAMPBELL

PUBLISHED BY
ALGONQUIN PUBLISHING COMPANY
NEW YORK LONDON

Dedicated to
“Butterfly Auntie”

Copyright MCMXXVIII
ALGONQUIN PUBLISHING CO.
Copyright, Great Britain, MCMXXVIII
PRINTED IN U. S. A.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted without written permission of the publishers, except by reviewers who wish to quote short passages in their reviews for magazines or newspapers.

A Word About This Book

The duck brothers, Peter and Puddle, had an invitation to spend the night with their aunt and uncle. On a good breakfast of hot cakes and syrup they started out, but a cunning fox led them far off their path. In a journey of great excitement Peter and Puddle meet Mrs. Hen and Mrs. Bunny-Brown and old Toby Turtle, who help them to reach Aunt Daffy’s house before bedtime. The pictures of the ducks eating strawberries, diving with Toby Turtle, and bouncing along in their little red wagon, will be among the treasured possessions of the children.

This is another one of the Sunny Books that take children on lively adventures with new friends, and here again are rich colors handsomely designed and beautifully blended to aid in the development of good taste in books.

THE DINKY DUCKLINGS

Peter was a white duck,

Puddle was black:

Peter could waddle

And Puddle could quack.

Peter and Puddle were two little ducklings. Peter was snowy white but Puddle was black as a tar baby. They had shiny eyes that looked like yellow shoe buttons, and yellow bills to pick up their food. Yellow feet, too, with cunning toes on each foot, all joined together so they could swim.

Of course when Peter and Puddle were baby ducklings just out of the shell their mother and father took them down to the pond near the house.

“Come,” said mother; “follow me!” and she swam out in the deepest water. Both the little boy ducks obediently put one tiny foot, and then the other, into the cool pond.

“Heads up!” the mother duck quacked, splashing along, “Kick your feet like this!”

Father stood on the bank and chuckled behind his collar as he watched his babies trying their best to follow.

“Oh, Puddle, look quick! I can do it! See how fast I am going!” And sure enough, Peter was sailing quietly along on top of the water, his little head held high and the tip of his white tail showing, as he swam after the mother duck.

“See how easy it is!” called out Peter.

“Oh, no!” sputtered Puddle. “It’s not easy. My feet want to stay up and my head down.”

“I’ll show you how,” said father, from the shore, and he swam out to take the black duckling’s wing.

Very soon Puddle was swimming all by himself. He quacked with joy when he caught up with mother and Peter. He didn’t want to be a little left-behind.

Both the baby ducklings begged to come to the pond every day; so their kind mother took them swimming each morning and taught them many things—to swim and how to dive and float.

The Duck family had just finished breakfast, one bright and sunny morning, when old Mister Chuck, the postman, blew his whistle at the front door. The two little ducklings hurried out to get the mail. There was a large white envelope, addressed to “Masters Peter and Puddle Duck, 16 Poultry Row, Back Behind the Barn.”

The two little fellows were so excited they could scarcely stand still long enough to open the letter. What could it be? Who could have written to them?

At last, after the envelope had been torn open, the letter was spread out on the kitchen floor and mother read it aloud.

“Duckville on the Ditch.

Dear Peter and Puddle:

Won’t you come over and visit us? Aunt Dilly has promised to cook the nicest things and we will have lots of fun.

You must be big boys, by now.

Your loving,
Uncle Daffy.”

Of course, the ducklings wanted to go, for they loved Aunt Dilly and Uncle Daffy. Mother Duck wrote an answer and they dropped it in the mail-box that very morning.

Oh, my! Such excitement! Mother Duck was busy ironing collars, pressing neckties and smoothing down little feathers just right. They were ready for an early start in the morning.

That night Peter slept badly; he was up looking at the clock so many times. Puddle never opened his eyes once, however. At the first streak of dawn the white duckling pulled the bedcovers off his black brother.

“Wake up, Puddle!” he quacked loudly. “We are going to visit Uncle Daffy today!” He was so excited! He danced a little riga-majig.

After two faces and two long necks were washed clean, and two little neckties tied, they were ready. Puddle paddled down the stairs, but Peter slid the banister. Mother was waiting for them with their breakfast plates piled high with griddle cakes and a jug of maple syrup.

