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Show U mm 8ICK DEER. Mother Deer's real name was Mrs. Doe, for that is the name given to all the mothers In tho Deer family. But lustead of being colled Mrs. Doe she was usually just called Mother Deer. ; Now the daddies In tho Deer family are good to their children. They don't hurt them as many daddies will hurt their children In the nnlmnl world. But naturally tho one who loves them best Is the mother deer, nnd this special Mother Deer I am going to tell you about loved her children abovo all else in tho world. No one could touch them right after they wero born until Mother Deer had them nicely cleaned nnd smoothed. She had heard of mother deers who would not own their children If some other member of tho family, or some' other person touched them nnd cleaned them before he had cleaned them herself. her-self. . It was all right for them to bo fondled fon-dled afterwards-and Mother Decrowns not Jealous, but sho wa.i like all tho mother deers she had heard of, she wanted to be the first to look after very child of her own that came Into the world. She understood so perfectly what she had heard of other mother deers, for she knew she wns Just llko them. But one day Mother Deer beenme III. Oh, she wns very mlserahlo indeed. Sho St r t""'' O ligm; He Had to Limp About had eaten something which had disagreed dis-agreed with her and she felt a very bad pain. The keeper gave her somo medicine In her food and before long she felt quite well again. "It Is so horrid to be sick," she thought to herself. And it anyone creature could have heard that thought I am sure they would have agreed with her. She was so thankful to the keeper for making her well, but lo and. behold only the day after sho was cured, Mr. Deer was really very uncomfortable. "Tou must hffVo eaten the samo thing I did," said Mother Deer. "It was something that was thrown in my yard." "Yes, and perhaps it took me longer to get sick than it did you," said Mr. Deer. "Too bad you'ro not all over it now as I am," said Mother Deer. "It hurts me so to get down on my knees which I do now when It's time to eat And It's most uncomfortable for me to walk." "Now," said tho keeper, "this deer Is really much more poorly than Mrs. Doe was. It will take him a long tltno to get all well for his hoofs have become very much Infected." By that the keeper meant that something some-thing bad gone into the hoofs which had poisoned them a little. "It's perfectly per-fectly natural," continued the keeper, "for the wart hog to kneel when he .eats, but It's too bad when a deer does it because It's so'pafnful. "I shall have to look after you, poor MfcDcer." i u.,So the keeper exumlned the deer andlound that his Joints were swollen !nrid his hoofs In quite a bnd condition. TTo Mtd be.en feeling badly for somo time, but he had been u. brave animal nnd had made no fuss about It. IJo had really been feeling pain when Mrs. Doe was III but he wanted to have her receive all the attention. Mrs. Doe ccrtntnly wouldn't have talk? ed about herself so much If she had known Mr. Deer was suffering so much more. ; So every day the keeper dressed Mr. Deer's feet with good clean gnuzo nnd inome nlco soothing ointment lie had to limp about with his bandaged hoofs for several weeks, but nftcr a time he began, to grow better. ; "You've had a bad tlmo of It In-.deed," In-.deed," said the keeper, on tho last day ho considered Mr. Deer needed to wear his bandages. "And you've been a 'good patient deer." Mr. Deer knew from tho keeper's voice that he was pleased, and It made Mr. Deer very happy. For he was ' grateful Indeed to the kind keeper who ;had made htm well nnd who had been so good to him and so gentle with his poor sore feet j! And Mr. Deer licked tho keeper's 'lhands and his great big brown eyes (looked straight Into the keeper's, and 'said, , "Thank you, dear keeper, thank .youl" |