cornered houses built of stone, with pointed tops that reach nearly to the
clouds. They are called Pyramids, and are older than a stork could imagine;
and in that country, there is a river that overflows its banks, and then goes
back, leaving nothing but mire; there we can walk about, and eat frogs in
abundance.”
“Oh, o-h!” cried the young storks.
“Yes, it is a delightful place; there is nothing to do all day long but eat,
and while we are so well off out there, in this country there will not be a
single green leaf on the trees, and the weather will be so cold that the clouds
will freeze, and fall on the earth in little white rags.” The stork meant snow,
but she could not explain it in any other way.
“Will the naughty boys freeze and fall in pieces?” asked the young storks.
“No, they will not freeze and fall into pieces,” said the mother, “but they
will be very cold, and be obliged to sit all day in a dark, gloomy room,
while we shall be flying about in foreign lands, where there are blooming
flowers and warm sunshine.”
Time passed on, and the young storks grew so large that they could stand
upright in the nest and look about them. The father brought them, every day,
beautiful frogs, little snakes, and all kinds of stork-dainties that he could
find. And then, how funny it was to see the tricks he would perform to
amuse them. He would lay his head quite round over his tail, and clatter
with his beak, as if it had been a rattle; and then he would tell them stories
all about the marshes and fens.
“Come,” said the mother one day, “Now you must learn to fly.” And all
the four young ones were obliged to come out on the top of the roof. Oh,
how they tottered at first, and were obliged to balance themselves with their
wings, or they would have fallen to the ground below.
“Look at me,” said the mother, “you must hold your heads in this way,
and place your feet so. Once, twice, once, twice-that is it. Now you will be
able to take care of yourselves in the world.”