“Oh, goody! What fun we will have! It begins right this moment!” quacked the white duckling. He took a griddle cake and spilled syrup down the middle of it. One by one, the cakes followed each other down the little red lane until the plates were empty. The two little chaps wanted more breakfast, but the Mother Duck said they had eaten enough. They slid down from their chairs and put on their hats. There were kisses and promises to be good.

“Goodbye, children!” quacked Mrs. Duck. “Don’t get lost, and remember to turn right at the crossroads!”

The two little ducklings waved back and would have hurried on but Peter had forgotten and left his red express wagon out all night, and Puddle spied it in the back yard. It looked new and shiny, and a wee bit lonesome at being left behind.

“Let’s take our cart with us! It will be lots of fun.”

“All right,” said Peter. “But it’s more fun to pull a wagon with someone in it. You ride.”

“Thank you!” answered Puddle, very politely. He scrambled up.

But Peter started so fast that poor Puddle was all bounced and jiggled about. The wheels hit a rut and the black duck nearly fell out.

“Whoa, horsey! Not so fast!” he quacked. “I’m almost falling out and so busy holding on that I can’t see anything!”

“I was hurrying to get there sooner,” replied his horsey, but he slowed up and waddled along the dusty road. Now Puddle began to enjoy his ride, looking at the nice tender clover and grass growing along the way.

“That duckweed looks greener, and maybe it would taste better than the kind we have at home,” said Puddle. Peter and Puddle stopped and sampled a bit of this and a bite of that. They said, “Good morning,” to Cock Robin, who was out looking for the early worm. They even offered to help him look, but he answered, “No,” that he would rather look alone.

They nibbled at sweet clover and Peter scrambled up on a rock and saw a pretty blue butterfly. “Come on, brother, help me catch it!”

Suddenly the two little fellows saw something running along behind the fence and they scurried for their wagon. It was only a playful pup but he made so much noise that the ducklings thought he must be some bad, wild beast.

Puddle climbed in and Peter started to pull, but he gave the wagon such a jerk that poor Puddle bounced up in the air. Luckily he hit the wagon when he landed, but with a terrible thud. His hat flew off, but they never stopped to pick it up.

“Waddle for your life!” squeaked Puddle, hanging on tight.

“I am waddling as fast as I can!” panted the white duckling, jumping and bumping along the road, with the wagon trailing behind. On and on, hurried the frightened little ducklings until they came to the crossroads. There, they forgot and ran the wrong way. They took the road to the left!

When Peter was all tired out from running and Puddle was all tired out from hanging on, they stopped behind a big rock and cautiously peeped out to see if they were followed. There wasn’t a sound, except a song sparrow singing his lively song in the birch trees, and some frogs in the distance were beginning to tune up for their daily concert.

The little ducklings were so tired from their long run that they sat right down in the grass, and soon were fast asleep.

Puddle woke up with a start and shook Peter. But he could hardly rouse him, for poor Peter had had so little sleep the night before.

“Wake up, brother!” whispered Puddle, hoarsely. “Someone is here!”

On the rock, close to them, sat a large handsome fellow. He had a red coat and a long bushy tail, black ears, a sharp black nose and a wide grin. Oh, such a polite gentleman!

“We are on our way to visit Uncle Daffy Duck, at Duckville on the Ditch!” exclaimed Puddle, in his embarrassment.

“Duckville on the Ditch, yes,” the red stranger answered. “I have seen it often. I know where your Uncle Daffy lives and would like to make his acquaintance,” and slyly grinning, he drew his red tongue across his large white teeth.

“Come along,” he said. “I’ll lead the way,” and he started to pull the wagon for them.

This was great good luck, the two little brothers thought. They scampered along behind, up hill and down hill. The red stranger looked back from time to time to see that they followed him.

Very soon the country began to look wild, not at all like the road to Uncle Daffy’s, and the ducklings began to wonder if the stranger really knew the way, but he kept right on.

“How much farther is it?” asked Puddle.

“Just about a hop and a jump from here,” he answered, with the same sly smile, which he tried to hide behind his paw.

“Oh, I’m getting afraid!” quavered little Peter to his brother. “It’s getting late! See how long the shadows are!”

