LESSON 23 PECK

PECK

Ⅱ

gar-den mis-chief squawk

cab-bage mis-tress de-light

straight tweak laugh-ing

1. Peek spent most of his time in the garden, looking for grubs. At night he slept in a box full of hay.

2. One day Peck's master set out some young cabbage plants in the garden. After he had planted a row, he looked back to see if it was quite straight.

3. Not one of the plants was left in the ground. Peck had gone behind his master, and pulled them out as fast as they were put in.

4. Peck was a clever bird, but he was fond of mischief. He would pick up any bright things that he could get, and hide them in the bushes.

5. Peck's master knew of his hiding-place; and, when anything was lost, he would go and look for it there.

6. If Peck's mistress left a needle in her sewing where the bird could find it, he would break the needle into two pieces with his sharp bill.

7. When any children came into the garden, he would peck at their bare legs, and then cry, "Who are you? Get out!"

8. There was a collie puppy in the same house, and Peck would tweak its tail till it cried out. Then the bird would squawk with delight.

9. Peck could sing "There is no luck about the house," and could laugh so much like one of the girls that it was hard to know which of the two was laughing.

10. After a while his wing feathers grew again, and Peck could fly about the garden. When the next spring came round, he flew away to the bush.