"... soak up the miracle of having ducks back.

In fact it makes you forget the sight of truck-crushed duck bodies laid on the stump beside the lower arm of the drive. The farmhands' wordless notification and sympathy for ducks found in the road come chore time, while you were at work. First one, a shock. "Honey, what is that Indian Runner doing laying on the STUMP???" Not moving.... And then, one at a time, the others, to come home to, their afternoons exploring gone wrong.

I do not know to this day why them ducks could swim UNDER the bridge downstream but had to cross ON the bridge to come back home, upstream. Guess it was just one a them duck things. But after the second stump offering I knew we would never hatch ducks here again, right on the road. Penning up ducks... well it isn't right. Even after I had to shoot the one buff duck that had only been part-crushed. Oh my. They go hard with snake shot, what I had loaded. She went hard. I was sick.

But now, in the mist, that all eases and fades, and I remember that the last duck actually left by van. Oh that was a day, a duck loose in the back of the van! An all day drive through farm country failed to turn up ONE pond with paddling ducks upon it. Finally I drove over to the next county where I thought I remembered seeing a yardfull, up past the meatpacking plant... Hadn't there been 7 or 8 varieties one day when I was out exploring... could I find it? Well find it I did, and the farm wife was kind to accept the last Pekin. Good thing, too; poor duck had tried to adopt herself into the chicken flock. Following them everywhere as they ran from her.... nearly lost several of the chickens, they ran the weight right off.

Well let me tell you when that lady's ducks rose up from their shady naps under the bushes, and quacked at my approach, I thought my armload of Pekin was fit to burst. Did she run and flap across the grass to join up! And in just a few seconds, that old Lonelyduck disappeared into a flock, and became indistinguishable from her hostesses... You know I never thought, funny how ducks will welcome strange ducks like that, and run 'em right over to the pond for a dip. "This is the water! The water!! Water water water!!!!!" And you know every time a duck sees water, it's never seen it before. Uh huh, it's always the first time.

Walter knew that. Oh Lord, old Walter and them ducks..."