he Off-Limits Wild Duck

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

The Baron liked to spend time on the second floor of his Lilliland Castle. The second floor had a large porch that overlooked Castle Lake. It seemed to be a sunny and delightful place to have morning coffee with friends.

One day a wild duck built a next in the corner of the porch in a shady quiet spot. The Baron didn’t notice it until the housekeeper pointed it out to him. The housekeeper said that she kept chasing the duck away. This happened three or four times. The Baron noticed the wild duck had laid several eggs and said that it was to be left alone for the time being.

The housekeeper asked Professor Hamblin about how was she expected to keep the porch nice with a wild duck parading around acting like she was a big boss or something? The Professor said that he would have a word about the duck with the Baron in a day or two.

While the Professor was having his coffee with the Baron the next morning, he mentioned the housekeeper’s remarks about the duck situation. The Baron said that he wanted the duck declared a royal duck and put off limits.

The Professor reminded the Baron that he thought that they just went through something like this with the royal goat that ended in Lady Angela’s prize rose garden being eaten and Lady Angela became so angry that she broke off the engagement until he, the Professor, patched things up again.

The Baron took a long look at the Professor and said, “You could be right, but I seem to have a soft spot in my heart for all of the wild animals around us.

“But to make peace with the housekeeper, I will have the duck removed to the barnyard lake area when the eggs are safely hatched and the little ducklings are nearly ready to leave their mother’s care.

“This may take a month or two, but I want the staff to be patient with my whims. I guess I am more of a naturalist than I think I am.”

The Professor said that maybe this was a good thing for the future of Lilliland. With the Baron in charge, all the wild animals are safe and secure from being bothered by hunters.

The Baron added that he sees the greatest beauty in nature.