Mr. Popper’s Penguins: Chapters 9–15

Captain Cook found this spectacle very interesting, and in order to get a better view, he jumped up on the mirror ledge.

The gentleman in the barber’s chair, his face already white with lather, half-lifted his head to see what had happened.

With a yell and a leap, the gentleman rose from his reclining position, left the barber’s chair, and fled into the street, not even stopping for his coat and hat.

With a yell and a leap, the gentleman rose from his reclining position, left the barber’s chair, and fled into the street, not even stopping for his coat and hat.

Mr. Popper, who was still panting for breath, had not supposed the determined bird would plunge so quickly.

Mr. Popper, who was still panting for breath, had not supposed the determined bird would plunge so quickly.

When they reached the bottom, Captain Cook was so eager to go up again that Mr. Popper had to call a taxi, to distract him.

“I am sorry, my love,” said Mr. Popper in a humble tone, “but you can’t always tell what a penguin will do next.”

He had suddenly ceased his gay, exploring little walks about the house, and would sit most of the day, sulking, in the refrigerator.

He had suddenly ceased his gay, exploring little walks about the house, and would sit most of the day, sulking, in the refrigerator.

But it was soon clear that it was something worse than mopiness that ailed Captain Cook.

“I will leave you some pills. Give him one every hour. Then you can try feeding him on sherbet and wrapping him in ice packs. But I cannot give you any encouragement because I am afraid it is a hopeless case. This kind of bird was never made for this climate, you know. I can see that you have taken good care of him, but an Antarctic penguin can’t thrive in Stillwater.”

“I will leave you some pills. Give him one every hour. Then you can try feeding him on sherbet and wrapping him in ice packs. But I cannot give you any encouragement because I am afraid it is a hopeless case. This kind of bird was never made for this climate, you know. I can see that you have taken good care of him, but an Antarctic penguin can’t thrive in Stillwater.”

The neighbors brought in all sorts of broths and jellies to try to tempt the little fellow.

He slept all day now in a heavy stupor, and everyone was saying that the end was not far away.

All the Poppers had grown terribly fond of the funny, solemn little chap, and Mr. Popper’s heart was frozen with terror.

In his despair, Mr. Popper had an idea. A letter had brought him his pet. He sat down and wrote another letter.

Then he had the furnace taken out and moved upstairs into the living room. It looked very odd there, but, as Mrs. Popper said, it was a relief at least not to have to wear their overcoats all the time.

The refrigerating engineer was worried, too, when he found that Mr. Popper had practically no money.

Now penguin eggs are so large that the mother can sit on only two at a time, and this created quite a problem. Mr. Popper solved it, however, by distributing the extra eggs under hot-water bottles and electric heating-pads, kept just at penguin-body heat.

The penguin chicks, when they began to hatch, were not so handsomely marked as their mother and father. They were fuzzy, droll little creatures who grew at a tremendous rate.

It was nice that there were so many penguins because when two of them (usually Nelson and Columbus) got into a fight, and began to spar at each other with their flippers, the ten other penguins would all crowd around to watch the fight and make encouraging remarks.

It was January now, and already he dreaded to think of the time when spring would come, and he would have to leave them all day and go back to painting houses.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, raising his hand, “with your kind indulgence we are going to try out a little novelty number tonight. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, the Marvelous Marcos are unable to appear. We are going to let you see a rehearsal of the Popper Performing Penguins, instead. I thank you.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, raising his hand, “with your kind indulgence we are going to try out a little novelty number tonight. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, the Marvelous Marcos are unable to appear. We are going to let you see a rehearsal of the Popper Performing Penguins, instead. I thank you.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, raising his hand, “with your kind indulgence we are going to try out a little novelty number tonight. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, the Marvelous Marcos are unable to appear. We are going to let you see a rehearsal of the Popper Performing Penguins, instead. I thank you.”

Columbus then counted ten over the prostrate Nelson, and again the ten other penguins applauded.

At this point in the act the penguins always forgot their discipline and got dreadfully excited.

However, the children had always told Mr. Popper that the act was all the funnier for all this pushing and scrambling, and Mr. Popper supposed it was.

“Is that all right, Mamma?” asked Mr. Popper.
“Yes, that’s very satisfactory,” answered Mrs. Popper.