It was getting late and the sun was sinking fast as the stranger led them farther into the deep, dark woods. The little ducklings were so frightened that when a big crow, black as night, flew over their heads and croaked, “Stop! Stop!” they both dodged behind an old stump, then madly running down a small ravine they reached a brook. Then they half flew, half swam across and scurried into the high grass on the other side.

Peter was ahead and Puddle followed his white tail. They had often played follow the leader, so that one duck kept right on the heels of the other, dodging this way and that. Back in the distance the red stranger could be heard crashing through the underbrush and brambles—then all was quiet in the distance. They sat down and longed to see Aunt Dilly and Uncle Daffy, who were waiting for them, but sitting down would get the little ducklings nowhere, so wing in wing, they trudged on.

After waddling and waddling and waddling, they came to a path that led out of the woods and up to a cute little white house with a green door. It had a high picket fence around and the ducklings cautiously peeked through it.

There was a pretty little garden with sunflowers at one end and hollyhocks at the other. In between were planted radishes, lettuce and carrots in neat rows; some parsley fringed the edge. On the stoop was a mat to clean your feet, and a cunning brass knocker hung from the door. There were window boxes, too, with red geraniums growing in them.

The two Dinky Ducklings could not quite reach the latch to the gate so they crawled under and tiptoed up the walk. Their knees fairly shook with excitement. Who could live in this cunning little house at the edge of the woods?

Of course Peter and Puddle knew that it wasn’t polite to peep into windows so Peter stood on Puddle’s back and lifted the knocker. It fell with a thud and echoed throughout the house. They could hear someone hurrying around, then a voice clucked, “Who is it?”

“Two little lost ducklings, if you please!” squeaked Puddle in a small voice, which he tried to make steady.

“My soul and body!” exclaimed old Black Biddy. She let down the bolt and opened the door.

Peter took off his hat and smiled, but Puddle was very much disturbed to find that he had no hat to take off. It had been lost when they ran away from the pup.

“We are just two little lost ducklings,” repeated Puddle.

“On our way to visit Aunt Dilly and Uncle Daffy,” added the other one.

The kind old hen asked the tired youngsters in and made them sit right down at the supper table, where she gave them all the chicken feed that they could eat. It tasted very good to the Dinky Ducklings, too. As it was almost dark Black Biddy insisted that the two of them stay all night and start out to Uncle Daffy’s next morning. The ducklings wanted to go on, but they were very tired, so they accepted the offer of the very kind old lady.

She hurried about setting the guest room to rights and then clucked for Peter and Puddle to come in to bed. Maybe they weren’t glad to crawl into that soft bed, made from Black Biddy’s spare feathers! In two shakes of a lamb’s tail the ducklings were fast asleep. Old Black Biddy looked at them lovingly:

“Ah, me!” she sighed. “It’s great to be young—and a duckling!”

The next morning, she fed them a good breakfast of sunflower seeds and nice green lettuce. Before they left, Peter filled the woodbox in the kitchen, while Puddle pulled up every weed in the garden and watered the hollyhocks.

When it was time the old hen was sorry to see them go. She told them to keep right ahead on the little path until they reached the crossroads, and hoped that they would see nothing of the bad fox, that almost ate them for supper, the night before.

So bright and gay, this morning, the two little ducks shuffled along, side by side, Peter who was all snowy white, and Puddle, black as a tar baby. It was early and the dew was still on the grass, but the Dinky Ducklings didn’t mind that, as wet feet never hurt them.

They were playing tag with a bumble-bee and a grasshopper when they suddenly came upon an old rabbit lady, who was carrying a large bundle of red clover in her apron and another bundle under her paw. On hearing the ducklings she stopped in fright and was going to hop away, but they were such cunning and innocent-looking little fellows that she knew there was nothing to be afraid of.

Peter politely took off his hat to the rabbit, but Puddle had no hat to take off. “Good morning, Mrs. Bunny! Can we help you carry the clover?” asked the white duck.

“Mrs. Bunny-Brown, if you please,” answered the long-eared old lady, with a smile. “I would be very glad if you could help me.”

