Freddy Rides Again Read Online Free PDF Page B

his bill. I’d say he waxed it.”
    Emma said: “We don’t approve of the cinema, Jinx.”
    â€œYou mean that old crab, Wesley, doesn’t,” said Jinx. “What do you pay any attention to him for? He never had any fun himself, and he doesn’t want anybody else to have any.”
    The ducks were shaking their heads warningly and pointing their bills at the burdock plant. But Jinx pretended not to notice. “That old Wesley,” he said. “If he was my uncle, you know what I’d do—I’d sew his bill up some night when he was asleep. Sew it with good stout thread and—”
    At this point Uncle Wesley pushed aside the burdock leaves and waddled pompously out. “Ha, there you are, Wes, old mud-scoop,” said Jinx. “I thought I could get you out.”
    The duck ignored him. “Alice!” he said. “Emma! Go into the house at once. I do not care to have you associating with these persons. I must say, I am grievously disappointed in you, grievously. I am astonished that you would sit quietly by and hear such insults heaped upon the head of your uncle. If I had heard anyone speak so of my uncle when I was a duckling—”
    â€œYou’d have torn him in pieces and used his backbone as a walking stick,” Jinx interrupted. “Instead, you’re going to quack him to death. Well—”
    â€œPlease, Jinx,” Alice put in. “Don’t tease Uncle Wesley any more.” A year or so ago she and her sister would have rushed indignantly to their uncle’s defence. But they no longer believed him to be the bold and fearless character he had always told them he was. They had looked up to him, admired him, taken his advice in everything—until one day they had seen him back down when he had tried to cheat a squirrel by selling him wormy nuts. After that, although they still believed that he was probably the wisest duck that ever lived, they no longer allowed him to tell them what to do every minute of the day.
    â€œO.K.,” said Jinx. “I take it all back, Wes. As a matter of fact, I’ve always considered you one of the most brilliant—no, no, I will say the most brilliant mind I have ever known. Why, I was saying to Freddy only the other day—that Uncle Wesley, I was saying—why, he is so smart, I bet he could count right up to ten without stopping.”
    Uncle Wesley could swallow any amount of flattery, and at the beginning of Jinx’s speech he had puffed out his chest and looked as important as possible. But at the end, he did have enough sense to see that the cat was making fun of him again, and he turned his back on him with an angry quack.
    Jinx was going on, but Freddy said: “Oh, lay off, Jinx, will you? Look, Wesley, we came up to talk to you about something—”
    â€œOne moment,” Uncle Wesley interrupted pompously. “Alice! Emma! What is all this about your being at the movies with some strange duck?”
    â€œThey weren’t at the movies,” said Freddy. “Jinx was kidding you.”
    Uncle Wesley pushed out his chest. “You will kindly not interfere in my domestic affairs, Freddy,” he said. “I do not need an interpreter in getting an explanation from my own nieces.”
    â€œVery good, Wes,” said Jinx. “Very well put. But you shut your bill and let Freddy talk, or I’ll knock it so crooked you’ll have to be fed with a spoon.”
    â€œAll we came up to say,” said Freddy, “was that we’re not too sure of that cat, Arthur, and we want to warn you to go slow with him. I know he’s very pleasant spoken and entertaining, but—”
    â€œThat’s enough,” Uncle Wesley cut in coldly. “That’s quite enough. You are speaking of one who has shown us a great deal of kindness. We are proud to call him our friend.”
    â€œFreddy is our friend too, Uncle,” said Emma.