So they went to where the duck lived.  Bully, the frog, hopping along, and Sammie and Susie hopping after him, and every time the frog came to a bit of water he hopped in and got all wet, and he didn’t mind it a bit, but I’m sure I would.  However, pretty soon they came to where the duck lived.

“Mrs. Wibblewobble,” said Bully to her, for that was the duck’s name.  Really, it was, I’m not joking.  “Mrs. Wibblewobble, here are Sammie and Susie Littletail looking for eggs,” said Bully.  “Could you let them have any?”

“Quack! quack!” answered the duck, and it sounded just as if she said, “What? what?” So Sammie, thinking she was a little deaf, asked her himself.

“Can you please tell us where 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.”