So the two ducklings carried part of the clover and waddled along behind the bunny. She soon turned off the path and picked her way up a steep hill. After climbing a bit farther and jumping over rocks and logs she pushed aside a bush which cleverly hid the doorway of her house. It was just a hole that wound back into the hillside, and as the ducklings followed along they were surprised to see such a comfortable home, with cute little rag rugs in the hallway and when they reached the living-room it was as cozy as one could wish.

Mr. Bunny-Brown was seated in an easy chair at the window, which opened out on the side of the hill, with a view of the front door and the winding path. He was home with a hurt foot that had been caught in the bramble bushes, so Mrs. Bunny-Brown must do all the marketing and clover picking until the foot was well.

The Dinkies laid down their bundles, having seen the old bunny lady home with her clover. They were politely backing out of the door when Mr. Bunny-Brown reached around the back of his chair and said, “I’ve whittled out a nice toy for some good little chap,” and he showed them a toy duck on wheels, painted with a red head, green body and red wheels. A string was tied around its neck to pull it along.

“Oh!” quacked Peter, in excitement.

“Ah!” squeaked Puddle, jumping up and down and waving his wings. “Let us see it!” Mr. Bunny-Brown gave the Dinky Ducklings the cute toy duck that he had whittled out of wood.

“Now where are you two going?” he asked, after the Dinkies had played with the toy for a while.

“To visit our Uncle Daffy,” answered Peter.

“At Duckville on the Ditch,” added Puddle.

Mr. Bunny-Brown hopped to the front door on his one good foot, and pointed out the best way to go, as far as he knew. “When you get to the brook, swim over to the flat rock and call for Toby Turtle. He can tell you the way anywhere.”

Now there were three ducks going down the path, two live Dinky Ducklings and one toy duck that Puddle pulled along by the string. The toy duck’s head was painted so red that they named him Pepper.

The path turned this way and the path turned that way until the white duck and the black duck heard the running water of the brook. Pepper didn’t hear a thing, as he had no ears in his wooden head.

The flat rock that the rabbit had told them about was right at their feet. They scrambled down the bank and waded through the shallow water, with Pepper bumping along after them. The three cute little ducks stood on the rock in the sun and looked up and down stream—at least two of them did, anyway.

“Quack! Quack! Toby Turtle!” cried Peter.

“Yoo-hoo! Oh, Toby Turtle!” called Puddle.

Pop! Right in front of their eyes an ugly old head came up out of the water, then a long scrawny neck and old Toby Turtle himself was crawling on the rock with the ducks. The Dinkies would have been afraid of anyone so ugly looking if they had not seen the smile on old Toby’s wrinkled face.

“Who calls for Toby—you three little ducks?” asked the old fellow.

“If you please, there are only two of us, or two and a half,” explained the white duckling. “Pepper is only a wooden duck with a head painted red.”

“We are on our way to visit Uncle Daffy Duck, at Duckville on the Ditch!” gulped Puddle, all in one breath. “Can you tell us the way?”

The old turtle pulled out a pair of spectacles from somewhere and set them on the end of his nose, then peered over the glasses at the three. He took a battered old high hat from somewhere else and put it on his head. Smoothing out his vest he stood up on his hind legs and twiddled his coat tails. “Yes, yes, indeed, I know your Uncle Daffy well. In fact I remember when he was a smooth greenish egg, and after he was hatched how Daddy Duck brought the little shaver down to the water for his first swimming lesson. Such a long time ago!” rambled on the old fellow. “How time flies!”

“Time does fly,” thought Puddle. He looked up at the sun; it was high noon and he was hungry.

“How would you like to have me go along with you?” asked Toby. “For there is no one knows the way better,” he added.

“Yes, sir, we would like to have you!” quacked Peter.

“Yes, sir!” Puddle said, but Pepper said not a word.

First the old gentleman turtle invited them to lunch in his wild strawberry patch. Such large, juicy berries—and dead ripe! The ducklings and the turtle ate until they were full, but Pepper didn’t touch a berry. So they promised to get him a good meal of sawdust at the very first chance.

Lunch was over and the three and a half of them started out for Duckville on the Ditch. The old turtle gentleman led the way and the ducklings told how the bad fox almost caught them, about Black Biddy and the Bunny-Browns. The old turtle knew them all and told how the bad fox’s father, years ago, had tried to catch him, but he pulled his head, tail and feet into his shell, so there was nothing to carry him by. Then he cautiously stuck out his head and nipped the fox’s tail—and you know that when a turtle bites he doesn’t let go until it thunders.

