"Children's Books - White, E.B. - Charlotte's Web" - читать интересную книгу автора (Children's Books)

"The school bus will be along in half an hour."

"Can I have a pig, too, Pop?" asked Avery.

"No, I only distribute pigs to early risers," said Mr. Arable. "Fern
was up at daylight, trying to rid the world of injustice. As a result,
she now has a pig. A small one, to be sure, but nevertheless a pig. It
just shows what can happen if a person gets out of bed promptly. Let's
eat!"

But Fern couldn't eat until her pig had had a drink of milk.

Mrs. Arable found a baby's nursing bottle and a rubber nipple. She
poured warm milk into the bottle, fitted the nipple over the top, and
handed it to Fern. "Give him his breakfast!" she said.

A minute later, Fern was seated on the floor in the corner of the
kitchen with her infant between her knees, teaching it to suck from the
bottle. The pig, although tiny, had a good appetite and caught on
quickly.

The school bus honked from the road.

"Run!" commanded Mrs. Arable, taking the pig from Fern and slipping a
doughnut into her hand. Avery grabbed his gun and another doughnut.

The children ran out to the road and climbed into the bus. Fern took no
notice of the others in the bus. She just sat and stared out of the
window, thinking what a blissful world it was and how lucky she was to
have entire charge of a pig. By the time the bus reached school, Fern
had named her pet, selecting the most beautiful name she could think of.

"Its name is Wilbur," she whispered to herself.

She was still thinking about the pig when the teacher said: "Fern, what
is the capital of Pennsylvania?"

"Wilbur," replied Fern, dreamily. The pupils giggled. Fern blushed.

CHAPTER 2

Wilbur

Fern loved Wilbur more than anything. She loved to stroke him, to feed
him, to put him to bed. Every morning, as soon as she got up, she
warmed his milk, tied his bib on, and held the bottle for him. Every
afternoon, when the school bus stopped in front of her house, she jumped
out and ran to the kitchen to fix another bottle for him. She fed him
again at suppertime, and again just before going to bed. Mrs. Arable