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Show ! fpP Ddddy s ll!pdEvesii fairy Tale yw GRAHAM Bomm THE SICK DEER "You are the most beautiful fawn baby," said Mrs. Peer to the little deer who had been lu the world so ehort a time. Mrs. Deer was often called Mrs. Doe, which was her regular name, and the baby deer was usually called the fawn. But Mrs. Doe, or Mother Deer, called ihe baby door her "beautiful one" and her "precious child." When the fawn had first come Into the world Mother Deer had refused to let anyone else touch her baby. She must care for him and see thai he was looked after in just the way she thought best. And she was his mother. She knew best. She would see that he was looked after all right. Now the keeper knew this was the way of a mother deer whether in the too or free. If anyone else touched her baby first she was apt to disown him. Her baby must be hers entirely for a little while. Then the keeper could bring him food and look after him nd the daddy deer could admire him. For the daddies In the deer families like their young. So many of the daddies dad-dies in the animal world do not like the little ones when they are really small. They wait until they grow older old-er to notice them. But not so with the daddies In the deer family. One day, though, the little deer caught a cold. It was one of those unavoidable accidents that sometimes happen. Certainly Mother Deer had taken the best of loving and watchful care of her baby. But sometimes these things will happen. Just how the little fawn had caught his cold, poor mother deer did not know. But his head was hot and his eyes seemed larger than ever and he Seemed to be so afraid, so dreadfully i i The Keeper Watched Over Him. afraid of this great big world which sent a baby deer such a queer feeling In his head and all through his aching ach-ing limbs. "Mother, mother," his eyes seemed to say, "3'ou won't let me leave you 7 "Oh, mother, I love you so ! "I want to be near you always. "I love you, Mother Doe, darling, dear Mother Deer!" The baby was old enough now so that the keeper came near him and the mother was glad of the keeper's help. Only when the baby had been very young had the keeper not been allowed near. It was no one's fault that the baby was ill now not even the baby's fault, no, no, indeed. When the keeper came around that day he found that the baby deer had suddenly become really quite ill. He had taken a real chill and had a high fever. The keeper put bandages on his head and gave him something hot to drink. Then he saw that all the other animals ani-mals were safe for the night. Back he came where the sick baby was by his mother. His eyes were begging her to save him and her eyes were looking at the keeper. "Save my baby, save him," she moaned In talk which the keeper understood. un-derstood. "I will, I will," the keeper said. All through that night, while the baby deer sometimes slept restlessly, and sometimes tossed about with the fever and the aches and pains, the keeper watched over him and nursed him, giving him medicines, and rubbing rub-bing his tired limbs. "I don't know, I don't know at all, Mother Doe," the keeper tried to tell her, "but I am doing my best" And Mother Deer knew that he was. In the morning when the baby deer took a turn for the better, and when in a few days he was well, the mother deer and the baby deer kissed the keeper, while their beautiful, happy, expressive eyes said: "Thank you !" |