The old fellow talked faster than he walked, for he said a slow steady pace was best, one could last mighty near all day and night at that rate. The ducklings had been hurrying and they were tired out. The turtle invited them to ride on his back, said he didn’t mind it in the least. So there they sat dozing away, with Pepper tied onto old Toby’s tail and rolling along on its red wheels. They all seemed very comfortable, indeed. Maybe the old turtle told some more stories but the ducklings didn’t hear them.

It was very late in the afternoon when the strange party stopped with a jerk. The ducklings slid off the turtle’s back and old Toby said, with a grand sweep of his front flipper, “There is Duckville on the Ditch!”

There it was just across the water, Uncle Daffy and Aunt Dilly’s house with Uncle Daffy walking up and down the front porch, wondering where his little nephews were.

Such a quacking and cluttering as there was! The ducklings and old Toby plunged into the water and swam across the ditch, but the toy duck rode over on the turtle’s back, for Red Pepper had never learned to swim.

Aunt Dilly and Uncle Daffy were very glad to see the Dinky Ducklings and soon there was a piping hot supper for all. Old Toby was invited to draw up a chair, also.

After the meal was over, the ducklings told all the adventures that had happened to them. Uncle Daffy hopped right up and said he was proud of his brave boys, and Aunt Dilly kissed them all again, not forgetting Red Pepper.

Then the Dinky Ducklings spoke up and said they wanted to thank Toby Turtle for taking such good care of them.

“Yes,” said Puddle. “We want to give you our new shiny toy duck, Red Pepper to remember us by.”

“Won’t you take him?” asked Peter, unselfishly.

“I certainly will! Thank you both!” answered Toby Turtle. “He will be fine company for an old turtle with no family. I can talk and talk and he will just sit and listen to my stories and never interrupt.”

Toby took the toy duck by the string and pulled him up alongside. Next he lit his pipe and started to tell of the olden times, when he was a youngster, and about his grandfather, who raced a rabbit and beat him. It was very exciting but the ducklings couldn’t stay awake any longer, while even Aunt Dilly and Uncle Daffy napped a little. Only Red Pepper, the wooden duck, was wide-awake. His painted eyes never so much as blinked, and he seemed to nod at everything old Toby said. They had become fast friends.

It was soon time for bed, so Aunt Dilly tucked the Dinky Ducklings under the covers and kissed them goodnight. The old turtle preferred a nice soft place in the mud, near the ditch, where there was lots of air. The mosquitoes didn’t trouble him and he claimed the mud was good for his complexion. Red Pepper sat up on the bank and kept guard.

Uncle Daffy went all around the house and tried the windows and doors to see if they were fastened tight. Then he peeped into the Dinky Ducklings’ room and smiled to see them sleeping so peacefully. Quietly shutting the door, he blew out the candle and tiptoed to his own bed.

To the land of dreams

They all set sail.

And this, my dears,

Is the end of my tale.

Make Your Children Happy with
Algonquin “Sunny Books”

It is the Algonquin ideal that books should make children happy and build character unconsciously and should contain nothing to cause fright, suggest fear, glorify mischief, excuse malice or condone cruelty.

101 LITTLE SLAM BANG. An elephant child and his jungle friends.

102 MERRY MURPHY. The adventures of an Irish potato.

103 HONEY BEAR. A baby and a bear who have a sticky party.

104 GRASSHOPPER GREEN AND THE MEADOW MICE. About the things that happen down in the grass.

105 THE DINKY DUCKLINGS. Two ducks go visiting.

106 SUNNY BUNNY. A bunny family of ten children find a new home.

107 BILLY BUNNY’S FORTUNE. The eldest son of a bunny family goes out to seek his fortune.

108 THE LOVELY GARDEN. Queen Yolande and the selfish king.

109 THE BAM BAM CLOCK. A magic time-piece which teaches promptness.

ALGONQUIN PUBLISHING COMPANY

NEW YORK and LONDON

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DINKY DUCKLINGS ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

- • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

- • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

- • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

- • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

Table of Contents

- THE DINKY DUCKLINGS
- A Word About This Book
- THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE