diff options
| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-03-08 05:04:35 -0800 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-03-08 05:04:35 -0800 |
| commit | ce77087f11d6aeabf99dba7be79a623027cb9c95 (patch) | |
| tree | 96b582ddc81c1656f2462149e98fbe8712895521 | |
| parent | 355d9ce4f410a3f5019d39152eb2e70b155eee54 (diff) | |
| -rw-r--r-- | 42035-0.txt | 397 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 42035-0.zip | bin | 80835 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 42035-8.txt | 4372 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 42035-8.zip | bin | 80482 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 42035-h.zip | bin | 802123 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 42035-h/42035-h.htm | 376 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 42035.txt | 4372 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 42035.zip | bin | 80485 -> 0 bytes |
8 files changed, 5 insertions, 9512 deletions
diff --git a/42035-0.txt b/42035-0.txt index b41dfc7..6244427 100644 --- a/42035-0.txt +++ b/42035-0.txt @@ -1,39 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Dooryard Stories, by Clara Dillingham -Pierson, Illustrated by F. C. Gordon - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Dooryard Stories - - -Author: Clara Dillingham Pierson - - - -Release Date: February 6, 2013 [eBook #42035] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOORYARD STORIES*** - - -E-text prepared by Greg Bergquist, Matthew Wheaton, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(http://archive.org/details/americana) - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42035 *** Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. @@ -4011,362 +3976,4 @@ little Blackbirds learned their first lesson in unselfishness, and they learned it as larger people often have to do, by having a hard time themselves. - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOORYARD STORIES*** - - -******* This file should be named 42035-0.txt or 42035-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/0/3/42035 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42035 *** diff --git a/42035-0.zip b/42035-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 930d20c..0000000 --- a/42035-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/42035-8.txt b/42035-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9cb3931..0000000 --- a/42035-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4372 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Dooryard Stories, by Clara Dillingham -Pierson, Illustrated by F. C. Gordon - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Dooryard Stories - - -Author: Clara Dillingham Pierson - - - -Release Date: February 6, 2013 [eBook #42035] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOORYARD STORIES*** - - -E-text prepared by Greg Bergquist, Matthew Wheaton, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(http://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 42035-h.htm or 42035-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42035/42035-h/42035-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42035/42035-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - http://archive.org/details/dooryardstories00pier - - - - - -[Illustration: THE VERY RUDE YOUNG ROBINS. _Page 100_] - - -DOORYARD STORIES - -by - -CLARA DILLINGHAM PIERSON - -Author of "Among the Forest People," "Night People," etc. - -Illustrated by F. C. Gordon - - - - - - - -New York -E. P. Dutton And Company -31 West Twenty-Third Street - -Copyright, 1903 -by E. P. Dutton & Co. - -Published Sept., 1903 - -The Knickerbocker Press, New York - - - - - To - - MY FATHER - - WHO FIRST TAUGHT ME TO LOVE MY DOORYARD FRIENDS - - - - -PREFACE - - -MY DEAR LITTLE FRIENDS:--These stories are of things which I have seen -with my own eyes in my own yard, and the people of whom I write are my -friends and near neighbors. Some of them, indeed, live under my roof, -and Silvertip has long been a member of our family. So, you see, I -have not had to do like some writers--sit down and think and think how -to make the people act in their stories. These tales are of things -which have really happened, and all I have done is to write them down -for you. - -Many of them have been told over and over again to my own little boy, -and because he never tires of hearing of the time when Silvertip was a -Kitten, and about the Wasps who built inside my shutters, I think you -may care to hear also. He wants me to be sure to tell how the baby -Swift tumbled down the chimney into his bedroom, and wishes you might -have seen it in the little nest we made. When I tell these tales to -him, I have great trouble in ending them, for there is never a time -when he does not ask: "And what did he do then Mother?" But I am -telling you as much as I can of how everything happened, and if there -was more which I did not see and cannot describe, you will have to -make up the rest to suit yourselves. - -Besides, you know, there is always much which one cannot see or hear, -but which one knows is happening somewhere in this beautiful great -world. The birds do not stop living and working and loving when they -leave us for the sunny south, and above us, around us, and even under -our feet many things are done which we cannot see. As we become -better acquainted with the little people who live in our dooryards, we -shall see more and more interesting things, and I wish you might all -grow to be like my little boy, who is never lonely or in need of a -playmate so long as a Caterpillar or a Grasshopper is in sight. - -See how many tiny neighbors you have around you, and how much you can -learn about them. Then you will find your own dooryard as interesting -as mine and know that there are playmates everywhere. - - Your friend, - - CLARA D. PIERSON. - - STANTON, MICHIGAN, - - _October 30, 1902_. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - SILVERTIP 1 - THE FIGHT FOR THE BIRD-HOUSE 12 - THE FIR-TREE NEIGHBORS 22 - THE INDUSTRIOUS FLICKERS 36 - PLUCKY MRS. POLISTES 48 - SILVERTIP STOPS A QUARREL 68 - A YOUNG SWIFT TUMBLES 78 - THE VERY RUDE YOUNG ROBINS 96 - THE SYSTEMATIC YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO 108 - THE HELPFUL TUMBLE-BUGS 121 - SILVERTIP LEARNS A LESSON 132 - THE ROBINS' DOUBLE BROOD 145 - THE SPARROWS INSIDE THE EAVES 158 - A RAINY DAY ON THE LAWN 173 - THE PERSISTENT PHOEBE 183 - THE SAD STORY OF THE HOG CATERPILLAR 199 - THE CAT AND THE CATBIRD 210 - THE FRIENDLY BLACKBIRDS 222 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - THE KITTEN LAPPED UP HIS MILK 6 - THE FIGHT FOR THE BIRD HOUSE 18 - A RED SQUIRREL ATE THEM 34 - A VERY CRUEL THING TO DO 38 - THE CHIMNEY-SWIFT'S HOME 78 - THE VERY RUDE YOUNG ROBINS 100 - STUFFED IT DOWN THE WIDE-OPEN BILL 116 - MR. CHIPMUNK ON THE WOODPILE 142 - "O MOTHER, IT IS RAINING!" 175 - "YOU DESERVE TO BE EATEN" 218 - - - - -SILVERTIP - - -A very small, wet, and hungry Kitten pattered up and down a board walk -one cold and rainy night. His fur was so soaked that it dripped water -when he moved, and his poor little pink-cushioned paws splashed more -water up from the puddly boards every time he stepped. His tail looked -like a wet wisp of fur, and his little round face was very sad. -"Meouw!" said he. "Meouw! Meouw!" - -He heard somebody coming up the street. "I will follow that -Gentleman," he thought, "and I will cry so that he will be sorry for -me and give me a home." - -When this person came nearer he saw that it was not a Gentleman at -all, but a Lady who could hardly keep from being blown away. He could -not have seen her except that Cat's eyes can see in the dark. "Meouw!" -said the Kitten. "Meouw! Meouw!" - -"Poor little Pussy!" said a voice above him. "Poor little Pussy! But -you must not come with me." - -"Meouw!" answered he, and trotted right along after her. He was a -Kitten who was not easily discouraged. He rubbed up against her foot -and made her stop for fear of stepping on him. Then he felt himself -gently lifted up and put aside. He scrambled back and rubbed against -her other foot. And so it was for more than two blocks. The Lady, as -he always called her afterward, kept pushing him gently to one side -and he kept scrambling back. Sometimes she even had to stand quite -still for fear of stepping on him. - -"Meouw!" said the Kitten, and he made up his mind that anybody who -spoke so kindly to strange Kittens would be a good mistress. "I will -stick to her," he said to himself. "I don't care how many times she -pushes me away, I _will_ scramble back." - -When they turned in at a gate he saw a big house ahead of him with -many windows brightly lighted and another light on the porch. "I like -that home," he said to himself. "I will slip through the door when she -opens it." - -But after she had turned the key in the door she pushed him back and -closed the screen between them. Then he heard her say: "Poor little -Pussy! I want to take you in, but we have agreed not to adopt another -Cat." Then she closed the door. - -He wanted to explain that he was not really a Cat, only a little -Kitten, but he had no chance to say anything, so he waited outside and -thought and cried. He did not know that the Lady and her husband -feared that Cats would eat the many birds who nested in the trees on -the lawn. He thought it very hard luck for a tiny Kitten to be left -out in the cold rain while the Lady was reading by a blazing grate -fire. He did not know that as she sat by the fire she thought about -him instead of her book, for she loved little Kittens, and found it -hard to leave any out in the street alone. - -While he was thinking and crying, a tall Gentleman with a black beard -and twinkling brown eyes came striding up to the brightly lighted -porch. "Well, Pussy-cat!" said the Gentleman, and took a bunch of -shining, jingling things out of his pocket and stuck one of them into -a little hole in the door and turned it. Then the door swung open, and -the Gentleman, who was trying to close his umbrella and shake off the -rain, called first to the Lady and then to the kitten. "O Clara!" he -cried. "Come to see this poor little Kitten. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty! -I know you want to see him. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty! I should have -thought you would have heard him crying. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!" - -The Lady came running out and was laughing. "Yes, John," she said, "I -have had the pleasure of meeting him before. He was under my feet most -of the way home from church to-night, and I could hardly bear to leave -him outside. But you know what we promised each other, that we would -not adopt another Cat, on account of the birds." - -The Gentleman sat down upon the stairs and wiped the Kitten off with -his handkerchief. "Y-yes, I know," he said weakly, "but Clara, look at -this poor little fellow. He couldn't catch a Chipping Sparrow." - -"Not now," answered the Lady, "yet he will grow, if he is like most -Kittens, and you know what we said. If we don't stick to it we will -soon have as many Cats as we did a few years ago." - -The Kitten saw that if he wanted to stay in this home he must insist -upon it and be very firm indeed with these people. So he kept on -crying and stuck his sharp claws into the Gentleman's sleeve. The -Gentleman said "Ouch!" and lifted him on to his coat lapel. There he -clung and shook and cried. - -"Well, I suppose we mustn't keep him then," said he; "but we will give -him a warm supper anyway." So they got some milk and heated it, and -set it in a shallow dish before the grate. How that Kitten did eat! -The Lady sat on the floor beside him, and the Gentleman drew his chair -up close, and they said that it seemed hard to turn him out, but that -they would have to do it because they had promised each other. - -The Kitten lapped up his milk with a soft click-clicking of his -little pink tongue, and then turned his head this way and that until -he had licked all the corners clean. He was so full of warm milk that -his sides bulged out, and his fur had begun to dry and stuck up in -pointed wisps all over him. He pretended to lap milk long after it was -gone. This was partly to show them how well he could wash dishes, and -partly to put off the time when he should be thrust out of doors. - -[Illustration: THE KITTEN LAPPED UP HIS MILK. _Page 6_] - -When he really could not make believe any longer, his tongue being so -tired, he began to cry and rub against these two people. The Gentleman -was the first to speak. "I cannot stand this," he said. "If he has to -go, I want to get it over." He picked up the Kitten and took him to -the door. As fast as he loosened one of the Kitten's claws from his -coat he stuck another one in, and at last the Lady had to help get him -free. "He is a regular Rough Rider," said the Gentleman. "There is no -shaking him off." - -The Kitten didn't understand what a Rough Rider was, but it did not -sound like finding a home, so he cried some more. Then the door was -shut behind him and he was alone in the porch. "Well," he said, "I -like that house and those people, even if they did put me out. I think -I will make them adopt me." So he cuddled down in a sheltered, dry -corner, put his four feet all close together, and curled his tail, as -far as it would go, around them. And there he stayed all night. - -In the morning, when the rain had stopped and the sun was shining -brightly, he trotted around the house and cried. He went up on to -another porch, rubbed against the door and cried. The Maid opened the -door and put out some milk for him. He could see into the warm kitchen -and smell the breakfast cooking on the range. When she came out to -get the empty dish, he slipped in through the open door. She said -"Whish!" and "Scat!" and "Shoo!" and tried to drive him out, but he -pretended not to understand and cuddled quietly down in a corner where -she could not easily reach him. Just then some food began to burn on -the range and the Maid let him alone. The Kitten did not cry now. He -had other work to do, and began licking himself all over and -scratching his ears with his hind feet. - -When he heard the Gentleman and the Lady talking in the dining-room, -he watched his chance and slipped in. He decided to pay the most -attention to the Gentleman, for he had been the first to take him up. -They were laughing and talking and saying how glad they were that the -rain had stopped falling. "I believe, John," the Lady said, "that if -it had not been for me, you would really have kept that Kitten last -night." - -"Oh, no," answered the Gentleman. "We ought not to keep Cats. I think -that if it had not been for me _you_ would have kept him." - -Just at that minute the Kitten began climbing up his trousers leg and -crying. "Poor little Pussy," said the Gentleman. "Clara, can't we -spare some of this cream?" He reached for the pitcher. The Kitten -began to feel more sure of a home. - -"O John, not here?" began the Lady, and the Maid came in to explain -how it all happened. The Kitten stuck his claws into the Gentleman's -coat and would not let go. Then he cried some more and waved his tail. -He had a very beautiful tail, marked just like that of a Raccoon, and -he turned it toward the Lady. He had heard somewhere about putting the -best foot forward, and thought that a tail might do just as well. -While he was waving his tail at the Lady he rubbed his head against -the Gentleman's black beard. - -"If we _should_ keep him, John," said the Lady, "we ought to call him -Silvertip, because he has such a pretty white tip to his tail." The -Kitten waved it again and began to purr. - -"If you knew what a strong and fearless fellow he is, you would call -him Teddy," answered the Gentleman, turning over a paper which said in -big black letters, "Our Teddy Wins." - -"Call him Teddy Silvertip then," said the Lady, as she reached for the -bell. When the Maid came in answer to her ring, she said, "Belle, -please take our Kitten into the kitchen and feed him." Then the Kitten -let go and was carried away happy, for he had found a home. He had -also learned how to manage the Lady and the Gentleman, and he was -always _very_ firm with them after that. - - - - -THE FIGHT FOR THE BIRD-HOUSE - - -Under the cornice of the tool-house was an old cigar-box with a tiny -doorway cut in one end and a small board nailed in front of it for a -porch. This had been put up for a bird-house, and year after year a -pair of Wrens had nested there, until they began to think it really -their own. When they left it in the fall to fly south, they always -looked back lovingly at it, and talked over their plans for the next -summer. - -"I think we might better leave this nest inside all winter," Mrs. Wren -always said. "It will seem so much more home-like when we return, and -it will not be much trouble to clear it out afterward." - -"An excellent plan, my dear," her cheerful little husband would reply. -"You remember we did so last season. Besides," he always added, "that -will show other birds that Wrens have lived here, and they will know -that we are expecting to return, since that is the custom in our -family." - -"And then do you think they will leave it for us?" Mrs. Wren would -ask. "You know they might want it for themselves." - -"What if they did want it?" Mr. Wren had said. "They could go -somewhere else, couldn't they? Do you suppose I would ever steal -another bird's nesting-place if I knew it?" - -"N-no," said Mrs. Wren, "but not everybody is as unselfish as you." -And she looked at him tenderly. - -The Wrens were a most devoted couple,--all in all, about the nicest -birds on the place. And that was saying a great deal, for there were -many nesting there and others who came to find food on the broad -lawn. They were small birds, wearing dark brown feathers on the upper -parts of their bodies and lighter grayish ones underneath. Even their -bills were marked in the same way, with the upper half dark and the -lower half light. Their wings were short and blunt, and they had a -habit of holding their tails well up in the air. - -People said that Mrs. Wren was very fussy, and perhaps it was true, -but even then she was not a cross person. Besides, if she wished to do -a thing over five times in order to make it suit her, she certainly -had a perfect right to do so. It was she who always chose the -nesting-place and settled all the plans for the family. Mr. Wren was -quite content to have it so, since that was the custom among Wrens, -and it saved him much work. Mr. Wren was not lazy. He simply wanted to -save time for singing, which he considered his own particular -business. Besides, he never forgot what had happened to a cousin of -his, a young fellow who found fault with his wife and insisted on -changing to another nesting-place. It had ended in his going, and her -staying there and marrying another Wren. So he had lost both his home -and his wife by finding fault. - -Now the April days had come, with their warm showers and green growing -grass. A pair of English Sparrows, who had nested in the woodbine the -summer before and raised several large broods of bad-mannered -children, decided that they would like to try living in the -bird-house. Having been on the place all winter, they began work -early. The Blackbirds were already back, and one reminded them that it -belonged to the Wrens. - -"Guess not now," said Mr. Sparrow, with a bad look in his eyes. -"Nothing belongs to anybody else if I want it. Do you see?" Then he -picked up and swallowed a fat Grub which the Blackbird had uncovered -for himself and left lying there until he should finish talking. One -could hardly blame the Blackbird for being vexed about this, for -everybody knows that English Sparrows really prefer seeds, and that -this one ate the Grub only to be mean. It did not make the Blackbird -any happier to hear his relatives laugh at him in the evergreens -above, and he made up his mind to get even with that Sparrow. - -The Sparrows pitched all the old nest out of doors and began -quarrelling with each other about building their own. They always -quarrelled. Indeed, that was the way in which they had courted each -other. Mrs. Sparrow had two lovers, and she married the one who would -stand the worst pecking from her. "For," she said, "what is the use of -having a husband unless you can beat him when you fight with him?" - -Now they stuffed the dainty little bird-house full of straws, sticks, -feathers, and anything they could find, until there was hardly room -left in which to turn around. They were just beginning to wonder if -they must throw some out when they heard the happy song of Mr. Wren. - -"Get inside!" cried Mr. Sparrow to his wife. "I will stand on the -porch and fight them." - -Down flew Mr. and Mrs. Wren. "Oh, isn't it pleasant to get home -again?" she exclaimed. "But what is that Sparrow doing on our porch?" - -"This is our home now," said Mrs. Sparrow, "and we are very busy. Get -out of my way." - -"Your home?" cried the Wrens. "How is that? You lived in the woodbine -last season and knew that this was ours. You are surely not in -earnest." - -Mr. Wren looked at his wife and she nodded. Then he flew at Mr. -Sparrow and they fought back and forth on the grape trellis near by -them, in the air, then on the ground. Mrs. Sparrow peeped out of the -open door to see if her husband needed help. He was the larger of the -two, but not so quick in darting and turning. Now they passed out of -sight behind the tool-house and she forgot Mrs. Wren and flew down to -see better. She was hardly off the tiny porch when Mrs. Wren darted -in. Mrs. Sparrow saw when it was too late what a mistake she had made, -and tried to get back. She reached the porch again just in time to -have a lot of straws, twigs, and feathers poked into her face by the -angry Mrs. Wren. - -"I am cleaning house," said Mrs. Wren. "My house, too! Get out of my -way!" Then she pushed out more of the same sort of stuff. Mrs. Sparrow -tried to get in, and every time she put her head through the doorway -she was pecked by Mrs. Wren. And she deserved it. She called Mr. -Sparrow, but he could not help her, and Mr. Wren was so pleased that -he sat on top of the tool-house and sang and sang and sang. To look at -him you would have thought he was trying to kill himself. He puffed up -his throat and swelled up his body and sang so fast that he seemed to -be saying about four words at a time. - -[Illustration: THE FIGHT FOR THE BIRD HOUSE. _Page 18_] - -"Good for you! Good for you! Good for you!" he sang. "Stick to it! -Stick to it! Stick to it! I'm here! I'm here! I'm here, here, here!" - -Mrs. Wren was too busy to say much, but she did a great deal. Every -scrap of the nest was thrown out, and as she worked she decided to -keep that house if she starved there. - -This was in the middle of the morning and she could not get out to -feed until late in the afternoon. Mr. Wren found some delicious -insects on the grapevines, and tried to carry a few billfuls to his -wife, but the Sparrows prevented him. He would have enjoyed his own -dinner better if she could have eaten with him. When he asked how she -was, she chirped back that she was hungry but would not give up. Mr. -Wren spent most of his time walking around the roof of the tool-house -in circles, dragging his wings on the shingles, and saying, -"Tr-r-r-r-r-r!" He was so angry that sometimes he could not say -anything else. The Sparrows sat on the grape trellis and said mean -things. - -They were still doing this late in the afternoon, while the tree -shadows grew longer and longer on the lawn with the lowering of the -sun. Suddenly a Blackbird alighted on the trellis. It was the same one -whose fat Grub Mr. Sparrow had stolen. - -"This has gone far enough," said he. "This house belongs to the Wrens -and they are going to have it. _I_ say so. If I catch either of you -Sparrows around here again, I will drive you off the place. I can do -it, too. You may think it over until the next time that grapevine is -blown against the tool-house. If you do not go then, there will be -_trouble_." He ruffled up his feathers and glared with his yellow -eyes. That was all he had to do. Before the grapevine swayed again, -the Sparrows were far away. - -The Wrens thanked him, even before Mrs. Wren ate her late dinner. "You -are welcome," he said. "It was just fun for me. I cannot bear those -Sparrows, and I hoped they would stay and give me a chance to fight -them. How I wish they had stayed!" He looked sad and disappointed. - -"I'll never have another such good chance," said he. And he never did. -Perhaps it was just as well, although there are times when it is not -wrong to fight, and the Wrens think this would have been one. - - - - -THE FIR-TREE NEIGHBORS - - -With so many trees in the yard, it always seemed a little strange that -three families should choose to build so close together in one. Still, -it must also be remembered that there were many birds who liked to -build near the big house, and thought of that yard as home. - -The Lady spoke of this tree as "The Evergreen Apartment House." The -birds simply called it "The Tallest Fir Tree." - -Early in the spring a pair of English Sparrows decided to build there. -Perhaps one should say that Mrs. Sparrow decided, since her husband -had nothing to say about it, except to murmur "Yes, dear," when she -told him of her choice. They built well up in the tree, and had a big -mass of hay, grass, and feathers together there when the Blackbirds -came. This would have more than made a nest for most birds. Mrs. -Sparrow called it only a beginning, and was always looking for more to -add to it. - -When the Blackbirds came in a dashing flock, they began hunting for -building places and talking it all over among themselves. One mother -Blackbird, who had nested on the place the year before, had counted on -having that particular tree. - -"I decided on it last fall," said she, "before I went South, and I -have been planning for it all winter. I shall build in it just the -same." She shut her bill in such a way that nobody could doubt her -meaning exactly what she said. Her husband didn't like the place -particularly well, but she said something to him which settled it. -"You need not ruffle up your feathers for me," she said, "or stand on -tip-toe to squeak at me, unless you are willing to live there." - -They built higher than the nest of the English Sparrows. "We have -always been well up in the world," she said, "and we do not care to -come down now." That was all right. One could not blame them for -feeling above the English Sparrows. - -The English Sparrows had added more stuff to what they had, and the -Blackbirds had their nest about half done when a pair of Hairbirds -came to look for a comfortable tree. They were a young couple, just -married that spring, and very devoted to each other. They did not -decide matters in the same way as the English Sparrow, and the -Blackbirds. - -Although there were eleven other great evergreens in the yard, besides -a number of trellises covered with vines, and all the vine-covered -porches, there was no place which suited them so well as that -particular tree. Yet each was so eager to please the other that it -was rather hard to get either to say what he really thought. They -perched on the tips of the fir branches and chattered and twittered -all morning about it. - -"What do you think?" Mrs. Hairbird said. - -"What do you?" he replied. - -"But I want to know what _you_ think," she insisted. - -"And I would rather know what _you_ think," said he. - -"No, but really," asked she, "do you like this tree?" - -"Do you?" asked Mr. Hairbird. - -"Yes, yes," answered she. - -"So do I!" he said, with a happy twitter. "Isn't it queer how we -always like the same things?" - -"I wonder if we like the same branch?" said Mrs. Hairbird, after a -long pause, in which both picked insects off the fir-tree and ate -them. - -"Which branch do you like?" asked he. But he could not help looking -out of the side of his eye at the one he most fancied. He could not -look out of the corner of his eye, you know, because round eyes have -no corners, and being a bird his eyes were perfectly round. - -"I like that one," she cried, and laughed to think how easily she had -found out his choice. Then he laughed, too, and it was all decided, -although Mrs. English Sparrow, fussing around in her mass of hay and -feathers above them, declared that she never heard such silliness in -her life, and that when she had made up her own mind that was enough. -She never bothered her husband with questions. Mr. English Sparrow -heard her say this, and thought he would rather like to be bothered in -that way. - -Mrs. Blackbird thought it all a great joke. "When they have been -married as long as I have," she said, "it wont take so long to decide -things." Mrs. Blackbird laughed at everything, but she was mistaken -about this, for the Hairbirds, or Chipping Sparrows, as they are -sometimes called, are always devoted and unselfish. - -It being the custom in their family, the newcomers built quite low in -the tree. Such a happy time as they had. Every bit of grass root which -either of them dragged loose and brought to the tree, was the -prettiest and stoutest and best they had ever seen. And when it got to -the Horsehairs for lining, they visited all the barns for a block -around, hunting for them. Once, when Mrs. Hairbird wished for a white -hair for one particular place, Mr. Hairbird even watched for a white -Horse, and pulled it out of his tail. - -You can imagine how surprised the Horse was when he felt that little -tweak at his tail, and, looking around, saw a small brown bird -pulling at one of his longest hairs. "I am sorry to annoy you," said -this bird, "but Mrs. Hairbird needed a white hair." - -"That is all right," said the Horse, to whom one hair was a very small -matter, and who dearly loved a joke. "Please tell Mrs. Hairbird that -my tail is hers if she wishes it." - -"Your tail is hers!" exclaimed Mr. Hairbird, who ought to have seen -the joke, since he was not an English Sparrow. "Oh, no, surely not! -Surely your tail is not her tail. They are quite different, you know!" -Then he understood and hurried away, but not in time to help hearing -the Horse laugh. - -When the white hair was woven in, the nest was done, and Mrs. Hairbird -laid in it four greenish blue eggs with dark brown specks. In the nest -above were six greenish white ones with brown and light purple spots. -In the nest above that were five dingy streaked and speckled ones. -Mrs. Hairbird said that hers were by far the prettiest. "It is not -because I laid them," she said to her husband. "It is not for that -reason that I think so, but they really are." - -Mr. and Mrs. Hairbird were the only ones who paid for the chance to -build in the tree. They picked insects off the branches, insects that -would have robbed the tree of some of its strength. - -The Blackbirds would not bother with such small bits of food. The -English Sparrows should have paid in the same way, but they would not. - -Their great-great-great- --a great many times great- --grandparents -were brought over to this country just to eat the insects which were -hurting the trees and shrubs, but when they got here they would not -do it. "No, indeed," said they; "we are here now, and we will eat -what we choose." Their great-great-great- --a great many times -great- --grandchildren were just like them. - -Silvertip often came to sit under this tree. He called it a family -tree, because it had so many little families in its branches. He could -not climb it. The fine branches and twigs were so close together that -he could not get up the trunk, and they were not strong enough for him -to step from one to another of them. - -As might perhaps have been expected, there was some gossipping among -neighbors in this tree. The Blackbirds usually climbed to their nest -by beginning at the bottom of the trunk and going around and around it -to the top. This took them so close to the other nests that they could -not help looking in. At any rate, they didn't help it. - -Mrs. Blackbird told Mrs. Hairbird that the way Mrs. Sparrow kept house -was a disgrace to the tree. Mrs. Sparrow told her to be very careful -not to leave her eggs or young children alone when the Blackbirds -were around, because when they were very hungry they had been known -to----! She did not finish her sentence in words, but just ruffled up -her feathers and fluttered her wings, which was a great deal meaner. -If she were going to say such things about people, you know, she -should have said them, and not made Mrs. Hairbird guess the worst -part. - -Mr. Blackbird said he pitied Mr. Sparrow with all his heart. He knew -something what it was to have a wife try to run things, but that if -Mrs. Blackbird had ever acted as Mrs. Sparrow did, he would leave her, -even if it were in the early spring. - -Mr. Sparrow said it was most disagreeable to have such noisy neighbors -as the Blackbirds overhead. That if his wife had known they were -coming to that tree, she would have chosen another place. "Of course -it was too late for her to change when she found it out," he said. -"Her nest was well begun, and she had some very choice straws and -feathers which she didn't care to move. You know how such things get -spoiled in carrying them from place to place." - -Most of these things were told to Mrs. Hairbird, because she was at -home with the eggs, but she repeated them all to her husband when he -came. She even told him how Mr. Sparrow flew down one day just after a -quarrel with his wife, and of all the things he had said when angry. -It was quite right in Mrs. Hairbird to tell her husband, and yet she -never chirped them to another bird. And that also was right. - -When people talked these things to her, she always looked bright and -pleasant, but she did not talk about them herself. Indeed, she often -made excuses for her neighbors when she repeated things to her -husband. For instance, when she told what Mrs. Sparrow had said about -Mrs. Blackbird, she added: "I suppose that may be so, still I feel -sure that Mrs. Blackbird would not eat any of our children unless she -were _dreadfully_ hungry." - -You can see what a sweet and wise little person Mrs. Hairbird was, and -her husband was exactly like her. No matter how other people -quarrelled, they did not. No matter what gossip they heard, they did -not repeat it. And it ended just as such things always do. - -In late spring, about the time that the Bees were gathering varnish -for their homes, and every fir-tree tip had one or two buzzing around -it, there was a dreadful quarrel in the family tree. Mrs. Sparrow -wanted some grasses from the outside of the Blackbirds' nest, and she -sat on her own and looked at them until she felt she could not live -without them. Of course, that was very wrong. She might have forgotten -all about them if she had made herself think about something else. -Any bird who wants something he ought not to have should do that. She -might better have looked down at her own breast, or counted her wing -feathers over and over. However, she didn't. She took those grasses. - -Mrs. Blackbird missed them, and then saw them woven loosely into the -nest below hers. She did not say much, and she did not eat the eggs -out of the Sparrows' nest. Some people said that she ate them, but -that was a mistake. All that she did was to sit very quietly on her -nest while a Red Squirrel ate them. When this same fellow would have -eaten those in the nest below, both the Hairbirds being away, she -drove him off herself. - -You can imagine what the Sparrows said when they returned. Or perhaps -you might better not try to, for they said very cross things. Then -Mrs. Blackbird told what she thought about those stolen grasses, -and her husband joined in, until there was more noise than a flock of -Crows would make. - -[Illustration: A RED SQUIRREL ATE THEM. _Page 34_] - -It ended in Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow tearing down that nest and building -another in the woodbine, where most of their relatives lived. Some of -their neighbors thought the Blackbirds right and some thought the -Sparrows right, but through it all Mr. and Mrs. Hairbird were happy -and contented, and brought up their four charming children to be as -good birds as they were themselves. - -The Sparrows often said that the worst thing about going away from the -family tree was leaving the Hairbirds, who were such delightful -neighbors. The Blackbirds said that the pleasantest thing about the -tree was having the Hairbirds for neighbors. The Hairbirds were liked -by everybody, and never made trouble between friends. It was all -because they knew how and when to keep their bills shut. - - - - -THE INDUSTRIOUS FLICKERS - - -If the Bad Boy who lived in the next block had known more about the -habits of Flickers, there would probably have been no young ones to -feed on the lawn of the big house. He had watched Mr. and Mrs. Flicker -in the spring when they were making their nest ready, and had waited -only long enough for the eggs to be laid before climbing the tall -Lombardy poplar to rob it. - -You must not think that Mr. and Mrs. Flicker were stupid in showing -the Bad Boy where their nest was. There was never a more careful -couple, but they were so large and handsome that, if they went -anywhere at all, they were sure to be seen. After they had once been -seen, it was easy for any one with plenty of time to watch and follow -them home. - -Mr. Flicker was clad mostly in golden brown, barred with black. He had -a very showy black spot on his breast, which was just the shape of a -new moon, black patches on his cheeks and smaller ones on his belly. -The linings of his wings, and the quills of his long wing- and -tail-feathers were a bright yellow, and on the back of his head he had -a beautiful red band. All these were very fine, but the most -surprising thing was a large patch of pure white feathers on the lower -part of his back. These did not show except when he was flying. At -other times his folded wings quite hid them from sight. Mrs. Flicker -looked so much like her husband that you could not tell one from the -other, unless you were near enough to see their cheeks. Then you would -know, for Mrs. Flicker had no black spots on hers. - -When the Bad Boy was sure that the nest was high up in the trunk of -the old Lombardy poplar, just across the street from the big house, he -waited until his mother and his big sister were out of the way, and -then he climbed that tree and took the six white eggs out of it. That -was a very, very cruel thing to do. It would have been bad enough to -take one, but to take all six was a great deal worse. You will not -pity the Bad Boy when you know that he tore his trousers and hurt one -hand on his way down. - -Poor Mrs. Flicker cried herself to sleep that night. "If we had not -been careful," she sobbed, "I wouldn't feel so badly, but to have it -happen after all the trouble we took! I am sure that when we cut the -hole for our nest, not a single chip fell to the ground below. We -carried them all far away before dropping them. - -"Excepting the ones we left for the eggs to lie on," added Mr. -Flicker, who was always particular and exact in what he said, even -when in great trouble. - -[Illustration: A VERY CRUEL THING TO DO. _Page 38_] - -"Yes, excepting those," sobbed his poor wife. "I left a few of the -best ones inside." - -"I wonder where the eggs are now," said Mr. Flicker. He looked toward -the Bad Boy's home as he spoke. If he had but known it, the Bad Boy -had not one left. Two had been broken in coming down the tree (for his -mouth had not been big enough to carry all six), three he had traded -for marbles, and the last one, which he meant to keep for a -"specimen," had rolled off his desk in school and smashed on the -floor. The Bad Boy had been kept in at recess for this, but that did -not make the egg whole again. - -The Flickers went sadly to sleep, and dreamed of a land where Birds -were as big as Cows and Boys as small as Goldfinches--where boys were -afraid of birds and hid when they saw them coming. - -When the morning sunshine awakened them and they had breakfasted well, -Mrs. Flicker began to feel more hopeful. "I am really ashamed of -myself," she said, "for being so discouraged. There would be some -excuse for it if I were another kind of bird, but since I am a Flicker -and can lay more eggs whenever my nest is robbed, I think I'd better -stop crying and plan for six more." - -"My brave wife!" exclaimed Mr. Flicker. "You are quite right. It is -all very sad, but we will make the best of it and try to be happy." - -The Bad Boy passed under the tree more than twenty times before the -second lot of eggs were hatched, and he wished and wished for a -Flicker's egg (only he called them High Holes, because they built in -high holes). He never guessed that in the nest above his head lay six -more just as fine as the ones he had stolen. It is not strange that he -did not, for who but a Flicker can lay and lay and lay eggs when her -nest is robbed? - -Now the young Flickers were hatched and ready to leave their -comfortable home. They were much more helpless than most young birds -are when they leave the nest. In fact, they could hardly fly at all, -and had to tumble and sprawl their way to the ground, catching here -and there in the branches of the poplar. Her neighbors thought Mrs. -Flicker quite heartless to let them go so soon, but when she told them -what a care her six nestlings were, they felt differently about it. - -"Did you ever hear of such a thing?" exclaimed Mrs. Catbird, who -thought herself quite overworked in caring for her six, and who had -only known Flickers by sight before this. "Did you ever hear of such a -thing? She tells me that she and Mr. Flicker not only have to find -all the food for their children, but have to eat it for them also. I -remember the Mourning Doves doing that, but then, they never have more -than two children at a time, so it is not so hard." - -"What is that?" asked a Blackbird, who, like the rest of her family, -always wanted to know about everything. - -"Why," repeated Mrs. Catbird, "the Flickers have to eat all the food -they get for their children, and then, when it has become soft and -ready for young birds, they unswallow it into their children's bills. -It takes so much time to do this and to fly back and forth that they -want to have them out of the nest as soon as possible. Then they can -take them around with them." - -You can imagine how anxious the parents were for a few days, while -their six babies were still so awkward and helpless. They took them -across the street to the lawn around the big house, and tucked them -away in dusky places where their brown feathers would not show against -anything light. Most of them were under the edge of a board walk, one -was under a porch, and one was under a low branching evergreen. Mrs. -Robin, who was then hatching her second brood, kept watch for -Silvertip, and this was a great help to the Flickers on the ground -below. - -First one and then another of the young Flickers went out with one of -the parents, and it was most interesting to see them fed. The -Flickers, you know, are woodpeckers, and their long bills are slender, -curved, and pointed, just right for picking Grubs and nice fat little -Bugs out of tree-bark. Their tails, also, are stiff and right to prop -them as they work up and around the trunk of a tree. Still, they feed -on the ground more than on trees, and like Ants better than anything -else in the world. - -Now, one could see Mr. Flicker by an Ant-hill with a nestling beside -him, his head going up and down like a hammer, and an Ant picked up in -his bill at every stroke. Every now and then he would stop, turn his -head, place his bill in that of his child, and unswallow some Ants, -which the nestling would gulp down. Between feedings the nestling -would settle his head between his shoulders, and slide his thin -eyelids over his eyes. He never slid his thick eyelids over. He saved -those for night, when he would really sleep. - -While the father was feeding one, the mother would be feeding another. -When these two were satisfied they were sent back to their -hiding-places and two more had their turns. It was very hard work, in -spite of their being so good. They never fussed or teased. They waited -patiently for their turns and found no fault with the food. - -"Oh," said Mrs. Flicker to her husband, as she swallowed the six -hundred-and-forty-eighth Ant since sunrise. "I am so tired that I feel -like giving up. If it were not for you and the children, I believe I -would just as soon let that Cat catch me as not." - -"I know," he answered. "I am very tired myself, and I am sure you must -be more so. You do not seem strong since you were shut in so long -while brooding the eggs." - -"It is easier in one way, now that all are out of the nest," said she. -"It saves my wings a great deal, but my neck and throat ache from such -steady work. I used to rather enjoy eating for myself. The food tasted -good, and it was something pleasant to do. This eating for a whole -family is quite different." - -"Well, it won't last much longer," her husband said comfortingly. "The -children will soon be able to feed themselves, and you can have a good -rest. Then we will go picnicking in the fields beyond this place, and -every one shall get his own lunch." - -In a few more days they did this, and for three mornings they might -have been seen, in a happy party of eight, walking around together, -quite as Pigeons do. At the end of the third day, Mr. Flicker said to -his wife: "Well, my dear, are you having a good time? This is a -pleasant change from caring for the children, isn't it?" - -To his surprise, she turned her head away and did not answer. When he -repeated his questions, she replied with a little choke in her voice. -"It is very easy," she said, "and a great rest, but it seems to me I -have nothing to do. I eat all I can and try to swallow slowly, but -when my stomach is full I have to just walk around. I miss the -children putting their dear little bills up to mine and taking food -from me. I believe I am lonely." - -Poor Mr. Flicker was young and inexperienced. He did not know how -quickly some people change their minds, or how mothers miss the care -of children. - -"Isn't there something you can do," he asked, "to make you happier?" - -"Could you help me clean out our old hole in the Lombardy poplar?" -said she. "I believe I will lay some more eggs." - -"What?" cried her husband. "When you have been so tired? And then you -will be shut in so long while brooding them. Why not fly off on a -pleasure trip with me?" - -"I will," said she. "I'd love to go. But let us get the nest all ready -first." - -Mr. Flicker was young and inexperienced, as has been said before, yet -he flew right off to work on that nest and let his wife do exactly as -she chose. Which shows that, although she did change her mind and he -could not understand why, they were a very happy and sensible couple, -after all. - - - - -PLUCKY MRS. POLISTES - - -Mrs. Polistes was a charming little widow, who had slept through the -long, cold winter, snugly tucked away in a crack in the barn belonging -to the big house. She had married late in the fall, but her husband -was a lazy fellow who had soon left her, and sat around in the -sunshine with his brothers and the other fellows whom he knew. Each -sat in his own little spot, and at last died because he was so lazy. -That is the way with many insects who will not work. They die, and the -members of their families who keep busy live to a good old age. - -Now it was spring, and Mrs. Polistes awakened happy and full of plans. -You must not think her hard-hearted to be happy after her husband was -dead. If he had been a different sort of a fellow, you know, she would -have missed him more. As it was, she did not even think of marrying -again, but set to work to build her home and bring up her children to -be good and industrious Wasps like herself. - -She asked another young widow to work with her, and together they flew -around hunting for a good building-place. They talked first of hanging -their nest from the branch of a bush, but both were very careful Wasps -and preferred to be sheltered from rain-storms. (Some of their family, -however, did choose to build on bushes). Next they flew into the -ice-house and tried several of the corners there. Mrs. Polistes did -most of the talking, being a Wasp of very decided opinions. - -"It is too chilly here," she said. "I should never feel like myself in -such a cold place. And you know perfectly well," she added, "that if -anybody should disturb us in here, we would not be warm enough to -sting. Or if we did sting, we could never pump much poison in." - -There was nothing to be said after that, for everybody knows that -unless a Wasp can sting, and sting hard, he is not safe. - -Then they looked at the porch ceilings. Their cousins, the Vespæ, had -started some nests there, and they preferred not to be too near them. -The Vespæ were very good Wasps, but, as Mrs. Polistes said, "We wish -to bring our children up to be Polistes Wasps, and if they see the way -in which the Vespæ live, they will get their ideas all mixed. I do not -think it wise to rear them within sight of covered nests, and you know -as well as I [this was to her friend] how the Vespæ wall around their -cells." - -After this they found what they thought a most delightful place. It -was just inside the closed shutters of a bedroom window. The upper -sash of the window was lowered, and inside of that was a fine wire -netting. "Excellent!" said the friend. "That is probably there to keep -the people inside from coming out this way." - -Mrs. Polistes was not quite sure that the netting was there for that -reason, but she liked the place, so they flew off together to the -stump-fence which enclosed the great field back of the house. Then -they looked for an old stump, sat down on one of its prongs, and began -to gnaw off wood fibre. They did not talk much, for they had to work -so hard with their mouths. Each gnawed length-wise of the grain until -she had a little bundle of wood fibre in her jaws. When these were -ready, they flew off to their chosen spot and began to build. First it -had to be chewed for a long time, until it was soft and pulpy, then, -working together and very carefully, they built a slender, stemlike -thing down from the top of the window casing. - -It took many trips to bring enough wood fibre for this, and between -trips they had to stop for food. It took longer to find it so early in -the season than it would later, for Flies and insects of all kinds -were scarce and there were not many flowers yet. Some of those which -looked most tempting were for Bees, and not for Wasps. The Wasps, you -know, have such short tongues that they cannot get the honey from most -flowers. That is why they so like the flat-topped ones and the shallow -ones into which they can reach easily. Mrs. Polistes and her friend at -last found a bed of sweet clover which made them fine meals. - -That first day they only chose the place for their home and got the -stem ready, but it was not long before they had three tiny cells begun -and eggs in two of them. Mrs. Polistes and the homemakers of her -family always insisted upon doing in this way. - -"It not only saves time," said Mrs. Polistes, "to have several kinds -of work going at once, but it rests one, too. When my jaws are tired -of chewing wood fibre or shaping it into cells, I rest myself by -laying an egg. And when my sting is tired from that, I hunt food for -myself and the babies. There is nothing like having a change of work." - -Mrs. Polistes spoke in this way about her sting, you understand, -because it was her ovipositor, or egg-layer, as well. She really used -it in this way much more than the other. She did not wish to sting -with it any more than she had to. It tired her very much to pump -poison through it when she stung. There was always the danger, too, if -she stung a large creature, like a boy, of getting it stuck in him and -not being able to pull it out without breaking. If it broke, she would -die. - -Mrs. Polistes and her friends took turns in laying eggs, and soon had -to begin another row of cells around the first. They laid their oblong -white eggs in them long before the cells were done, and had to stick -them up to the side walls to keep them from falling out of the opening -at the bottom. Then, when they had time, they lowered the walls of the -cells. When the babies hatched, which was only a few days after the -laying of the eggs, they brought food and fed them as they hung in -their cells. - -The Lady who lived in the big house watched this very often, and Mrs. -Polistes and her friend became so used to it that they were not at all -frightened or disturbed. Wasps, you know, are very easily tamed by any -one who moves gently. The Lady stood on a chair just inside the -window, and put her face close to the screen. She could see exactly -how the mother Wasps bit the cell walls into shape, moving backward -all the time. She could see Mrs. Polistes and her friend bring nicely -chewed-up Flies and other insects with which to feed the babies, and -watched them go quietly from cell to cell, giving a lunch to each. - -They were very interesting babies. Being still fastened to the cell -wall by the tail end, only their heads showed, tiny white heads with -two little eyes and brown, horny jaws. Sometimes, when Mrs. Polistes -and her friend were away, the Lady would softly lower the screen from -the top of the window and touch the nest very, very gently with her -pencil. Then each baby thought it was his mother or his aunt, and -thrust his tiny head out for food. Perhaps this was not kind to the -Wasp babies, but if the Lady made them and their mother amuse her, she -was also very careful about worrying them. The older Wasps never found -out that the screen had been moved, and the Lady told everybody in the -house that the upper window sash must not be put up. She feared that -it would strike the outer cells and loosen the nest if raised. - -All would have gone well if it had not been for that dreadful -thunderstorm just before daylight one morning. The Gentleman found the -raindrops blowing in through the bedroom window, and got it almost -closed before he remembered the Wasps' nest. Then he lowered the upper -sash again and left it down, in spite of the rain. - -Sad to say, when morning came the dainty little nest lay on the top -edge of the upper sash. It had been loosened but not crushed, and had -fallen on to the only place it could. Mrs. Polistes and her friend -were flying in and out with food for the babies, who were now all -tilted up sidewise, instead of hanging head downward, as Wasp babies -should. - -"I don't understand it at all," said the friend. "Everything is -exactly as it was when we went to sleep, except that the nest has -fallen." - -"I was dreaming as I hung on the nest last night," replied Mrs. -Polistes, "when suddenly I felt a great jar and was knocked off." - -"So was I," exclaimed her friend. - -"I flew around in the dark until I found it again," added Mrs. -Polistes, "but I had to wait until daylight to see what had happened. -Oh, dear! It is so upsetting to find one's home upside down, and two -of my children are just ready to spin their cocoons." - -"Your children?" asked her friends quite sharply, for it made her -cross to have such misfortunes. "Your children? One of those children -is mine." - -"Which one?" asked Mrs. Polistes, who thought she remembered her own -egg-laying. - -"I don't know which, now that the nest is all turned around," was the -answer. "It has mixed those babies up, and I can't pick out mine." - -"Well, it doesn't really matter," said Mrs. Polistes kindly. "You may -call them both yours, if you want to. Just laying the egg doesn't -count for much, and we have both fed and cared for them. I supposed we -would share babies as we have shared everything else." - -This made the friend ashamed of herself, and she said that she was -sorry she was cross, and that Mrs. Polistes should call one of the -cocoons hers. - -Then they put their heads together to decide what to do with the nest. -When Wasps put their heads together, they stroke each other with their -long feelers, or antennæ, and in that way each is sure what the other -is thinking. They also smell with these feelers, you know, and some -people say that they hear with them. A Wasp with broken antennæ can do -but little, and as for not having any--why, a Wasp might as well die -at once as to lose his antennæ. - -Poor Mrs. Polistes and her little friend! It looked now as though if -they were to bring up those children at all, they would have to do it -wrong side up. The right way, you know, is to raise them upside down, -and here they were lying with their heads up in cells that were open -at the top. - -Yet, even while they were thinking about it, something else happened. -The window sash on which the nest lay began to move slowly and -steadily upward, not stopping until the nest almost touched the casing -above. - -Mrs. Polistes was so frightened! She thought that nest, children, and -all were about to be crushed flat. She said afterward that she was so -scared she could think of nothing but stinging, and there was nobody -whom she could sting. Of course, that would be so, for a Wasp who is -frightened always wants to sting, and it is a great comfort to him if -he can. It gives him something new to think about, you know. - -The Lady was the one who slowly pushed the sash upward. She thought it -might help the poor little mothers somewhat. And it did. They began at -once to hunt food for their children and bring it in. The nest now lay -on the middle of the sash. Before it was knocked loose, it had hung -over in one corner of the casing. It would now have been much nearer -for the little mothers to crawl through the middle of the shutters. -But they were Wasps, and Wasps do not easily change their paths, so -they entered each time at precisely the old place, and then flew or -crawled to the nest. One who watches Wasps in the open air would never -expect them to go by a roundabout way, for they fly so swiftly, -strongly, and directly, yet they are easily puzzled by changes around -the nest. - -Mrs. Polistes had not fed more than half her share of children when -she had an idea. She struck her antennæ against those of her friend -and told her about it. Then they walked all around the nest, looked at -it, felt of it, and gave it little pushes. The Lady stood on her chair -watching them, but they were used to her and did not mind it. - -"I believe we can," said Mrs. Polistes. - -"It would be lovely if we could," answered her friend, "but I am sure -we can't." - -"We can try it, anyway," said Mrs. Polistes. - -"What is the use?" said her friend. "It will just scare the babies and -tire us out. We might better feed them where they are." - -"No," said Mrs. Polistes, and she spoke very positively. "No! There -are worse things than being scared, and they must stand it. If we -leave this nest as it is, the first hard wind will tumble it around, -and a rolling nest raises no Wasps." - -"Mothers!" cried the children, in their weak little voices. "Mothers! -What are you talking about?" - -"We are going to fix your nest up again," answered Mrs. Polistes. "Now -be good children, and do not bother us with questions." - -Then she and her friend began pushing and pulling and rolling and -tumbling the nest around to get it more nearly right side up. They got -it tipped so that all the cells slanted downward, and then they began -chewing wood-pulp and building a new stem toward it from the casing -above. Mrs. Polistes worked so hard that her friend was really worried -about her. She would not take time to eat. At last her friend stood -right in front of her and unswallowed a drop of delicious honey. "You -must eat it," she said. "When I swallowed it, I meant to keep it for -myself, but I would much rather give it to you." Mrs. Polistes lapped -it up and felt stronger at once. - -Such a stout stem as this one was! The cell walls also had to be -strengthened with more of the wood pulp and sticky saliva from the -Wasps' mouths, because the stem was to be fastened to them in a new -place. It was not until the next day that all this work was done, and -the mothers could begin living in the old way again. The babies were -glad when this time came, for they had not been fed so much while -extra building had to be done. - -The two children who were ready to do so had spun their cocoons in -their cells. They used the silky stuff which they had in their mouths, -and which oozed out through a little hole in each child's lip. The -others were growing finely, the nest was hanging from its new stem, -the Lady had lowered the window sash once more, and Mrs. Polistes and -her friend had a little time to rest. "I am going to give myself a -thorough cleaning," said she, licking her front feet off and then -rubbing her head with them. "And then I am going away for a -playspell." - -She cleaned herself all over with her legs, and was most particular -about her antennæ. She had special cleaners for these, you -know--little prongs which grow in the bend of the fourth and fifth -joints of the forelegs and fit closely around the antennæ, scraping -them clean between the bent legs and the prongs. You can see she would -need to be particular, because she had to do her talking, her -smelling, part of her feeling, and perhaps some of her hearing with -them. When she was well scrubbed, she took a good look at the children -and flew off for a fine time, while her friend took care of things at -home. - -Such fun as she had! She caught and ate Cabbage Butterflies, Earwigs, -and other food which will not be touched by most insects and birds. -She supped a tiny bit of honey from the sweet clover, and then flew -straight to the cherry tree. A Catbird was already there, helping -himself to the best in the tree-top, and laughing at the Lady when she -tried to scare him away. He was never afraid of her throwing straight -enough to hit him. - -Mrs. Polistes sipped juice from one ripe cherry after another, and -then, sad to say, she began to drink from one which was over-ripe. She -may not have known that it was so, but not knowing made no difference -with her feelings. She was soon so weak in all her six legs that she -could not walk, and so weak in her wings that her big front and her -small hind pairs would not stay hooked together as they should be. It -was a long time before she could get home. - -When she _did_ go, she carried back some good things for the children, -and then took care of them while her friend had a playspell. After -all, when she was once rested, she enjoyed work better than play. Her -children all grew finely, and so did those of her friend, which was -exceedingly fortunate. If one had died, you know, after the tumbling -down of the nest, each would have thought it her own. - -The little Wasps also grew up as well as could be expected. The sons -all took after their father, and were lazy, but, apart from that, they -were all right. The Queen daughters were exactly like their mothers, -and the little Workers, of whom there were the most of all, were the -greatest of comforts. They did the work of the home as soon as they -were old enough. It was truly a family which paid for saving. - -When people asked Mrs. Polistes how she ever came to think of such a -thing as putting the nest up again, she simply flirted her wings and -replied: "Where else should I put it? I couldn't leave my children -there." - - - - -SILVERTIP STOPS A QUARREL - - -This is the story of something which did not really happen in the -dooryard of the big house, yet it has seemed best to put it in with -these tales because it could all be seen from that yard, and because -Silvertip had a part in it. - -He was sitting quietly upon the broad top-rail of the fence one -afternoon, wishing that the sun would shine again. It had rained most -of the time for three days, and he did not like wet weather. He -thought it was going to clear off, for the clouds had not sent any -drops down since noon. The grass and walks were still damp, so he sat -on the fence-rail. He had stayed in the house so long that he was -tired of it, and he was also watching a pair of Robins who had built -a nest on one of the up-stairs window-ledges. They had put it right on -top of a last year's Robins' nest, and that was on one of the year -before. You can see that it was well worth looking at. - -Silvertip had been here only a short time, when he saw Mr. White Cat, -from another house, walking over to the one across the street. Miss -Tabby Cat lived there, and he knew that Mr. Tiger Cat was around -somewhere. Mr. White Cat looked very cross. He was one of those people -who are good-natured only when the sun is shining and they have -everything they want, and this, you know, is not the best sort of a -person. - -"Um-hum!" said Silvertip to himself. "I think there will be a fight -before long. I will watch." He stood up and stretched himself -carefully and sat down the other way, so as to see all that happened. -Silvertip himself never fought. He spent a great deal of time in -making believe fight, and usually entertained his Cat callers by -glaring, spitting, or even growling at them, but he never really -clawed and scratched and bit. He did not care to have sore places all -over him, and he did not wish to get his ears chewed off. - -"I can get what I want without fighting for it, so why should I -fight?" said he. He was a very good sort of Cat, and had never been -really cross about anything except when the Little Boy came to live in -the big house. Then he had been sulky for weeks, and would not stay in -the room with the Little Boy at all. He thought that if he made enough -fuss about it, the Gentleman and the Lady would not let the Little Boy -live there. When he found the Little Boy would stay anyway, he stopped -being cross. After a while he loved him too. - -No, Silvertip would not fight. But he very much liked to watch other -Cats fight. Now he saw Miss Tabby sit quietly by the house across the -street and right in front of a hole under the porch. She had her legs -tucked beneath her, and her tail neatly folded around them. She looked -as though she had found a small spot which was dry, and wanted to get -all of herself on that. - -Just inside the open doorway of the barn, there sat Mr. Tiger Cat. He -also had his legs tucked in and his tail folded around him. Mr. White -Cat walked straight up to him and stood stiff-legged. Mr. Tiger Cat, -who had just eaten a hearty meal and wanted an after-dinner nap, half -opened his eyes and looked at him. Then he closed them again. - -This made Mr. White Cat more ill natured still. He did not like to have -people look at him and then shut their eyes. He began to switch his -tail and stand his hair on end. He decided to make the other Cat fight -anyway. He cared all the more about it because Miss Tabby was -watching him. He had not noticed Silvertip. "Er-oo!" said he, drawing -back his head and lowering his tail stiffly. "Did you say it was going -to rain, or did you say it was not?" - -"I hardly think it will," answered Mr. Tiger Cat pleasantly. - -"You don't think it will, hey?" asked Mr. White Cat. "Well, I say it -will pour." - -Mr. Tiger Cat slid his thin eyelids over his eyes. - -"Did you hear me?" asked Mr. White Cat, still standing in the same -way. - -"Certainly," answered the other. - -"Well, what do you say to that?" asked Mr. White Cat, and now he began -to stand straighter and hold his tail out behind. - -"I am willing it should pour," said Mr. Tiger Cat, beginning to -uncover his eyes slowly. - -"Oo-oo! You are?" growled Mr. White Cat. "You are, are you? Well, I am -not!" - -There was no answer. You see Mr. Tiger Cat did not want to fight. He -did not need to just then, and he never fought for the fun of it when -his stomach was so full. He supposed he would have to in the end, for -he knew when a fellow has really made up his mind to it, and is -picking a quarrel, it has to end in that way. At least, it has to end -in that way when one is a Cat. If one is bigger and better, there are -other ways of ending it. - -Mr. Tiger Cat knew all this, and yet he waited. "The longer I wait," -he thought, "the more I shall feel like it. My stomach will not be so -full and I can fight better. He needn't think he can come around and -pick a quarrel and chew my ears when Miss Tabby is looking on. No -indeed." - -You see Mr. Tiger Cat was also fond of Miss Tabby. - -"Er-roo!" said Mr. White Cat, straightening his legs until he stood -very tall indeed. "Er-roo!" - -He had made himself so angry now that he could not talk in words at -all. Mr. Tiger Cat sat still. - -"Er-row!" said Mr. White Cat, speaking way down his throat. "Er-row!" -Mr. Tiger Cat sat still. - -Silvertip became so excited that he could not stay longer on the -fence. He dearly loved to see a good fight, you know, so he jumped -quietly down without looking away from the barn door, and began -walking softly toward it. He knew that when a Cat got to saying -"Er-row!" down in his throat, something was going to happen very soon. -Silvertip did not know, however, exactly what it would be because he -did not see a couple of big Dogs trotting down the street toward him. - -He crept nearer and nearer to the barn, hardly looking where he -stepped for fear of missing some of the fun. His pretty white paws got -wet and dirty, but that did not matter now. Paws could be licked clean -at any time. Fights must be watched while they may be found. - -"Ra-ow!" said Mr. White Cat, giving a forward jump. - -"Pht!" answered Mr. Tiger Cat, standing stiffly on his hind feet and -letting his front ones hang straight down. He was wide awake now, and -ready to teach Mr. White Cat a lesson in politeness. - -"Bow-wow!" said the Dogs just behind Silvertip. He might have run up a -tree near by, but he had a bright idea. - -"I'll do it," he exclaimed. "The Little Boy says it is wicked to -fight, anyway." Then he ran straight in through that open door and -jumped to a high shelf in the barn. He saw Miss Tabby turn a -summersault backward and crawl under the porch. - -Mr. Tiger Cat took a long jump to the sill of a high window. Mr. White -Cat did not seem to care at all whether it was going to pour or not. -He sprang to the top round of a ladder. The Dogs frisked below, -wagging their tails and talking to each other about the Cats. - -Mr. Tiger Cat, who was very well-bred and could always think of -something polite to say, remarked to Silvertip: "Your call was quite -an unexpected pleasure!" He had a smiling look around the mouth as he -spoke. - -"Yes," answered Silvertip, who liked a joke as well as anybody, unless -it were a joke on himself alone. "Yes, I found myself coming this way, -and just ran in." - -Then they both settled down comfortably where they were, tucking their -feet under them and wrapping their tails around. Nobody said anything -to Mr. White Cat, who had no chance to sit down, and, indeed, could -hardly keep from falling off the ladder. - -The Dogs frisked and tumbled in the barn for a while and hung around -the foot of the ladder. They knew they could not get either of the -others, but they had a happy hope that Mr. White Cat might fall. - -When at last the Dogs had gone, and Mr. White Cat had also sneaked -away, Mr. Tiger Cat said: "Fighting is very wrong." - -"Yes," replied Silvertip, "very wrong indeed. But," he added, "I'll -make believe fight anybody." So he jumped stiffly down and Mr. Tiger -Cat jumped stiffly down, and they glared and growled at each other all -the afternoon and never bit or even unsheathed a claw. They had a most -delightful time, and Miss Tabby came out from under the porch and -smiled on them both. She loved Cats who acted bravely. - - - - -A YOUNG SWIFT TUMBLES - - -In one of the chimneys of the big house several families of Chimney -Swifts had built their homes. They had come north in April and flown -straight to this particular place. It was the family home of this -branch of the Swifts, and every year since great-grandfather Swift -discovered it, some of his children and grandchildren had come back -there to build. They were quite airy, and thought a great deal about -appearances. "Swifts are sure to be judged by the chimney in which -they live," they said, "and there is no use in choosing a poor one -when there are good ones to be found." - -Nobody would have dared remind these Chimney Swifts that their -great-great-great-great-grandparents lived in hollow trees, if -indeed any of their friends knew it. They themselves never spoke of -the Swifts who still do so, and since they had always lived in a land -of chimneys, they did not dream of the times when there were none to -be found. Of course, before the white men came to this country Swifts -had to build in hollow trees. - -[Illustration: THE CHIMNEY-SWIFT'S HOME. _Page 78_] - -You can just imagine what a happy, busy place this chimney was in the -springtime, when last year's nests were being torn down and new ones -were building. The older Swifts were there and those who were to keep -house for the first time. Then, of course, the younger ones had -married and brought new wives there, and they had to be introduced and -shown all over the chimney. - -Some wanted to build nearer the top than others, and the older ones -were always advising the younger ones. It was so hard for a Swift -mother to remember that her married son was old enough to decide -things for himself; and many such mothers fluttered around the sons' -nests, telling them how to place each twig, and giving the new wives -advice as to how to bring up the babies who would soon come to live -with them. - -This story is about a young couple who built the lowest nest of all. -They were dressed just alike in sleek, sooty, brown feathers, which -were of a lighter shade on their throats. Their necks and heads were -very broad, their bills short but able to open very wide; their wings -were longer than their tails, and the quills of their tail feathers -stuck out stiff and bare far beyond the soft, feathery part. The -Swifts are all very proud of these bare quills. "There are not many -birds," they say, "who can show their quills in that fashion." - -These quills are very useful, too, for after a Swift has broken off a -tiny twig for his nest, he has to cling to the side of the chimney and -fix it into place, and he could not do this without supporting himself -by these tail quills. It is hard work building nests, and you can see -that it would be. They have to cling with both feet, support -themselves with their tails, put each tiny twig in place with their -bills, and glue it there with sticky saliva from their mouths or else -with tree-gum. - -The young husband who was building his first home low down in the -chimney was a sturdy and rather wilful fellow, who was very sure what -he wanted, and just as sure that he was going to get it. When he said, -"I shall do this," or, "I am going to have that," other people had -learned to keep still. They sometimes had a smiling look around the -bill, but they said nothing. His wife was a sweet and sensible Swift -who never made a fuss about anything, or bragged of what she meant to -do. Still, other Swifts who watched them said that she had her way -quite as often as he had his. - -It was really she who had chosen to build well down in the chimney. -Her husband had preferred to be near the top, and she had agreed to -that, but spoke of what would happen if one of their children should -fall out of the nest. - -"There is no need of one falling out," said Mr. Swift. "Tell them to -lie still and not push around. Then they will not fall out." - -Mrs. Swift fixed one of the feathers on the under side of her left -wing, and then remarked: "And you do not think it would disturb you to -have our neighbors passing all the time." - -"Yes, I do," he replied. "I have thought so from the first, and I am -thinking that it might be well to build lower for that reason. Then we -could be passing the others instead." - -He flew down and pecked at the bricks in a few places to make sure -that he could fasten a nest securely. Then he came back to his wife. -"I have decided to build the lowest nest of all," said he, "but you -understand it is not on account of the children. There is no sense in -their moving around in the nest." - -"I understand," said Mrs. Swift, and he flew away for twigs while she -stayed behind to visit with her mother-in-law. - -The mother-in-law's eyes twinkled. "I believe my son said that his -children were not to move around in the nest," she said with a laugh. -"I wonder how he is going to stop their doing so." - -"Tell them, I suppose," answered young Mrs. Swift, smilingly. "Did he -push around at all when he was a baby?" - -"He?" replied the older Swift. "He was the most restless child I ever -hatched. He will know more about bringing up children after he has -raised a brood or two. Don't worry, my dear. It will come out all -right." She flew off and the young wife went for twigs also, and -thought how happy she ought to be in having such a mother-in-law. - -When the lowest nest was built and the four long pure white eggs were -laid in it, Mr. and Mrs. Swift were a very proud young couple. The -nest was so thin that one could see the eggs through it quite plainly, -but it was exceedingly stout and firm. It was not a soft nest, and it -had no real lining, although Mrs. Swift had laid in one especially -perfect grass blade "to give it style." - -That grass blade may be seen to this day by any one who cares to look -at the nest as it lies in a cabinet in the house. It was the only nest -in the chimney which had anything but twigs in it, and some people -wondered at Mrs. Swift's taste. One stout elderly mother Swift said -"she supposed it was all right, but that she had never done such a -thing and her children had turned out all right." However, young Mrs. -Swift smiled in her pretty way and did not talk back. - -When they were planning for the four children whom they expected, Mrs. -Swift spoke of how patient they would have to be with them, but Mr. -Swift said: "They must be brought up to mind! If I tell a child once -to do a thing, that is enough. You will see how I bring them up." Then -he ruffled up his feathers, puffed out his throat, and looked very -important. - -They did most of their visiting in the beautiful night-time, for it is -a custom among their people to fly and hunt and visit in the dark, and -rest by day. Their busiest time is always just before the sun comes -up, and so it happened that the Little Boy who slept in the room below -did not often hear the rumbling noise in the chimney as they flew in -and out. When they were awakened he slept quietly in his snug little -bed, and as he was awakening, and stretching, and getting his dimples -ready for the day, the Swifts were going to sleep after a busy night. - -When the baby Swifts broke their shells and were seen for the first -time by their loving father and mother, Mr. Swift was surprised to -find how small they were. Mrs. Swift murmured sweet words to them and -worked as hard as her husband to find them food. There were now so -many mouths to be fed that they flew by day as well as by night, and -often the Little Boy in the room below thought he heard distant -thunder when it was only the Swifts coming down the chimney with food -for their babies. All sorts of tiny winged creatures were brought them -to eat, for Swifts catch all their food as they fly, and that means -that they can feed upon only such creatures as also fly. - -When they were stretching up to reach the food, Mrs. Swift would say -to the children: "Now learn to move carefully, for if you should get -over the edge of the nest you will tumble down into that fireplace of -which I have told you." - -When he was feeding them Mr. Swift would say: "You may open your -bills, but not one of you must move beyond that twig. Do you -understand?" - -Three of them obeyed without asking questions, but the eldest brother -was always trying to see just how far he could go without tumbling, -and he would talk back to his father. - -"You don't care if I put one wing out, do you?" he would ask. - -"Not one wing!" his father would answer. - -"Why?" the son would ask. "I wouldn't tumble just because I put one -wing out." - -"It is not minding me," his father would say, "to see how far you can -go without tumbling. I did not tell you only to keep from falling -out. I told you to keep inside that twig." - -Then the son would pout his bill and act very sulky, getting close to -the twig which he had been told not to pass. When he thought his -father was not looking, he would even wriggle a little beyond it. Mrs. -Swift was worried, but what could she do? She noticed that her husband -did not talk so much as he used to about making a child mind the very -first time he is spoken to. - -One night when the Swifts had fed their children faithfully, this son -was unusually naughty. It may be that he had eaten more than his share -or that he had picked for the biggest insect every time that lunch was -brought. It may be, too, that he was naughty simply because he wanted -to be. It does not always mean that a child is ill when he is naughty. -His father had just told him to be more careful, and he made a face -(yes, he did) and flopped aside to show what he could do without -falling. - -Then he felt a tiny twig on the edge of the nest break beneath him, -and he went tumbling, bumping, and scraping down into the fireplace -below. He could not fly up, for his wings were not strong enough to -carry him up such a narrow space, and his parents could not get him. -He heard his brother and sisters crying and his mother saying that she -had always expected that to happen. - -"Horrid old twig!" he said. "Don't see why it had to break! Should -think they might build their nest stronger. I don't care! I was sick -of being told not to wriggle, anyway!" - -Then he fluttered and sprawled through a crack beside the screen of -the grate until he was out in the room. The Little Boy lay asleep in -the bed, and that frightened the young Swift. When they tried to -scare each other the children had always pretended that a Boy was -after them. He crawled behind a picture which leaned against the wall, -and stayed there and thought about his dear, dear home up in the -chimney. - -The Little Boy stirred and awakened and called out: "Mother! Mother! -There is somefing making a scratching noise in my room. I fink it is a -Bear." - -The young Swift sat very still while the Lady came in and hunted for -the Bear. She never came near his hiding-place, and laughed at the -Little Boy for thinking of Bears. She told him that the only Bears -around their town were two-legged ones, and when he asked her what -that meant she laughed again. - -He peeped out from behind the picture and saw the Little Boy dress -himself. He heard him say: "I can't poss'bly get vese shoes on, but -I'll try and try and try." He thought how much pleasanter it was to -be a Swift and have all his clothes grow on, and to go barefoot all -the year. - -He heard the Lady say: "Why, you precious Boy! You did get your shoes -on, after all." Then he saw them go off to breakfast, racing to see -who would beat. - -After they were gone, he fluttered out to the window, and there the -Lady found him, and the Little Boy danced around and wanted to touch -him, but didn't quite dare. The Lady said: "I think this must have -been your Bear," and the Little Boy said: "My teeny-weeny little bitty -Bear wiv feavers on." He heard the Little Boy ask, too, why the bird -had so many pins sticking out of his tail, and this made him cross. He -did not understand what pins were, but he felt that anybody ought to -know about tail-quills. - -He didn't know much about Boys, for this was the first one he had -ever seen, and he wondered what those shiny white things were in his -mouth. He had never seen teeth and he could not understand. He -wondered how the Boy got along without a bill, and pitied him very -much. This Little Boy did not seem so very terrible. He even acted a -bit afraid of the Swift. - -Next the young Swift felt himself lifted gently in the Lady's hand and -laid in a box with soft white stuff in it and two small holes cut in -the cover. He was carried from room to room in the house and shown to -other people. Once he heard a queer voice say, "Meouw!" and then the -Little Boy stamped his foot and said: "Go way, Teddy Silvertip. You -can't have my little bird, you hungry Cat." - -After this the young Swift was more scared than before, and would have -given every feather he had to be safely back in the nest in the -chimney. He was hungry, too, and he wanted to see his father and his -dear mother. He beat his wings against the sides of the box and cried -for his mother. "Oh," he said, "if I were only back in the nest I -wouldn't move. I wouldn't move a bit." Then the Cat mewed again and he -kept still from fright. - -At last he was taken into the open air and placed in the top of a -short evergreen, where the Cat could not reach him. Here he clung, -weak and lonely and scared, blinking his half-blinded eyes in a light -brighter than he had yet seen. All the rest of that day he stayed -there, while his father and mother and their other children were -sleeping in the home nest. He expected never to see them again, but he -did want to tell them how sorry he was. - -After the sun had set and the moon was shining, he saw his father -darting to and fro above him. "Father!" he cried. "Father, I am so -sorry that I moved past the twig. I was very naughty." - -His father heard and flew down to tuck a fat and juicy May Beetle into -his mouth. "You poor child!" said he. "Eat that and don't try to talk. -You will not do such things when you are older. I will get you some -more food." - -When he returned Mrs. Swift was with him, and they petted and fed the -young Swift all night, never scolding him at all, because, as they -said, he had been punished quite enough and was sorry. And that was -true. His grandmother came also with a bit of food. She told him that -they would feed him every night and that he should hide in the -branches each day until his feathers were grown. - -"In three days more," said she, "you will be ready to fly, and you -look more like your father all the time. In three days more," she -said, "if nobody eats you up." - -You can imagine how anxious the young Swift was during those three -days, and how small he tried to be when Silvertip was around. -"Surely," he thought, "the sun and moon were never before so slow in -marking off the time." - -When at last he was ready for flight, Silvertip was under the snowball -bush near by. The young Swift sprang into the air. "Good-by, my Cat -friend," said he. "You look hungry, but you have lost your best chance -at me. You should have been waiting at the grate for me. You might -have known that such a foolish young Swift as I would tumble down -sooner or later. All that saves some people is not having their -foolishness found out!" - - - - -THE VERY RUDE YOUNG ROBINS - - -Why this pair of Robins chose to build so near the Sparrows, nobody -knows. It was not at all like Robins to do so, for they are quite -careful how they bring up their children. One would expect them to -think how likely the little Robins would be to grow up rude and -quarrelsome. - -However, there their nest was, not the length of a beanpole from those -of two pairs of Sparrows. When the nestlings were hatched, they -listened all day to what the Sparrows were saying and looked at what -they were doing. They heard and saw many things which Mr. and Mrs. -Robin did not like. But there was no helping it then, and all that -their parents could do was to try to bring them up to be good little -birds, and do as they had been told, and not as they had seen naughty -children do. - -It did make a difference in the behavior of the children, however, and -after they left the nest this showed very plainly. When they were old -enough to go outside the yard in which they had been hatched, they -went to the place next door. There were many fowls on this place, and -several Hens in coops with young Chickens around them. The father and -mother left the young Robins in safe places while they went to hunt -Worms in the newly hoed garden. Two children, a brother and a sister, -were half hidden under the drooping branches of a large gooseberry -bush. - -They had been there for some time, when the sister said, "Just see -what lots of good, clean food that Hen and her Chickens have. Don't -you wish you had some of it?" - -"Um-hum!" answered the brother. "What a pretty yellow it is. I just -know it is good!" - -Neither of them spoke again for a long time. Indeed, the brother had -begun to settle his head down on his shoulders and slide the thin lids -over his eyes, when his sister said, "If you were a Sparrow, you'd get -some." - -"Well, I'm not a Sparrow," he answered, "and so I shall have to go -without." - -He was almost cross to his dear little sister, but perhaps one could -partly excuse him. He saw that there was much more than the Chickens -could eat, and that it would lie there spread out on the board until -they had spoiled it all by trampling it with muddy feet. Now it was -lovely, clean, sweet corn-meal mush. Besides, he was becoming -dreadfully hungry. It was fully ten minutes, you know, since he had -been fed anything. - -The little sister kept still for a while. Her mother had taught her -that it does not always pay to talk too much. At last she asked, "Do -you suppose those tiny bits of Chickens know the difference between a -Sparrow and a Robin?" - -Her brother opened his eyes very wide, and stretched his head up so -that one could see the black and white feathers under his bill. He was -almost full-grown. "I've a good mind to try to fool them," he said. -"You see, the Hen can't reach the board where the food is." - -"I dare you to!" cried his sister, who really should have been his -brother, she was so brave. - -"All right," he answered. "Only you come too." - -"I will," she said. "But let's wait until Father and Mother are -looking the other way." - -Twice they started out and came back because their parents were -looking. At last they made a dash and were by the board. - -"Stand aside!" said the brother, talking as nearly like a Sparrow as -he could. "Let us have some of this!" - -"Who are you?" asked the Chickens, while the old Hen -cluck-cluck-clucked and strutted to and fro in the coop. Every little -while she stuck her head out as far as she could reach, and her neck -feathers spread around in a funny, fat way against the slats of her -coop. - -"Go away!" she scolded. "Go right away! That is not your mush! You are -not my Chickens! Go right home to your mother! Cr-r-r-r-r!" She said -this last, you know, because she was getting so angry that she could -say nothing else. - -The fowls behind the netting of the poultry-yard all came to see what -was going on, and chattered about it in their cackling way. "Send -them off!" they cried. "Send them off! The idea of their trying to -take food from the Chickens!" The Cocks looked particularly big and -fierce. Still, there is not much fun in looking big and fierce behind -a wire netting, when the people whom you want to scare are in front of -it. - -The young Robins were dreadfully frightened, but having feathers all -over their face, it did not really show. Neither one was willing to be -the first to start away, and they didn't like to speak about it to -each other for fear of being overheard. You know, if you can keep -other people from finding out that you are scared, you may end by -scaring them, and that was exactly what the Robins meant to do. - -"Get out of our way!" said they. "Don't brush against us so again! If -you were not young, we wouldn't have stood it this time. When you have -feathers you may know better." - -Then the little Chickens were very badly scared indeed. They backed -away as quickly as they could, and crawled in beside their mother. She -told them to go back; that the Robins couldn't hurt them, and that she -was ashamed to have them act so Chicken-hearted. - -"Let us get under your wings!" they said. "Please let us get under -your wings!" And they followed, peeping, after her, as she marched to -and fro in the narrow coop. Sometimes they got so near her feet that -she almost knocked them over, and at last they quite gave up trying to -cuddle down under her, and got together in little groups in the back -part of the coop. - -"Had enough?" asked the brother at last. - -"Yes, indeed," answered his sister. "I can't swallow any more now. -I'm just making believe because you are not through." - -"All right!" said he. - -He turned to the Chickens. "Now you may come," he said. "But another -time get out of our way more quickly." Then they turned their backs -and hopped off. They didn't want to try flying, because that would -show how very young they were. - -"We did it," exclaimed those two naughty children. "Did you ever see -such little Geese as those Chickens? But oh, what if our parents -should find it out?" - -"See here," chirped their mother, who could not speak very plainly -because she had two large Earthworms hanging in wriggling loops from -her bill, "Here is a lovely lunch for you." - -"Give it to Brother," said the little sister. "He always wants more -than I." - -"Oh, no. Give it to Sister," said he. "I don't mean to be selfish." - -"You shall both have some," said their mother, tucking a large Worm -down each unwilling throat. "Little birds will never be big birds -unless they eat plenty of the right kind of food. I will bring you -more." - -When she was gone they looked at each other. "I just can _not_ eat -another billful," said the sister. - -"And I won't!" said the brother. After a while he added, "Is there any -of that mush sticking to my bill?" - -"No," said the sister. "Is there any on mine?" - -They did not feel at all sure that their mother would have let them -eat so much mush if she had been asked. They wondered if it would make -them sick. They began to think about the stomach-ache, and felt sure -that they had one--that is to say, two--one apiece, you know. - -Over in the garden, Mrs. Robin said to her husband, "Do you know what -those children have done? It was a very ill-bred, Sparrow-like trick. -They scared the little Chickens away, and ate all they could of their -mush. I am dreadfully ashamed of them, but I shall pretend I did not -see it." - -"Make them eat plenty of Worms," suggested Mr. Robin. - -"Just what I am going to do," answered his wife. "It won't really hurt -them to overeat for once in their lives, and it will punish them very -well." - -That was why Mr. and Mrs. Robin worked so especially hard all morning, -and made so many trips in under the gooseberry bush. The two young -Robins who were there kept insisting that they didn't need any more, -and that they really couldn't eat another Worm. After they said this, -Mrs. Robin always looked sharply at them and asked, "What have you -children been doing? Young birds should always want all the Worms -their parents can bring them." - -The little Robins were not brave enough to tell what they had done. -You know it often takes more courage to confess a fault than it does -to scare people. So whenever their mother said this they agreed to eat -one more Worm apiece, and choked and gulped it down. It was a dreadful -morning for them. - -Inside the Chicken-coop the old Hen was trying to settle down again, -and the Chickens were talking it over. - -"Wasn't it dreadful?" asked one. "I didn't know that Robins were so -fierce." - -"Mother said that we shouldn't be afraid of them," cried another, "but -I guess she'd be afraid her own self if she wasn't in that coop. She'd -be 'fraider if she was little, too." - -"I'm glad they didn't eat it all," said a third Chicken. "When do you -suppose they'll come again?" - -"Every day," said another, a Chicken who always expected bad things to -happen. "Perhaps they will come two times a day! Maybe they'll even -come three!" - -But they didn't. They didn't come at all. And they never wanted -corn-meal mush again. - - - - -THE SYSTEMATIC YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO - - -The people who lived in the big house were much worried about the -maple trees which shaded the sidewalk around the place. It was spring -now, and they feared another such summer as the last, when the lawn -had been covered with fine, healthy, large maple leaves, gnawed off by -hungry Caterpillars. One could be sure they were not blown or knocked -off, for each stem was neatly eaten through at about the length of a -fir needle from the leaf. The lawn did not look well, and the Man who -cared for it grumbled and scolded under his breath as he went around -raking them up. He could not see that the Caterpillars were of any -use in the world. The birds thought differently, but he was a busy -Man and not used to thinking of things in that way. - -Now spring had come again, and every day the people looked for more -leaves on their lawn. They had not found them yet, because the -Caterpillars were not old enough to nibble through the stems. Then, -one morning while they were eating their breakfast, these people heard -a new voice outside. It was not a sweet voice. It sounded somewhat -like a thumping on rough boards. It was saying, "Kuk-kuk-kuk!" - -Some men who were passing by stopped to look up at the trees, then -shook their heads and went on. The Little Boy wanted to leave his -breakfast and go out at once to find the new bird, but he had to stay -where he was, eat slowly, and fold his napkin before he was allowed to -do this. When he went, the Lady and the Gentleman went with him. None -of them could see the bird, although they heard his "kuk-kuk-kuk!" in -first one tree and then another. - -"I am sure that is a Yellow-billed Cuckoo," said the Lady, "and if it -is, he has come for the Caterpillars that are spoiling our trees." - -"Why, Mother?" asked the Little Boy. "How do you know? You didn't see -him." - -"If you had your eyes shut, and I spoke to you," she replied, -"wouldn't you known whose voice it was?" - -The other birds also seemed to know whose voice it was, for they flew -around in fright, and scolded and chattered until the visitor had left -that row of maples and gone far away. Even then the more timid ones -could not settle down to their regular duties. "It has given me such a -start," said one Robin, whose nerves were always easily upset, "that I -don't believe I can weave another grass-blade into my nest to-day." - -"Nonsense!" exclaimed a Blackbird. "Eat something and you will feel -all right. There is nothing like eating to make one feel better." - -The Robin did as she was told and felt somewhat steadier, yet even -then she talked of nothing else that morning. "To think of a -Yellow-billed Cuckoo coming here!" she said. "It makes my quills -tingle to think of it. My poor babies! My poor babies!" - -"Couldn't you stop worrying for a while?" her husband asked. "You know -you have not even laid your eggs, so your children are not in danger -yet." - -Mr. Robin was always gentle with his wife. The other birds didn't see -how he could stand it, for she was forever worrying about something. - -"No," she replied, "they are not laid yet, but they will be, and you -know perfectly well, Mr. Robin, how glad that dreadful Cuckoo would -be to suck every one of them. If he were only a Black-billed Cuckoo, -it would not be so bad, but I saw his bill quite plainly, and it -was yellow. Besides, he said, 'Kuk-kuk-kuk!' instead of -'Kow-kow-kow-kuk-kuk!'" - -"We will guard the nest carefully when the eggs are laid," said Mr. -Robin. "And now I think I will go across the street to hunt." That -also was a wise thing to do, for Mrs. Robin was always more sensible -when she was alone. - -The birds saw nothing more of the Cuckoo that morning, but in the -afternoon he came again. He was a large and very fine-looking bird, -with green-gray feathers on the upper part of his body and in the -middle of his tail, the outer tail-feathers being black with white -spots. His wings were a bright brown, and the under part of his body -was grayish-white. His bill was a very long and strong one, and the -under half of it was yellow. - -He had a habit of sitting very quietly every now and then on some -branch to think. At such times he looked handsome but stupid, and -really, when he got to thinking so, he was in great danger. It is at -just such times that Hawks like to find Cuckoos, and after a Hawk has -found one, nobody else ever has a chance. If you remember what sort of -food Hawks like, you will understand what this means. - -When he was flying, however, he was exceedingly careful, always -flitting from tree to tree by the nearest way, and never talking until -he was well sheltered again by leafy branches. When he came to a row -of maples, he began at one end and went right through, stopping a -little while in each to hunt. He was very systematic, and that, you -know, means that he always tried to do the same things in the same -way. This was why, during all the summer that followed, he came both -morning and afternoon at just the same times as on that first day. -That is, he did on every day but one. - -Mrs. Cuckoo looked exactly like her husband. Indeed, some of their -neighbors could hardly tell them apart. She was a very poor -housekeeper. Her nest was only a few sticks laid on a bush in the edge -of an orchard. She often said that she did not take easily to home -life, so many of her great-grandparents having built no nests at all, -but laid their eggs in the homes of other birds. Since this was so, -people should not have expected too much of Mrs. Cuckoo. - -Another thing which made it hard for her, was the way in which she had -to lay eggs, hatch eggs, and feed nestlings at the same time all -summer. This was not her fault, for of course when an egg was ready it -had to be laid, and there were seldom two ready at once. It kept her -busy and worried and tired all summer, and one could forgive her if -she sometimes grew impatient. - -"I can never half do anything after my first egg is hatched," she used -to say. "I go to get food for that child, and all the time I am -worrying for fear the second egg, which I have just laid, will get -cold. Of course one newly hatched nestling cannot keep a large egg -like mine warm. Then, when I am having all I can do to care for child -and egg, I have to stop to lay another egg." - -Mr. Cuckoo was always sleek and respectable-looking. He never seemed -in a hurry. He said that haste was ill-mannered. "Always take time," -he said, "to do things in the best way. If you are not sure which is -the best way, sit down and think about it." He was much annoyed by -Mrs. Cuckoo, and often told her how she needed to be systematic. "You -have such a hurried way, my dear," said he. "It is really very -disagreeable." - -She was naturally a sweet-tempered bird, but one day she made up her -mind to let her husband see how systematic he could be in her place. -At that time she had a young bird and two eggs in the nest, and was -very sure that one of the eggs was about to hatch. - -When they awakened the next morning, she said sweetly to Mr. Cuckoo, -"My dear, please stay with the baby until I get back." Then she flew -away without giving him time to ask how long it would be or anything -about it. Mr. Cuckoo was much surprised, and sat there thinking, as -you know he was likely to do, until the nestling fairly screamed for -food. - -"Dear me!" said he to himself, "I must do something to keep that child -still." So he hunted food and stuffed it down the nestling's wide-open -bill. While he was doing so, he remembered the eggs, which he found -rather cool. "She will never forgive me if those get cold," he said, -so he hopped onto the nest and covered them with his breast. He wished -that his wife would return. He thought that when a mother-bird had -home cares she should stay by the nest. Just then his child cried for -more food. - -[Illustration: STUFFED IT DOWN THE WIDE-OPEN BILL. _Page 116_] - -"Hush!" he exclaimed. "I cannot go now. Don't you see that I am -warming these eggs?" - -"I don't care! I am hungry," cried she. "You didn't feed me enough." - -"Well, I couldn't get you more just then," he said. "Now be patient -until your mother comes. That's a good child." - -"I can't be patient. I'm hungry," cried the nestling. "I want a -Caterpillar." - -Mr. Cuckoo could not stand teasing, so he hopped off the nest and -picked up the first Caterpillar he found. It was not a good kind, and -the little Cuckoo made a bad face and would not swallow it. Mr. -Cuckoo rushed away to get a better one. That was eaten, and he was -just getting on the eggs again when he heard a faint tapping inside of -one. This made him very nervous, for he was not used to caring for -newly hatched children. He called several times to Mrs. Cuckoo, but -received no answer. - -There was more tapping, and the second child stuck his little bill -through the shell and broke it. "Ouch!" cried the older one; "that -pricks me. Take it away!" - -"'Sh!" exclaimed his father, who knew that it would never do to help a -young bird out of its shell. The elder child began to cry. - -Well! You can just imagine what kind of morning Mr. Cuckoo had. He had -to quiet and feed the older child, clear away the broken shell when -the second was out, keep the remaining egg warm, get some food for -himself, and just hurry and worry until noon. He was about worn out -when his wife came back. She looked very trim and happy, and there was -no ill-mannered haste in her motions as she flew toward the nest. - -"I have had such a pleasant morning," she said. "I met my sister and -we went hunting together. I hope you did not mind. I felt quite easy -about everything. I knew that you would manage it all beautifully, -because you are so systematic." She looked at him with such a sweet -smile that he did not say any of the things which he had been planning -to say about mother-birds staying at home. - -Just then the elder nestling said, "I'm hungry, Mother! I haven't had -a Caterpillar in ever so long." - -Mrs. Cuckoo answered cheerfully, "All right, I'll get you one," and -was about to start off when Mr. Cuckoo spoke up: - -"You stay here and look after your newly hatched nestling," said he. -"I'll get some food." - -Mrs. Cuckoo was delighted to find another egg hatched, and the morning -away had been a great rest to her. Only one thing troubled her. "I do -wish," she murmured, "that I could have seen Mr. Cuckoo trying to do -three or four things at once and be systematic. Now I shall never know -how it worked." - -But she did know. Her first-hatched child said, "I'm so glad you are -back. It made Father cross to hurry." She also knew from another -thing: Mr. Cuckoo never again told her to be systematic, or said that -it was ill-mannered to hurry. - -And that was the one day when Mr. Cuckoo did not make his two regular -hunting trips through the maple trees around the big house. - - - - -THE HELPFUL TUMBLE-BUGS - - -In the corner of the barnyard was a pile of manure which was to be put -upon the garden and plowed in. This would make the ground better for -all the good things growing in it, but now it was waiting behind the -high board fence, and many happy insects lived in it. There were big -Bugs and little Bugs, fat Bugs and slim Bugs, young Bugs and old Bugs, -good Bugs and--well, one does not like to say that there were bad -Bugs, but there were certainly some not so good as others. - -Among all these, however, there were none who worked harder or thought -more of each other than the Tumble-bugs. One couple, especially, were -thrifty and devoted. They had been married in June, when each was -just one day old. June weddings were the fashion among their people. - -Mr. Tumble-bug believed in early marriages. "I have known -Tumble-bugs," he said, "who did not marry until they were two days -old, but I think that a great mistake. Each becomes so used to having -his own way that it is very hard for husband and wife to agree on -anything. Now Mrs. Tumble-bug and I always think alike." Then he -smiled at Mrs. Tumble-bug and Mrs. Tumble-bug smiled at him. They were -nearly always together and busy. Perhaps it was because they worked -together every day that they cared so much for each other. You know -that makes a great difference, and if one had worked all the time -while the other was playing, they would soon have come to care for -other things and people. - -One hot summer morning, Mrs. Tumble-bug said to her husband, who was -just finishing his breakfast, "I have found the loveliest place you -ever saw for burying an egg-ball. Do hurry up! I can hardly wait to -begin work." - -Mr. Tumble-bug gulped down his last mouthful and answered, "I'm ready -now." - -"Follow me then," she cried, and led the way over all sorts of little -things which littered up the ground of the barnyard. No Horse was -there just then, and she felt safe. Mr. Tumble-bug followed close -behind her, and a very neat-looking couple they made. Both were -flat-backed and all of shining black. "We do not dress so showily as -some Bugs," they were in the habit of saying, "but black always looks -well." And that was true. Although they spent most of their days -working in the earth, they were ever clean and shining, with smiling, -shovel-shaped faces. - -"There!" said Mrs. Tumble-bug, as she stopped for breath and pointed -with her right fore-leg to the ground just ahead of her. "Did you ever -see a finer place?" She could point in this way, you know, without -falling over, because she had five other legs on which to stand. There -are some very pleasant things about having six legs, and the only -tumbling she and her husband did was part of their work. - -"Excellent!" exclaimed Mr. Tumble-bug. "And the ground is so soft that -it will not tire you very much to dig in it." He did not have to think -whether it would tire him, because he never helped in that part of the -work. His wife always liked to do that alone. - -Then both Tumble-bugs scurried back to the manure heap. "I cannot see -why some of our neighbors are so foolish," said she. "There is a -Beetle now, laying her eggs right in this pile. She will leave them -there, too, and as likely as not some hungry fellow will come along -before the sun goes down and eat every one of them. She might much -better take a little trouble, put her egg in a mass of food, and roll -it away to a safe place for burial. When my children hatch out into -soft little Grubs, I intend they shall have a chance to grow up safely -and comfortably. Such Beetles do not deserve to have children." - -"Well, they won't have many," said her husband. "Perhaps only a -pitiful little family of twenty or thirty." - -"Now," exclaimed Mrs. Tumble-bug, "We must get to work. Help me roll -this ball of manure. I have laid an egg in it while we were talking, -so that time was not wasted." - -Together they rolled a ball which was bigger than both of them when it -started, and grew larger and larger as they got it away from the heap -and the dust of the ground stuck to it and crusted it over. - -Mrs. Tumble-bug stood on top of the ball, and, creeping far out on it, -pulled it forward with her hind feet, while he stood on his head -behind it and pushed with his hind legs. Of course if Mrs. Tumble-bug -had not been climbing backward all the time, the ball would have -rolled right over her. To pull forward with part of your legs and -climb backward with all of them at the same time, and that when your -head is a good deal lower than your heels, is pretty hard work and -takes much planning. Mrs. Tumble-bug had very little breath for -talking, but she did not lose her temper. And that shows what an -excellent Bug she was. "Harder!" she would call out to Mr. Tumble-bug. -"We are coming to a little hill." - -Then Mr. Tumble-bug, who, you will remember, had to stand on his head -all the time, and really did the hardest part of the work, would -brace himself more firmly and push until it seemed as though his legs -would break. He could never see just where they were going unless he -let go of the ball, and Mrs. Tumble-bug did not believe in turning out -for anything. - -"What if there is a hill?" she often said. "Can't we go over it?" And -over it they always went, although they might much more easily have -gone around it. Mrs. Tumble-bug did not want anybody to think her -afraid of work, and she knew her husband would have a chance to rest -while she was burying the ball. Once in a while, when the ball came -down suddenly on the farther side of a twig or chip, it rolled quite -on top of her, and Mr. Tumble-bug would be greatly alarmed. Some -people thought this served her quite right for insisting that they -should go over things instead of around them. Still, one hardly likes -to say a thing like that. - -If it were much of a hill, she would climb down from the ball and talk -with him. Then they would put their shovel-shaped heads together under -the back side of the ball, and, pushing at the same time, send it -over. "Two heads are better than one," they would say, "and this needs -a great deal of head-work." - -At last the ball had reached the spot where they intended to have it -buried. Both were hot and tired. "Many legs make light work," said -Mrs. Tumble-bug, as she carefully cleaned hers before eating dinner, -"and if there is anything I enjoy, it is finishing a good job like -this!" - -Mr. Tumble-bug sighed heavily and said he thought he would go for a -walk with some of his friends that afternoon. "All work and no play -would make me a dull Bug," said he. Then he called out "Good-by" to -his wife, and told her not to work too hard. - -Mrs. Tumble-bug looked after him lovingly. "Now, isn't he good?" she -said to herself. "There are not many Bugs who will help their wives at -all, and most of them never look at an egg, much less see to getting -it well placed." And that is true, for the Tumble-bugs are the model -Bug fathers. - -Now, indeed, Mrs. Tumble-bug was at her best. She hurried down her -dinner, taking mouthfuls which were much too large for good manners, -and began plowing the earth around the ball as it lay there. She -plowed so deep that sometimes she was almost buried in the loose -earth. At last she came up, took a good look around, knocked some -grains of dust off her shining back, then dived in again upside down, -and pulled the ball in after her by holding it tightly with her middle -legs. All the time she was kicking the earth away with her two hind -legs and her two front ones, which were stout diggers, so that little -by little she sank deeper into the ground. - -She made a much larger hole for the ball than it really needed. "I -might just as well, while I am about it," she said. "And I should so -dislike to have any one think me afraid of work." - -At last she finished and crawled away, covering the place neatly over, -so that nobody could see where she went in or out. "There!" she said. -"Now I am ready to play." - -A stray Chicken came along and she hurried under a chip to be safe. -The Chicken was lost and calling to his mother. "Mother!" he cried. -"Mother Hen, I want to get home and go to sleep under your wings." - -"Dear me!" exclaimed Mrs. Tumble-bug. "Is it time for Chickens to go -to sleep?" She looked through a crack in the fence and across the lawn -to the big house. The shadows lay long upon the short grass. "It -certainly is," she said. "And here I have spent all day burying that -egg properly. I think it very strange that I cannot get more time for -rest and play." So she had to eat her supper and go straight to bed to -get rested for the next day's work. - -Mrs. Tumble-bug did not understand then, and perhaps never will learn, -that if she would stop doing things in the hardest way and begin doing -them in the easiest way, she might get a great deal of work done in a -day and still have time to rest. If one were to tell her so, she might -think that meant laziness, but it would not, you know. It is always -worth while to make one's head save one's feet, and when a single head -could save six feet it would certainly be worth while. Still, although -Mrs. Tumble-bug never dreamed of such a thing, she probably enjoyed -work about as much as her neighbors enjoyed play. - - - - -SILVERTIP LEARNS A LESSON - - -You may remember what a funny time Silvertip had with the first Mouse -he caught; how he carried it so long in his mouth before daring to lay -it down, and how frightened he was each time that it wriggled. That -was because he was just beginning to hunt. Cats have to learn by doing -things over and over, just like other people. He used to hear the -Little Boy sing. - - If at first you do not try - Try, try again. - -After a while he heard him sing. - - If at first you don't succeed - Try, try again. - -He did not understand just what this meant, but he soon knew that -Little Boys have to learn things quite as Cats do. He watched him -afterward learning to turn summersaults, and saw him do just that and -nothing else for nearly a whole afternoon. - -It was in some such way that Silvertip came to be a good hunter. He -used to spend whole hours under the low branches of some evergreen, -crouching and springing at every passing bird. In summer he crawled -through the wheat-field back of the house, looking for Mice. If he -found nothing better, he caught Moles, although he never ate them. He -thought that Moles were probably made for Cats to practice on, and -that good little Cats, who did the best they could on Moles, would -find Mice to catch after a while--if they were patient. - -When he could not find anything alive to hunt, he practiced on the -dead leaves which were blown over the lawn, or chased empty spools -across the kitchen floor. In the spring, when the Gentleman went out -before breakfast to work in his garden, Silvertip played with the -onion sets, chasing them down the narrow trench in which they had been -placed, until the Gentleman had to carry him off and shut him up. - -This is how he became so fine a hunter, and it is perhaps not strange -that after a while he grew conceited. You know what it means to be -conceited. Well, Silvertip was so. He thought himself really the -cleverest Cat that had ever lived, a Cat who could catch anything he -tried to. He bragged to the other Cats who came around, and when he -was alone he purred to himself about the fine things he could do. Now -people who think themselves clever are not always conceited, for -sometimes they are as clever as they think. But when a person is -always thinking and talking about what he can do, you watch him to see -if he does as well as he thinks. If not, then he is conceited. - -Silvertip even used to climb nearly to the top of the tall maple-trees -after Blackbirds, and crouch there, switching his tail, yet he never -caught any. When the other Cats asked him about this, he would smile, -and say that he decided not to eat any more just then, or that he had -found that Blackbirds disagreed with him. Undoubtedly these excuses -were both true, still they did not keep him from trying again and -again. - -The only Blackbird he ever caught was a young one who had disobeyed -her mother and flopped away from the tangle of rosebushes where she -had been told to stay. She was dreadfully punished for it--but then it -was very wrong for her not to mind her mother. If she had stayed where -she was, the thorns would have kept Cats away. - -Silvertip had been in the big house nearly a year, when Mr. Chipmunk -came to live in the yard. He chose to burrow under the open shed -which ran along by the back fence, and under which wood was piled to -dry before it was split and carried into the wood-house. He was the -first Chipmunk who had ever lived on the place, and all his new -neighbors were much interested in him. - -"Shall you bring your family here?" Mr. Robin asked him, as he watched -his own children caring for themselves. Mr. Robin had worked hard all -summer, and now he was enjoying a little visiting time before starting -south. - -"My family?" answered Mr. Chipmunk, with a chuckling laugh. "No, -indeed! One is company and two is crowd with Chipmunks. Of course -mothers have to live with their children for a time, but fathers -always have holes to themselves." - -Mr. Robin did not think that right, yet he kept still. He knew that it -is not always wise or polite to say all that one thinks. He thought it -was not fair to make the mothers have all the care of the children. -There is great difference in animals about this. - -Mr. Chipmunk began at once to dig his burrow. He had not seen -Silvertip yet, and did not know that there was a Cat around. He began -just in front of the woodpile, and when he had enough earth loosened -to fill his cheek-pockets, he brought it out and emptied it by the -doorway of his burrow. Quite a pile was there already when Silvertip -came walking past. - -"Meouw!" said he. "What sort of creature is at work here?" - -Mr. Chipmunk heard his voice, and lay still in his burrow. If -Silvertip had not spoken just then, this story might end very -differently. In fact, it would probably be ended already. "A Cat!" -said he. "Well, it is always something, and it might as well be a Cat -as a Dog. He won't be so likely to dig me out, anyway." - -After a long time he turned around, and went quietly toward the -door-way of the burrow, just far enough to see who was there. What he -saw was a white face with tiger spots and a pink nose. Long white -whiskers stuck out on either side, and the nose was twitching. -Silvertip was trying to get a good smell of the new-comer. - -Mr. Chipmunk did not move, and being brown and in the darkness of the -hole, Silvertip, who stood in the sunshine, could not see him. For a -long time neither moved. Then Silvertip walked slowly away. He was not -very hungry that morning. Mr. Chipmunk always believed in keeping -still as long as possible. "If the other fellow is the larger," said -he, "always wait to see what he is going to do. Then you can decide -better what you should do." - -After this Silvertip came often to the burrow. He learned the Chipmunk -by smell long before he saw him. When at last he did see him, Mr. -Chipmunk was perched on a low stick of wood, with his small fore paws -clasped on his breast and his beautiful fur glistening in the -sunshine. He was facing Silvertip, so the Cat did not see the five -dark stripes on his back till later. - -Silvertip crouched and tried his muscles by shaking himself a little. -He did not say that it was a pleasant day, or that he was glad to -become acquainted with Mr. Chipmunk. He did not even say, "I see you -are making a new home!" He was sure this was the little creature whom -he had been smelling for several days, and he saw no use in saying -anything. He meant to eat Mr. Chipmunk, and Mr. Chipmunk understood -it. There was really nothing to be said. Mr. Chipmunk might object to -being eaten. People usually did object to it, but Silvertip saw no -sense in talking it over. He would rather have no conversation -whatever at meals than to speak of disagreeable things or to quarrel. - -Mr. Chipmunk did not care to talk, either. He believed in thinking -before you speak, and he had a great deal of thinking to do just then. -A team stopped by the gate of the driveway. Mr. Chipmunk dared not -look to see what was coming. Silvertip did not look until the Milkman -was near him carrying the milk bottles. Then he gave one quick upward -glance. When he looked back, the stick of wood was there, but Mr. -Chipmunk was gone. - -Silvertip was not at all happy, and he felt still worse when Mr. -Chipmunk stuck his saucy little face out of the burrow and called, -"Chip-r-r-r! Milk is better for Cats anyway, you know!" Mr. Chipmunk -did not have to stop to think when he was in his hole. - -That was the beginning of the acquaintance, and a very merry one it -was for Mr. Chipmunk. "I have to be hunted anyway," he said, "so I -might as well have some fun out of it." - -Whenever he saw Silvertip having an especially comfortable nap, he -would run near and give his chirping, chuckling laugh. Then he would -run away. Sometimes he would stand as still as a stone, with his tiny -fore paws clasped on his breast. Silvertip would creep and crawl up -close to him, and he would act too scared to move. Then, just as -Silvertip was ready to spring, he would cry out, "Chip-r-r-r!" and -tumble heels over head into his burrow. - -Sometimes, too, Silvertip would be walking along as happily as -possible, not even thinking of Chipmunks, when a mischievous little -face would peep out from the woodpile just beside him. Mr. Chipmunk -would say "Good-morning!" then draw back and disappear, only to peep -out again and again from new places as the Cat came along. You know -nothing can catch a Chipmunk when he is in a woodpile. The worst of it -was that there always seemed to be so many other people around to see -how poor Silvertip was teased. You would never have thought that -Silvertip was hunting Mr. Chipmunk. It always seemed to be Mr. -Chipmunk who was hunting Silvertip. - -At last Mr. Chipmunk had his burrow all done. He had made an opening -at the second end and closed the one at the first, so nobody could -tell from the pile of earth what had been happening. He said he had -crawled into the hole and pulled it in after him. The last opening, -which was now to be his only door, was under the woodpile. No rain -could fall into it and no Dog could dig at it. Mr. Chipmunk was very -happy. - -He made friends with the Lady, too. She seemed to be perfectly -harmless, and she brought him a great deal of corn and many -peanuts. Sometimes he found butternuts tucked around in the woodpile, -which could not possibly have fallen from any tree. He decided that he -might come to some sort of agreement with Silvertip. He got ready for -it by being more annoying than ever. When Silvertip's tail was -switching and his nose twitching with anger, Mr. Chipmunk peeped out -from a hollow stick in the pile and called to him. - -[Illustration: MR. CHIPMUNK ON THE WOODPILE. _Page 142_] - -"Silvertip!" cried he, "O Silvertip! I want to talk with you. How -would you like to be eaten up?" - -There was no answer, except a murmuring under his breath that he -"guessed there wasn't much danger." - -"Enjoy the acquaintance, do you, Silvertip?" asked Mr. Chipmunk. "Find -me a pleasant talker? Ever tell anybody that you were going to eat -me?" - -Now Silvertip had told some of his friends exactly that, but this was -before he knew so much about Chipmunks. He growled something under -his breath about "Quit your teasing." - -"I will if you will quit trying to catch me," answered Mr. Chipmunk. -"Tell your friends that you changed your mind. Tell them that I am not -to your taste. Tell them anything you wish, but let me alone and I -will let you alone." - -"All right," said Silvertip. "Now don't you ever speak to me again." - -"Never!" answered Mr. Chipmunk. "Walnuts couldn't hire me to!" And -after that there was peace around the woodpile. - - - - -THE ROBINS' DOUBLE BROOD - - -The Robins who nested on the west-side second-story window-ledge had -four as good children as you would care to see. They were healthy -nestlings, brought up to mind and to eat what was given to them -without fussing. If, for any reason there came a time when they had to -go without for a while, they were good-natured then also. Their -parents had raised other broods the year before, and had learned that -it is not really kind to children to spoil them. - -"You must never forget," Mrs. Robin used to say, "that your father -_is_ your father and your mother _is_ your mother. If it were not for -us, you would not be here at all, and if it were not for us you would -have nothing to eat now that you are here. Little birds should be very -thoughtful of their parents." - -When it was bedtime, and the young Robins wanted to play instead of -going to sleep, their father would often leave the high branch where -he was singing his evening song and come over to talk to them. When he -did this he did not scold, but he looked so grave that each child -listened to every word. "Your mother," he would say, "has been busy -all day, hunting Worms for you and flying up to the nest with them. -Now she is tired, and would enjoy perching on a branch and sleeping -alone, but because that would leave you cold and lonely she is willing -to sleep in the nest and cover you with her soft feathers. Do you -think it is fair for you to keep her awake?" - -Then all the little Robins would hang their heads and murmur, "No, -Father." - -"What are you going to do about it?" would be the next question. And -then the little Robins never failed to raise their heads and answer, -"We will be good and not say a word." - -Mrs. Robin often said that there would be more happy mothers in the -world if their children took as good care of them as her nestlings -took of her. "They have to be reminded," she said, "because they are -so young, but when they have been told the right thing to do, they -always do it." The Catbird, however, who was a very shrewd fellow, -said he thought it was not so much what their father said to them that -made them good, as what they saw him do. He was always kind to Mrs. -Robin himself, you know, and spoke gently, and left the biggest Worms -for her to eat, so his children felt sure that this was the right way. - -Mrs. Robin, too, was always polite to her husband. She spoke -pleasantly of him to the children, and if he had any faults she did -not talk about them. The little Robins were certain that they had the -finest father in the world, and meant to be exactly like him when they -grew up. That is, the sons did. The daughters meant to be like their -mother. - -When the little Robins' tail-feathers were about as long as fir -needles, they were surprised to find a beautiful blue egg in the nest -beside them. "Is it for us to play with?" they asked their mother. -"Did we come out of eggs like that? Why is this here?" - -Then their wise and gentle mother stood on the ledge beside the nest -and talked to them. She was a busy bird, you know, but she always said -that it took no longer to answer children's questions than it did to -tell them over and over again to keep still. - -"Each of you came out of just such an egg as that," she said. "This -one is here because I had it ready to lay, and there was no other -good place to put it. You may play with it very carefully, and be sure -not to push it out of the nest, for then it would fall on the porch -roof and break. You may take turns lying next to it, and before long I -will lay another, so you can all be next to an egg at the same time." - -"What are you going to do with them?" asked the Oldest Nestling. "What -will become of them when we are old enough to leave the nest?" - -"That is the loveliest part of it," answered their mother. "I shall -hatch these eggs, too, and then you can have baby brothers and -sisters, perhaps both." - -"But who will take care of us?" asked the Youngest Nestling, and she -looked as though she wanted to cry when she spoke. - -"Don't you worry, little Robin," said her mother cheerfully. "There -are always enough people to do the things which have to be done, if -they will only keep sweet and not make a fuss. We will all help each -other and everything will come out beautifully. This is the first time -I ever laid the eggs for the second brood before the first brood was -out of the nest, but we shall manage. Besides," she added, "I believe -you are the first little Robins I ever knew who had a chance to help -hatch eggs before being grown up. Won't that be fine?" - -Mrs. Robin looked so bright and happy as she spoke that her children -were sure it was going to be great fun, and one and all chirped back, -"Oh, let's! We'll hatch them just as hard as we can." - -Mrs. Robin fixed them with the new egg in the middle of the nest, and -went off to help their father find dinner for them. After they had -been fed with about fifteen Worms, she laid the second egg. "That will -be all for this brood," she said, "and perhaps it is just as well. Too -many eggs would crowd the nest." - -Then she told them what wonderful things eggs are; how what is going -to be the young bird is at first only a tiny, soft, stringy thing, -floating around inside the shell, with a ball of yellow food-stuff in -the middle of the shell and clear white stuff all around it. She told -them, too, how this little thing which is to be a bird floats on top -of the other stuff, and so is always next to the mother's breast as -she sits over it on the nest. "It is the being warm for a long time -and all the time that changes it into a bird strong enough to break -the shell. You will remember that, won't you," said she, "and keep the -top side of the eggs warm when I am not here?" - -All the little birds were sure that they could, and very proud to -think that she would trust them so. Perhaps if she had said, "Now, -don't you let me catch you leaving those eggs uncovered!" they might -have murmured to each other, "What do we care about her old eggs? Let -them get cold!" It is a great pity, you know, when people in families -get to talking in that way. And the worst of it is that every time one -person speaks so, another is almost sure to answer in the same way. - -Now the Robin family were all caretakers, and when Mrs. Robin flew up -with choice Worms for her children, she gave them loving glances, and -said, "You are such helpers! I don't know how I could get along -without you." - -Mr. Robin, too, remarked every now and then that it made him happy to -see how thoughtful they were of their mother. After he had said these -things, the children always stretched themselves, so that they might -look as big as they felt. - -With four growing children besides the two eggs in the nest, it soon -became very much crowded. Mr. and Mrs. Robin talked it over while -hunting in the garden, where the Hired Man was spading. After they -had fed the children whole billfuls of Worms, which they had found -wriggling there on top of the ground, Mr. Robin said: "Now, if you -will keep very still and not interrupt, I will tell you some good -news." - -When all was quiet, he said: "I shall take you out into the great -world to-morrow. I shall teach you to fly, to perch on branches, and -to hunt for yourselves." - -"Oh goody!" cried all the little Robins together. Then they remembered -how stubby their wings and tails still were, and wondered how they -could ever get to the ground. "Won't we tumble some?" they asked -doubtfully. - -"You may tumble some," answered their father, "but isn't it worth a -tumble to get out into the world? Mother will stay up here and finish -hatching the eggs while I am with you, and we will stay near enough -for her to see how fast you learn." - -You can imagine how excited the young Robins were then. They talked so -much that day that not one of them took a nap, and if their mother had -not insisted upon it, they would not have quieted down at sunset. - -Early the next morning their parents helped them to the ground. First -they tumbled, fluttered, and sprawled to the porch roof below the -nest. Then when they had rested, they tumbled, fluttered, and sprawled -to the tops of the sweetbriar bushes underneath. There they clung -until after breakfast, while their father hunted for them and their -mother sat on the eggs above. If they had not been taught to mind, it -would have been much harder. As it was, when their parents said, -"Flutter your wings! Get ready! Fly!" they did the very best they -could at once. And that is exactly the way children must do if they -wish to grow strong and help themselves. - -There never were such plump, cheerful, and obedient little Robins as -these. Their father had them stay in the lower branches of the fir -tree, within sight of the nest, and the mother watched them while he -was hunting, and called down comforting things to them. When they had -tumbles in trying to fly, she would say: "Never mind! Pick yourselves -up! Robins must tumble before they can fly. After awhile, when I have -finished hatching these eggs, you can come right up to this window -ledge and see the babies." - -Then the little Robins would try harder than ever, for they were -already proud of the babies to be hatched, since they had helped keep -the eggs warm. - -Sometimes Silvertip would stroll around the corner of the house, and -Mrs. Robin would be so scared that she could hardly scream "Cat!" Yet -she always managed to do it in some way, and all the other Robins -would help her. Then the Lady, who was almost always writing or sewing -at the sitting-room window, within sight of the nest, would drop her -work and run out the nearest door, pick up Silvertip, and carry him -inside. There he would stand, with his nose pressed against the screen -and his tail switching angrily. - -The Lady seemed to understand Robins. When they only cried "Trouble!" -she did not move, knowing it was something she could not help, but -when they cried, "Cat! Cat!" she always hurried out. Sometimes, -though, it was the Gentleman who came, and sometimes the Little Boy. -Mrs. Robin often said that she was sure she could never raise children -so well in any other place as here, in spite of Silvertip's being -around. - -Every day the young Robins were larger and stronger, and their -tail-feathers were better grown. When at last the joyful time came -for the two babies to chip the shell, every one of the four children -managed to get up to the window ledge to see them. It was a hard trip, -and they had to try and try again, and rest between times. They were -not all there at once, but oh, it was a happy, happy time! - -The mother told the babies how their big brothers and sisters had -helped hatch them, and the father told the mother how beautifully she -had managed everything. Then the mother told him how faithfully he had -worked, and they both told the older children how proud they were of -them. Everybody said lovely things to everybody else, and the best -part of it was that all these lovely things were true. - -The babies were too little to talk much, but they stretched their -necks up lovingly and sleepily to all the family, and acted as though -they really understood how many people had been loving and working for -them, even before they were hatched. - - - - -THE SPARROWS INSIDE THE EAVES - - -One does not like to say such things, but the English Sparrows were -very disagreeable people. And they are very disagreeable people. Also, -they always have been, and probably always will be, very disagreeable -people. They were the first birds to make trouble among neighbors -anywhere around the big house. If it had not been that the Gentleman -who lived there was so very tender-hearted, their nests would probably -have been poked down with poles long before the eggs could have been -laid in them. When Boys came around with little rifles and ugly -looking bags slung over their shoulders, they were always ordered -away and told that the Gentleman would have no shooting near his -house. - -It is not strange then that the woodbine was full of Sparrows' nests, -and that many of the evergreens also bore them in their top branches. -One had even been tucked in behind a conductor pipe, and their owners -hunted and argued and fussed all over the place. There was just one -way in which the English Sparrows were not cared for like other birds -around the big house. Silvertip was allowed to eat all that he could -catch. And you may be very sure that no Robin ever called "Cat!" when -he was ready to spring upon a Sparrow. - -"It may be wrong," said one Robin mother, "but I cannot do it. I -remember too well how they have robbed my nests and quarrelled with my -friends. I say that they must care for their own children. And if they -do not--well, so much the better for Silvertip!" - -You see that the birds were not angry at Silvertip for trying to eat -them. It was all to be expected, as they knew very well. It was not -pleasant, but it had to be, just as Worms and Flies had to expect to -be eaten, unless they were clever enough to keep out of the way of -birds. Only the quickest and strongest could live, so of course all -the young ones tried hard to become quick and strong. - -When Miss Sparrow, from the nest behind the conductor pipe, was old -enough to marry, she had many lovers, and that was quite natural. She -was a plump and trim-looking bird, and pretty, too, if one came close -enough to her. Her feathers were gray and brown, with a little white -and black in places. Her bill was black, and her feet were brown. She -was very careful to keep clean, and although she had to hunt food in -the mud of the street, she bathed often in fine dust and kept her -wings and tail well up. Her lovers were dressed in the same colors, -but with more decided markings. - -Her parents were very clever to think of building where they did; and -because they had such a large nest and so near the eaves of the house, -they were much looked up to by the other Sparrows. They were very -proud of their home, and especially on days when the water running -down the pipe made a sweet guggle-guggle-guggling sound. Sparrows like -noise, you know, and this always amused the children and kept them -quiet on rainy days. - -All the young Sparrows who were not already in love, and a few who -were, began to court Miss Sparrow as soon as it was known that she -cared to marry. This was partly on her own account, and partly because -of her distinguished family. - -Some birds would have waited for their suitors to speak first about -marriage. Miss Sparrow did not. The Sparrows are not very well bred. -"Of course I am going to marry," she said. "I am only waiting to make -up my mind whom I will choose." - -They flocked around her as she fed in the dust of the road, all -talking at once in their harsh voices. When a team passed by, and that -was not often, they flew or hopped aside at the last minute. When they -settled down again there was always a squabble to see who should be -next to Miss Sparrow. Her lovers fought with each other over choice -seeds, but they let Miss Sparrow have everything she wished. She -always seemed very cross when her lovers were around (as well as most -of the time when they were not), and often scolded and pecked at them. -Sometimes one who was not brave, and would not stand pain, flew away -and began courting somebody else. - -After a while she had driven away so many that only two were left. She -flew at these, striking first one and then the other, until, brave as -they were, one went away. Then she turned to the suitor who was left -with a sweet smile. "I will marry you," she said. - -His wings were lame from her fighting him, his head smarted where she -had picked at it, and two or three small feathers were missing from -his breast. Miss Sparrow was certainly a strong bird, and he knew that -anybody who wanted her would have to stand just what he had stood. He -would have preferred to court as the Goldfinches and Wrens do, by -singing to their sweethearts, but that could not be. In the first -place, he could not sing, and in the second place she would not have -taken him until she had beaten him anyway. It would have been more fun -for him to fight some of the other birds and let the winner have her, -yet that could not be done either. If he wanted to marry, he had to -marry an English Sparrow, and if he wanted to marry an English -Sparrow he had to go about it in her way. It would have been just the -same if he had courted her sister or her cousin. - -The truth is that, although the Sparrow husbands swagger and brag a -great deal and act as though they owned everything in sight, there is -not one whose wife does not order him around. Miss Sparrow would not -have taken him if she had not made sure that she could whip him. - -"What do I need of a husband," she said, "unless he will mind me? And -when I feel crosser than usual I want somebody always near and at -home, where I can treat him as I choose. That is what I care for in a -home." - -"Now," she said, "if you are to be my husband, I will show you where -we are to build." - -Mr. Sparrow flew meekly along after her. You would be meek with lame -wings, a sore head, and three feathers off from your breast. She led -the way to the front west porch, where the syringa shoots made a -little hedge around it and a tall fir tree made good perching places -beside it. - -"Where are we going to build?" asked Mr. Sparrow. He saw plenty of -good window ledges and places which would do for Robins and Phoebes -and other birds who plaster their nests. Yet he did not see a single -corner or big crack where a Sparrow's nest could be made to hold -together. - -"I will show you," answered Mrs. Sparrow. She perched on the top of a -porch column and looked up at a small round hole nearly over her head. -It was the place where a conductor pipe had once run through the -cornice. Now the pipe had been taken away and the opening was left. -She gave an upward spring and flutter and went straight up through -the hole. "Come up!" she cried in the most good-natured way. "Come up! -This is the best place I ever saw. Our nest will be all hidden, and no -large bird or Squirrel can possibly get in. The rain can never fall on -it, and on cold days we shall be warm and snug." - -She did not ask him what he thought of it, and he did not expect her -to. So he just said, "It is a most unusual place." - -"That is what I think," she replied. "Very unusual, and I would not -build in the woodbine like some Sparrows. No, indeed! One who has been -brought up in style beside a water-pipe, as I was, could never come -down to woodbine. It should not be expected." - -"I'm sure it was not, my dear," said her husband. - -"Very well," said she. "Since you like this place so much, we may as -well call it settled and keep still about it until we are ready to -build." - -Mr. Sparrow had not said that he liked it, yet he knew better than to -tell her so. If he did, she might leave him even now for one of her -other lovers. He really dreaded getting out through that hole, and let -her go while he watched her. She went head first, clinging to the -rough edges of the hole with both feet, let go with one, hung and -twisted around until she was headed right, then dropped and flew away. -Mr. Sparrow did the same, but he did not like it. - -After a while they began nest-building, and all the straws, sticks, -and feathers had to be dragged up through the little round doorway to -the nest. Mrs. Sparrow did most of the arranging, while her husband -flew in and out more than a hundred times a day. She was a worker. Any -bird will tell you that. Still, you know, there are different ways of -working. Some of the people who do the most work make the least fuss. -Mrs. Sparrow was not one of these. When she did a thing, she wanted -everybody to know it, and since her building-place was hidden she -talked all the more to Mr. Sparrow. - -"I am going to have a large nest," she said. "So bring plenty of -stuff. Bring good things, too," she added. "You have brought two -straws already that were really dirty, and this last stick isn't fit -to use. I will push it back into a corner." - -Mr. Sparrow would have liked to tell her what hard work his was, and -ask her to use things he brought, even if they were not quite what she -wanted. He was too wise for this, however, so he flew out and pitched -into another Sparrow who was getting straws for his wife. He tried to -steal his straw, and they fought back and forth until their wives came -to see what was the matter and began fighting also. When they stopped -at last, the straw had been carried away by a Robin, so neither had -it. But they had had a lovely, loud, rough fight, and Sparrows like -that even better than straw, so they all felt good-natured again. - -Twice Mrs. Sparrow decided to move her nest a little this way or a -little that, and such a litter as she made when doing it! Some of the -best sticks fell down through the doorway, and the Lady swept them off -the porch. Then Mrs. Sparrow scolded her. She was not afraid of a -Lady. "She might have left them there," she said. "I would have had my -husband pick them up soon. Yesterday she had the Maid put some of her -own horrid chairs and tables out here while they were cleaning, and I -never touched them." - -Mr. Sparrow flew up with a fine Turkey feather. "It came from the -Lady's duster," he said. "I think it will give quite an air to your -nest." - -"Excellent!" cried his wife. "Just wait until I get ready for it." He -clung patiently by one foot to the doorway. When that was tired he -changed to the other. When that was tired he perched on the top of the -column. He was very hungry, and he saw some grain dropped from a -passing wagon. - -"Hurry up, my dear!" he called. "It is past my dinner-time already." - -"Wait until supper then," cried his wife. "As if I hadn't enough to do -without thinking about your dinner! Don't let go of it or it will be -blown away." - -Then Mr. Sparrow lost his temper. He stuck that feather into a crack -near by, and flew softly away to eat some grain. He thought he might -be back in time to carry in the feather and his wife never know where -he had been. Unfortunately, he got to talking and did not hear his -wife call him. - -"Mr. Sparrow!" said she. "_Mr. Sparrow!_ I am ready for that -feather." - -When he did not answer, she put her head out of the doorway. There was -the Turkey feather stuck into a crack, and in the road beyond was her -husband eating happily with several of his friends. She looked very -angry and opened her bill to speak. Then she changed her mind and flew -quietly off the other way. She went straight to the Horse-block, where -another old suitor was, the one who had come so near winning her. "Mr. -Sparrow has disobeyed me," she said, "and is actually eating his -dinner when he should be waiting by the nest to help me. I believe -that I ought to have married you, but better late than never. Come -now." - -This was how it happened that when Mr. Sparrow's stomach was quite -full, and he suddenly remembered his work, he flew back and found the -Turkey feather gone. In the eaves overhead he heard Mrs. Sparrow -telling somebody else what to do. He tried to force his way up there. -Every time he was shoved back, and not very gently either. - -"You might better look for another home," said Mrs. Sparrow's voice. -"I have found another husband, one who will help me as I wish. -Good-by." - -That was the ending of Mr. Sparrow's first marriage. It was a very sad -affair, and the birds talked of nothing else for a long time -afterward. Some said that it served him exactly right, because he -married to get into a fine family, when there were dozens of Sparrow -daughters much prettier and nicer than the one he chose. There may -have been something in this, for certainly if Mrs. Sparrow had not -been so sure of finding another to take his place, she would not have -turned him out in the way she did. It is said, however, that her -second husband had a hard life of it. - - - - -A RAINY DAY ON THE LAWN - - -When the sun rose, that morning late in April, he tried and tried to -look at the big house and see what was happening. All he could see was -a thick gray cloud veil stretched between him and the earth, and, -shine as hard as he might, not a single sunbeam went through that -veil. - -When the Blackbirds awakened, they found a drizzling rain falling, and -hurried on their waterproofs to get ready for a wet time. Blackbirds -are always handsome, yet they never look better than when it rains. -They coat their feathers with oil from the pockets under their tails, -as indeed all birds do, and then they fly to the high branches of some -tall and swaying tree and talk and talk and talk and talk. They do -not get into little groups and face each other, but scatter themselves -around and face the wind. This is most sensible, for if one of them -were to turn his back to the wind, it would rumple up his feathers and -give the raindrops a chance to get down to his skin. When they speak, -or at least when they have anything really important to say, they -ruffle their own feathers and stand on tip-toe, but they ruffle them -carefully and face the wind all the time. - -When the Robins opened their round eyes, they chirped cheerfully to -each other and put on their waterproofs. "Good weather for us," they -said. "It will make fine mud for plastering our new nests, and it will -bring out the Worms." - -The English Sparrows, Goldfinches, and other seed-eaters were not made -happy by the rain. With them it was only something to be borne -patiently and without complaining. The Hummingbirds found fewer -fresh blossoms open on cloudy days, and so had to fly farther and work -harder for their food. The Pewees and other fly-catchers oiled their -feathers and kept steadily at work. - -[Illustration: "O MOTHER, IT IS RAINING!" _Page 175_] - -The birds had not awakened so early as usual, because it was darker. -They had hardly got well started on their breakfast before a sleepy -little face appeared at the window of the big house and a sleepy -little voice called out: "O Mother, it is raining! I didn't want it to -rain." - -"Foolish! Foolish! Foolish!" chirped the Robins on the lawn. "Boys -would know better than to say such things if they were birds." - -"Boys are a bother, anyway," said an English Sparrow, as he spattered -in the edge of a puddle. "I wish they had never been hatched." - -"Ker-eeeee!" said a Blackbird above his head. "I suppose they may be -of some use in the world. I notice that the Gentleman and the Lady -seem to think a great deal of this one, and they are a very good sort -of people." - -"I'd like them better if they didn't keep a Cat," said his brother. -"Their Cat is the greatest climber I ever saw. He came almost to the -top of this maple after me yesterday, and I have seen him go clear to -the eaves of the big house on the woodbine." - -"That is because the Sparrows live there," said Mr. Wren. "He went to -see their children. Silvertip says that he is very fond of -children--they are so much more tender than their parents." Mr. Wren -could laugh about this because his own children were always safely -housed. Besides, you know, he had reason to dislike Sparrows. - -"I would not stay here," said a Sparrow who had just come up, "if the -people here were not of the right sort. They have mountain ash trees -and sweetbrier bushes where birds find good feeding. And in the winter -that Boy throws out bread crumbs and wheat for us." - -"Humph!" said the Oldest Blackbird. "There is no need of talking so -much about it. You can always tell what sort of people live in a place -by seeing if they have a bird-house. If they have, and it is a -sensible one, where a bird could live comfortably, they are all -right." - -After that the birds worked more and talked less, for the Oldest -Blackbird, while he was often grumpy and sometimes cross, was really a -very sensible bird, and what he had said was true. The Robins went -here and there over the lawn in quick, short runs, pausing once in a -while with their heads bent forward and then pulling up choice Worms -to eat. Some of their mouthfuls were half as long as they, but that -was not rude in Robins. What they insist on in bringing up their -children is that mouthfuls should not be too broad, and that they -should not stop swallowing until all the Worm is out of sight. - -The Blackbirds hunted in a more dignified way. They never ran after -food, or indeed after anything else. "If walking is not fast enough," -the Blackbird mothers say, "then fly, but do not run." They walked in -parties over the lawn and waggled their heads at each step. When they -found Grubs they did not appear greedy, yet never a Grub escaped. - -"There are two ways of hurrying," they often said. "One is the jerky -way and the other is our way, of being sure and steady. Of course our -way is the better. You will see that we do just as much and make less -fuss." - -Silvertip came to the edge of the porch and looked around. He was -licking his lips, and every bird on the lawn was happy to see that, -for it meant that he had just finished his breakfast. His eyes -gleamed and his tail waved stiffly as he saw the fat Robins so near. -He even crouched down and took four short steps, quivering his body -and trying his muscles. Then he remembered how wet the grass was and -turned back with a long sigh. After all, his stomach was full and he -could afford to wait until the grass was dry. The Robins would be -there then, and if they kept on eating Worms at this rate, they would -be growing plump and juicy all the time. He began to lick himself all -over, as every truly tidy Cat does after eating. By the time he had -finished the tip of his tail he was sleepy, so he went into the -kitchen and dozed by the fire. - -The front door opened with a bang, and the Little Boy stood there, -shouting and waving a piece of red paper with a string tied to it. -"See my kite!" he cried. "Whee-ee-ee!" - -Five birds who had been feeding near flew off in wild alarm. "Now why -did he do that?" asked one, after they had settled down elsewhere. -Nobody answered. None but Little Boys understand these things, and -even they do not always tell. - -The Lady came to the door behind him and helped him start away. He -proudly carried a small new umbrella, and the precious kite fluttered -out behind him. When he was outside the gate, he peeped through it and -called back: "Good-by, Mother! I'm going to school to learn everyfing. -I'll be a good Boy. Good-by!" Then he ran down the walk with the -umbrella held back over his shoulder and the rain falling squarely in -his face. All that the birds could see of the Little Boy then was his -fat legs bobbing along below the umbrella. - -"There!" said all the birds together. "There! Silvertip is asleep and -the Little Boy has gone to school. Now we can take comfort." - - * * * * * - -When the morning was nearly past, and the birds felt so safe that they -had grown almost careless, Silvertip wakened and felt hungry. He -walked slowly out of the kitchen door and looked at the grass. The sun -was now shining, and it was no longer sparkling with tiny drops. He -crept down the steps and around to a place under a big spruce tree, -the lower branches of which lay along the ground. A fat Robin was -hunting near by. - -Silvertip watched her hungrily, and if you were a Cat you might have -done exactly the same thing. So you must not blame Silvertip. He was -creeping, creeping, creeping nearer, and never looking away from her, -when the Little Boy came tramping across the grass. He had come in by -the gate of the driveway, and was walking straight toward Silvertip, -who neither saw nor heard him. - -Then the Little Boy saw what was happening, and dropped his bright -paper chain on the grass beside him. "G'way!" he cried, waving his -umbrella. "G'way! Don't you try to eat any birds 'round here. My -father doesn't 'low it. G'way! G'way! Else I'll tell my mother that -you are a _bad_ Cat." - -Silvertip fled under the porch, the Robin flew up onto the snowball -bush, and all around the birds sang the praises of the good Little Boy -with the umbrella. But the Little Boy didn't know this. He stood by -the porch and dangled his pretty paper chain until Silvertip forgave -him and came out to play. Then they ran together into the house, and -the birds heard him shouting, "Mother! Mother! Where are you? I want -to give Silvertip some cream. He is so very hungry that he most had to -eat up a Robin, only I wouldn't let him." - - - - -THE PERSISTENT PHOEBE - - -It is not often that a Phoebe will nest anywhere except near running -water, and nobody but the Phoebes themselves will ever know why this -pair chose to build under a porch of the big house. When they came -there on their wedding trip the other birds supposed that they were -only visiting, and it was not until a Catbird heard them discussing -different porches that any one really believed they might come there -to live. - -Mrs. Phoebe was eager to begin at once, and could not pass a soft -bit of moss or an unusually good blade of grass without stopping to -look it over and think how she could weave it in. "I see no use in -waiting," said she. "I know just as much about building now as I -shall after a while, and I should like a home of my own. It makes my -bill fairly tingle to see all these fine grasses and mosses waiting to -be used. And the worst of it is," she added, "that if we wait, some -other bird may get them instead." - -Mr. Phoebe wanted to think it over a little longer. He was older -than his wife and had been married before. "Phoebe!" he would -exclaim. "Wait a day. You know we are building by a house to please -you, now wait one more day to please me." - -That, you see, was quite right and perfectly fair, for it is _not_ -fair for one person to decide everything in a family, and it was right -for the wife to wait as long as she could. She could not, of course, -wait many days, for there were eggs to be laid, and when it was time -for them, the nest had to be ready. Mr. Phoebe knew this and wasted -no time. - -"We cannot build on a rock," said he, "because there are no rocks -here, and we cannot build under a bridge because there is no bridge -here. My other wife and I lived under a bridge." Then he stood silent -for a long time and looked down at his black feet. When he spoke of -his first wife he always seemed sad. The second Mrs. Phoebe had not -liked this at first, but he was so good and kind to her, and let her -have her own way so much more than some husbands would, that she had -begun to feel happier about it. - -There is reason to think that she chose an unusual nesting-place just -to see how far she could coax him out of his old ways. Perhaps, too, -she thought that there would be less in such a place to remind him of -his first wife. Another thing which had made her come to feel -differently was remembering that if he died or left her she would -marry again. Then, you know, she might want to think and talk about -her first husband. - -She was very proud of him, and watched him as he stood thinking. His -upper feathers were deep brown, his under ones a dingy white, and the -outer edges of some of his tail-feathers were light colored. His most -beautiful features were his black bill and feet and the crest which he -could raise on the top of his head. Mrs. Phoebe had the same -coloring as her husband, yet she always insisted that he was the -better looking of the two, while he insisted, as a good and wise -husband should, that she was by far the handsomer. - -Now Mr. Phoebe was speaking. "We have decided to build on this -house," said he, "and under a porch. Still, there are four large ones -and we must find out which is the best. You feed on the shady side and -I will feed on the sunny side of the house. Then we shall see how much -these people use their porches." - -"I'll do it," answered his wife, "but isn't it a pity that there are -people living in this house? It would be so much pleasanter if it -were empty." - -Mrs. Phoebe perched on a maple branch on the shady side and watched -two porches. She thought she would like the front one the better, and -had already chosen her window ledge, when she noticed a pair of -English Sparrows dragging straws and feathers toward it and -disappearing inside the cornice. "Not there," she said firmly, as she -clutched the branch even more tightly with her pretty black feet. "I -will not have quarrelsome neighbors, and I could never bring our -children up to be good if the young Sparrows were always near, showing -them how to be naughty." Then she darted after a Fly, caught and -swallowed him, and was back on her perch. - -"I wonder how the back one would do?" she said. "There are no steps -leading to it, and those sweetbrier bushes all around it would keep -Boys from climbing onto the railing." - -She flew near and saw the Maid kneading bread by one window. A door -stood open into the big kitchen, and through two other windows she -could look into a pleasant dining-room. "I wouldn't mind that," she -said. "If I have plenty to eat myself, I would just as soon see other -people eating. We like different things anyway. I dare say those -people never tasted an insect in their lives and do not even know the -flavor of a choice Fly." Then she swallowed a careless Bug who had -mistaken her for an English Sparrow and flown when he should have -stayed hidden. Mrs. Phoebe was much interested in the nest, but not -so much as to let an insect escape. Oh, never so much as that! - -Mr. Phoebe watched the back porch on his side. Some Robins were -building on a window-ledge there, which he thought exceeding -imprudent. But then he was not surprised, for everybody knows how -careless Robins are. That is why so many of them have to leave their -nests--because they are built where no nest should be. Mr. Phoebe -could tell at a glance that no bird should build there. Woodbine -climbed over the pillars and fell in a thick curtain from the cornice, -and beside the door stood a saucerful of milk. "That means a Cat," -said he, "a Cat who stays on this porch most of the time and always -comes here when he is hungry. And when he tires of milk he will climb -up that woodbine and finish with young Robin. Or, perhaps," he added, -"I should say that he will finish _a_ young Robin." - -The front porch on his side was sunshiny and quiet, but there was the -woodbine again, and with the Cat so near. He next looked at the -portico over the front door. Under the roof of this was a queer shiny, -thin thing with a loop of black thread hanging down in it. He tried to -get the thread, but only hit and hurt his bill against the shiny, -thin stuff. Then he remembered seeing a bright light in it the night -before when he had been awakened by a bad dream. "That will never do," -he said. "It is not good for children to sleep with a light near. One -would want to be catching insects there, too," he added, "when he -should be sleeping. There must be many drawn by the light." - -So it ended in the couple building under the dining-room porch on the -shelf-like top of a column. Mrs. Phoebe chose this instead of a -window-ledge because from here she could look into the window while -brooding her eggs. "You may laugh at me all you choose," said she to -her husband, "for I did wish the house empty. Since it cannot be, -however, I might as well see what the people in it do." - -"I was not laughing, my dear," answered her husband meekly (you -remember that he had been married before). "I was only smiling with -pleasure at our fine nest. You have so much taste in arranging -grasses!" - -That was the way in which the Phoebes began housekeeping. It was not -always easy, sitting on the nest day after day as Mrs. Phoebe had -to, with only a chance now and then to stretch her tired legs. She was -even glad that people lived in the house. "It gives me something to -think about," said she, "although I do get much out of patience with -them sometimes. Much they know about bringing up children! That Boy of -theirs eats only three times a day. How can they ever hope to raise -him unless he eats more? Now, I expect to feed my children all the -time, and that is the way to do." Here she darted away to catch a Fly -who came blundering along. - -"It's a good thing for that Fly that I got him," she said, smilingly. -"It saved him from being caught in the Spider's web over there, and I -am sure it is much pleasanter to be swallowed whole by a polite -Phoebe than to be nibbled at by a horrid Spider." - -Mr. Phoebe sometimes brought her a dainty morsel, but he spent much -of his time by the hydrant. "There is not much chance to bathe," he -said, as he wallowed around in the little pool beside it, "but it is -something to smell water. You know we Phoebes like to fly in and out -of ponds and rivers, even when we cannot stop for a real bath." His -favorite perch was on the top of a tall pole covered with cinnamon -vine, in the flower garden. Here he would sit for a whole morning at a -time, darting off now and then for an insect, but always returning to -the same place and position. He did not even face the other way for a -change. - -The little Phoebes were hatched much like other birds, and were -about as good and about as naughty as children usually are. Mrs. -Phoebe was positive that they were remarkable in every way. Mr. -Phoebe, having raised other broods, did not think them quite so -wonderful, although he admitted that there was not another nestling on -the place to compare with them. "Still," as he would modestly remark, -"we must remember that we are the only Phoebes here, and that it is -not fair to compare them with the young of other birds. You could not -expect our neighbors' children to be as bright as they." - -Unfortunately there were only two little Phoebes, so each parent -could give all his time to one. The mother cared for the son and the -father for the daughter. When it was time for them to learn to catch -their own Flies, these children did not want to do so. The father made -his daughter learn, in spite of the fuss she made. He gave her his old -perch on the cinnamon-vine pole, and told her that she must try to -catch every insect that flew past. This was after she had been out of -the nest several days, and had learned to use her feet and wings. - -"If you do not," he said, "I shall not feed you anything." When she -pouted her bill, he paid no attention to it, and she soon stopped. -There is no use in pouting, you know, unless somebody is looking at -you and wishing that you wouldn't. Perhaps it was because he had -brought up children before that Mr. Phoebe was so wise. - -Mrs. Phoebe meant to be very firm also, but when her son whimpered -and said that he couldn't, he knew he couldn't, catch a single one, -and that he was sure he would tumble to the ground if he tried it, she -always felt sorry for him and said: "Perhaps you can to-morrow." Then -she would catch food for him again. - -This is how it happened that, day after day, a plump and strong young -Phoebe sat on a branch of the syringa bush and let his tired mother -feed him. At last his father quite lost patience and interfered. "My -dear," he said to his wife, "I will be with our son to-day, and you -may have a rest." - -"You are very kind," she replied, "but he is so used to having me that -I think I might better----" - -"I said," interrupted her husband, "that I would be with our son -to-day. I advise you to fly away with our daughter and show her -something of the world." Mrs. Phoebe did not often hear him speak in -that tone of voice. When he did, she always agreed with him. - -As soon as father and son were alone, the father said: "Now you are -going to catch Flies before sunset. You have let your poor mother -nearly work her feathers off for you. (Of course, feathers do not come -off so, but this was his way of speaking.) She is very tired, and you -are not to act like this again. There comes a Fly. Catch him!" - -The young Phoebe made a wild dash, missed his Fly, and came back to -the syringa bush whimpering. "I knew I couldn't," he said. "I tried as -hard as I could, but he flew away." - -"Yes," said his father. "You tried once, just once. You may have to -try a hundred times before you catch one, but that is no reason why -you should not try. Go for that Mosquito." - -The son went, and missed him, of course. This time he knew better than -to talk about it. He just flew back to his perch and looked miserable. - -"I think you got a little nearer to this one," said his father. "Go -for that Fly!" - -The young Phoebe was kept darting here and there so often that he -had no time to be sulky. Indeed, if people have to keep moving quite -fast, they soon forget to want to be sulky. At last he was surprised -by his father's tucking a very delicious Bluebottle down his throat. -"Just for a lunch," he explained. "Now try for that one." - -The son made a sudden lurch and flight, and actually caught him. It -was a much smaller Fly than the one which his father had fed him, but -it tasted better. He swallowed it as slowly as he could, so as to feel -it going down as long as possible. Then he began to be happier. "Watch -me catch that Mosquito," he said. And when he missed him, as he did, -he made no fuss at all--only said: "I'll get the next one!" When he -missed that he simply said: "Well, I'll get the next one, anyhow!" - -And he did. - -All day long he darted and failed or darted and succeeded, and more -and more often he caught the insect instead of missing him. - -When the long shadows on the lawn showed that sunset was near, his -mother and sister came back. His mother had a delicious morsel for -him to eat. "Open your bill very wide," she said, "you poor, tired, -hungry child." - -He did open his bill, because a Phoebe can always eat a little more -anyway, but he did not open it until he had said: "Why, I'm not much -tired, and I am not really hungry at all. You just ought to see me -catch Flies!" - -You can imagine how surprised his mother was. And in the tall fir tree -near by he heard a Blackbird say something in a hoarse voice about a -persistent Phoebe. But that didn't make much difference, because, -you see, he didn't know what "persistent" meant, and if he had known -he could not have told whether the Blackbird was talking about him or -about his father. Could you have told, if you had been a Phoebe? - - - - -THE SAD STORY OF THE HOG CATERPILLAR - - -THE grape-vines on the trellis were carefully pruned and tended, but -that did not prevent a few Hog Caterpillars of the Vine from making -their home upon them. There were a number of other Hog Caterpillars on -the place, and all expected to be Hawk Moths when they grew up. -Sometimes they thought and talked too much about this, and planned too -far ahead. They might better have thought more about being the best -kind of Caterpillars. For sometimes, when they were telling what great -things they would do by-and-by, they forgot to do exactly as they -should just then. - -None of them knew when they got their name. Somebody who noticed their -small heads and very smooth, fat, and puffy-looking bodies must have -begun it. Perhaps, too, this person thought that the queer little -things sticking upward and backward from the end of their bodies -looked like the tail of a Hog. Those who lived on grape-vines were -called Hog Caterpillars of the Vine. Then, when their friends spoke of -them, people knew at once to what family they belonged. - -If you were to look closely at a Hog Caterpillar of the Vine, you -would think him handsome. He has seven reddish spots along the middle -of his back, every one set in a patch of pale yellow. On each side you -would see a long green stripe with white edges, and below this you -would find seven slanting white ones. - -When these Hog Caterpillars of the Vine were hatched, they were very, -very tiny, and had to feed and rest and change their skins over and -over, just as all Caterpillars must. Of course when they changed their -skins, they had nobody to help them, because their parents were Hawk -Moths and never bothered with the care of children. They believed that -Caterpillars should help themselves. "They will have plenty of time to -play when they are grown up," the Hawk Moths said, "and it is much -better for children to have to change their own skins. If they do -that, they will be more careful of their new ones, when they get -them." - -There is a great deal in the way a child is brought up, and no -Caterpillar ever says, "I can't do this;" or, "Somebody must help me -get off my old skin, so there!" No indeed! Caterpillars help -themselves and make no fuss at all. - -This is not saying that they have no faults. It just means that this -fault was not one of theirs. Perhaps their worst fault was bragging -about what they were going to do. It was either that or carelessness, -and every now and then some one of them would be dreadfully punished. -With so many hungry birds around, Caterpillars should be very careful. -One of those on the grape-vines laughed at a Robin for being afraid of -Silvertip. Of course he did not expect to be heard by any except his -relatives. He was, though, and as soon as Silvertip had walked off, -the Robin came back and hunted for him and ate him. He was very, very -sorry for his rudeness, and tried to wriggle out of it, when the Robin -spoke about it, but he should have remembered sooner. "I laughed -before I thought," he said. "I'll never do it again. Never! Never!" - -"Say nothing more about it," answered the Robin, who was noted for his -polite ways; "I am very sure you won't." Then he swallowed him while -he was talking. The Catbird said that the Robin took in all that the -Caterpillar was saying, but the other birds didn't quite understand -what he meant by that. - -The oldest Hog Caterpillar of the Vine was always reckless. He would -feed in plain sight in the sunshine if he wanted to, and he was -forever telling what a fine Hawk Moth he expected to be. "If a bird -comes after me," he would say, "I will just let go of the leaf and -fall to the ground in a little round bunch. I can lie so quietly in -the grass that he will never see me." He looked so haughty when saying -this that none of his relatives dared to say a word, although a pretty -young one wept quietly under her grape-leaf. He had been very -attentive to her, and she wanted to marry him after they had changed -into Moths. Such plans, you know, might be sadly upset by a hungry and -sharp-sighted bird. - -Yet birds were not the only people to fear. The Ichneumon Wasps and -their cousins the Braconids were always flying around and looking for -fat and juicy Caterpillars, and many a promising young fellow had been -pounced upon by them. They were so much smaller and more quiet than -the birds that they were really much more to be feared. His friends -and relatives used to tell the oldest Hog Caterpillar to keep hidden -from them, but he paid no attention. "Do you suppose," said he, "that -a fine fellow like me is going to sneak under leaves for a slender -Ichneumon or a little Braconid? Not I!" - -So it is not surprising that when a mother Braconid came along one -day, looking for a good place to lay eggs, she saw him busily eating -in the sunshine. He had just taken the sixth mouthful from an -especially fine leaf when she alighted on him. "Don't move!" she said. -"Your position is exactly right. Keep perfectly still and I shall soon -be through." - -The Hog Caterpillar of the Vine understood every word she said, but he -moved as fast as he could. Unfortunately, you know, his legs were all -on the under side of his body, and were so stubby that he could not -reach up to push her away. He did rub up against a leaf and brush her -off for a minute, but she was right back and talking to him again. - -"You are very foolish to make such a fuss," she said. "You might -better keep still and get it over. I have decided on you, and you -can't help yourself. Now hold still!" - -There was only one other thing left for the poor Hog Caterpillar of -the Vine to do. He let go of the grape leaf and fell to the ground. He -had hardly struck it, however, when the Braconid was on his back. "No -more nonsense," said she sternly. "You really make me quite out of -patience, and I shall not wait any longer. I want to get my eggs laid -and have some time for play." - -Then she ran her ovipositor, which is the tube through which insects -lay their eggs, into his fat back and slipped an egg down through it. -How it did hurt! The poor Hog Caterpillar of the Vine squirmed with -pain, and all the Braconid said was: "It would be much easier for me -if you would lie quietly. Still, I am used to working under -difficulties.... You won't mind it so after a while." Then she drew -out her ovipositor, stuck it into another place, and laid another egg. - -Before she left him, the Braconid had laid thirty-five eggs in his -body, and the Hog Caterpillar of the Vine was so tired with pain and -anger that he could hardly move. Of the two, perhaps the anger tired -him the more. He had time to do a great deal of thinking before he -climbed onto the vine again. "I will be more careful after this," he -said, "but I guess there isn't any need of telling the other fellows -what has happened. None of them were around when that dreadful -Braconid came." - -When he was up on the vine again, one of his relatives said: "You look -sick. What is the matter?" And he answered: "Oh, I am rather tired. -Guess this skin is getting too tight." - -The next day he felt quite well, but as time went on he grew worse and -worse. He ate a great deal, yet he did not grow as he should, and the -other Hog Caterpillars of the Vine began to talk about it. The truth -was, you know, that the Braconid's thirty-five eggs had all hatched, -and her children were eating up the poor Hog Caterpillar of the Vine. -They were fat little Worms then, and when they were old enough to spin -cocoons, they cut thirty-five tiny doors in his skin and spun their -cocoons on the outside. - -Then all his relatives and friends knew what was the matter with him, -for wherever he went he had to carry on his back and sides thirty-five -beautiful little shining white cocoons. He did not think them -beautiful, yet they were, and the Braconid mother looked at them with -great pride as she flew past. - -"I should like to see them cut off the tiny round lids of their -cocoons," she said, "and fly away, but I suppose I shall not be around -then. It is very hard not to have the pleasure of bringing up one's -own children. Yet I suppose it is better for them, and one must not be -selfish." She flew away with a very good, almost too good, look on her -face. - -The Hog Caterpillar of the Vine was so tired that he died--what there -was left of him. Really the Braconid babies had eaten most of him -before spinning their cocoons. The only truly happy people around were -the Braconid children, who came out strong and active the next day. - -This is all a very, very sad story. It is true, though, and it had to -be written, because there may still be some Hog Caterpillars of the -Vine, or perhaps some other people, who will not take advice about -what they should do, and so they come to trouble. - - - - -THE CAT AND THE CATBIRD - - -It was late in the fall when Silvertip came to live in the big house, -and he was then a very small kitten. All through the winter which -followed, he was the pet of the Gentleman and the Lady, of the Maid, -and of the people who came there to visit. He liked the Gentleman best -and showed it very plainly, but that was only right, for it was the -Gentleman, you know, who first brought him into the house. - -At night he slept on a red cushion in a basket in the kitchen, except -when he made believe catch Mice with a spool for a Mouse. Sometimes, -when the other people were in bed, they could hear him running and -jumping out there and having the finest kind of a time all by -himself. During the days he spent most of his time on a red -lamb's-wool rug under a desk where the Lady kept her typewriter. He -thought the desk must be a Cathouse, for the room under it was just -large enough and just high enough to suit him, and there were walls on -three sides to make it warmer. He did not see why the Lady should sit -down at it nearly every day and thump-thump-thump on the queer-looking -little machine which she kept upstairs in this house. When she did -this he had to move farther back on his rug, and it bothered him to do -so when he was sleepy. - -Sometimes, when he had been really awakened by the -thump-thump-thumping of the machine and the ringing of the little bell -on it, he would jump up behind it. Then he would peep over its top at -the Lady and chew the paper which stuck out in his face until he was -gently lifted or pushed away. Sometimes he sat by the side of it, and -then he would watch the little bell ringing until he learned to put up -one tiny white paw and ring it himself. After he had watched and -played in this way for a while, he would lie on the high part of the -desk, over where the drawers were, and sleep again. Yet he was never -too sleepy to pat with his paws every printed sheet which the Lady -took from the machine, or to play with every clean white one which she -fastened into it. He liked the white ones the better and didn't see -why the Lady wanted to mark them all up so. Still, he thought it was -probably her way of playing, so it didn't matter. - -Sometimes, when she seemed tired, the Lady would bend over and put her -face down against his back and call him "her little collaborator." He -did not know what that big word meant. He thought it might be -something about his tail. They were both interested in tales. - -When the Lady was writing on her lap in the funny way that Ladies -sometimes have, he would cuddle down under her portfolio and sleep. -For these things he liked her, but she would hardly ever take time to -play with him. So, when he heard the latch-key rattle in the front -door, he listened, and if it were the Gentleman's step which he heard, -he ran to the hall door and waited with his little pink nose to the -crack until the Gentleman came in. Then what romps they would have! -Back and forth from one room to another, with balls, spools tied onto -the most charming strings, and even yardsticks and tape-measures, and -things taken from the Lady's sewing-stand. - -He liked the Maid, too. She was always kind to him, although she did -shut him up one day when he stole a silvery little sardine from the -table. She would not let him have anything but milk to eat until he -was nearly grown-up. Whenever he smelled a roast or a fine juicy -steak he would beg as hard as he knew how, but not one taste did he -ever get until he had lost all his Kitten-teeth and his Cat-teeth were -growing in. When he was older and knew more about life, he understood -that this was to keep him from swallowing a loose tooth with a -mouthful of meat, and that Kittens who are given all sorts of food are -very likely to do this and bring on fits. You can just imagine what -trouble it would make to have a sharp tooth get into a Kitten's -stomach. - -This was probably the reason, too, why Silvertip grew so very large -and handsome. At Christmas time he was given a red ribbon to wear -around his neck, red being very becoming to his complexion. He did not -care very much for the ribbon, though, and went off into a corner and -scratched at it with his hind feet until it came off. Then he chewed -it into a wet wisp and left it. - -This was Silvertip's life during that first winter. Sometimes on -sunshiny days he sat out on the kitchen porch, and once in a while he -sunned himself on the broad rail of one of the front porches. Whatever -he wanted he had, except, of course, some kinds of food, which he -ought not to have anyway. Nobody was ever cross to him and many people -were doing things to make him happy. He had yet to learn that this -could not last forever. - -When spring came he lived more out of doors, and followed the Hired -Man around barn and woodshed. He went into the ice-house once, but -found that too cold. In these places he saw his first Mice. He will -never forget the very first one which he caught. It was just at supper -time and he brought it into the kitchen. He could not understand why -the Maid should scream and act so queerly. He thought perhaps she -wanted it herself. - -Whenever the Mouse wriggled or flirted its tail into his eyes he -jumped backward. It scared him dreadfully, but he would not let go. -Instead of that he would walk backward two or three times around the -kitchen range. He wanted to lay the Mouse down and play with it, only -he did not know just how to go about it. He tried to have the Maid -help him, but every time he went to lay it at her feet she jumped into -a chair. At last she called for the Lady. Then the Lady came out and -laughed at both of them. How it ended nobody but Silvertip knows, for -he walked around the kitchen with it in his mouth until late in the -evening, and the next morning there was not a sign of it to be found. - -It was this spring, too, that he became acquainted with the Catbird. -He heard a queer Cat-like voice saying "Zeay! Zeay!" many times, and -yet could never find the Cat to whom it belonged. "Come out here!" he -would cry. "Come out here, and we will make believe fight!" When no -Cat came he couldn't understand it. He had already become acquainted -with many Cats in the neighborhood, and whenever one came to call they -made believe fight. It was their favorite game. They would sit around -and glare at each other and growl a whole day at a time. So Silvertip -could not understand a Cat who said "Zeay!" instead of "Meouw!" and -would not fight. - -One morning when Silvertip was sitting on the back porch, a slender -gray bird, with black crown, tail, bill, and feet, perched on the -woodbine over his head and said, "Zeay!" It sounded as though somebody -in the little apple-tree had said it, but Silvertip was looking at the -bird and saw him open and shut his bill. - -"Pht!" said Silvertip, as he began to let his tail and the hair along -his back bristle. "Pht! Don't you dare to mock me!" - -"Zeay!" answered the bird. "Zeay! Zeay!" - -"I don't say it just that way, anyhow," said Silvertip; "so quit!" - -"Zeay!" answered the bird. - -"I am the Cat who belongs here," said Silvertip. "You quit mocking me -or go away!" - -"Zeay!" replied the bird, putting his head upon one side. "I am the -Catbird who belongs here. I had a nest here last year before you were -born, and when I went south for the winter you were not here. Zeay!" - -Now Silvertip, not having had a chance to learn much about birds, -thought that this one was not telling the truth, and he quite lost his -temper. "You deserve to be eaten," he cried, and he began to climb up -the woodbine, feeling his way along without taking his eyes from the -Catbird. The Catbird sat there and twitched his tail until Silvertip -had almost reached him. Then he said, "Zeay!" and flew off. A few -minutes later he was sitting on the top twig of a fir tree and singing -wonderfully. This was what he sang: "Prut! Prut! Coquillicot! Really! -Really! Coquillicot! Hey, Coquillicot! Hey! Victory!" - -[Illustration: "YOU DESERVE TO BE EATEN." _Page 218_] - -Silvertip walked back and forth on the kitchen porch. He was too angry -to sit down at once. When at last he did, and began to wash himself, -he was thinking all the time how mean the Catbird was. - -Every day the Catbird came and flirted around and said, "Zeay! Zeay!" -till Silvertip lost his temper. He just ached to get his claws into -that bird, and that even when his stomach was full. He did not care so -much about eating him, you see, although he would undoubtedly have -done so if he had had the chance, but he wanted to stop his teasing. - -One day he was looking out through a screen door and happened to see -the Catbird mocking another bird. He was surprised to hear the other -say: "Mock away, if it is any fun! It doesn't hurt me any." Then he -heard the Catbird laugh and saw him fly away. - -"I wonder what he would do if I were to try that?" said Silvertip. "I -believe I will the next time." - -That very day, when Silvertip was sunning himself on the porch and -heard the same teasing voice say, "Zeay!" above his head, he opened -his thick eyelids and slid the other ones about half-way to one side, -and looked lazily up. "Pretty good!" he said. "You do a little better -every day I think. If you keep at it you can say 'Meouw' after a -while." Then he began to shut his eyes again. - -"Prut!" exclaimed the Catbird. "It's no fun teasing you any more! You -don't care enough about it! Good-by!" And that was the last time that -Silvertip ever saw him nearer than the top of a tree. So Silvertip -learned one of the great lessons of life, which is not to pay any -attention to people who make fun of you, or to mind when you are -teased. - - - - -THE FRIENDLY BLACKBIRDS - - -Ever since the year when the first pair of Blackbirds nested near the -big house, there had been some of their family in the tall evergreens. -One could not truly say that the Blackbirds were popular. When they -first came they had a quarrel with a pair of Catbirds about a certain -building-place, and most of the older birds took sides with the -Catbirds. Nobody knew which couple first chose this place, so of -course nobody knows who was really right, and perhaps it might better -all be forgotten. - -The Blackbirds were happy there and returned the next year with some -of their children, who courted and married and built in other tall -evergreens in the same yard. After that they were company for each -other and had little to do with Robins, Phoebes, and more quiet -neighbors. They were handsome, bold, loud-voiced, teasing, and not at -all gentle in their ways. Still, that had to be expected of their -family. Their neighbors should have remembered that they were not -Chipping Sparrows or Humming-birds. On the other hand they were -neither Bluejays nor Hawks, and it is much better to think of a bird's -good qualities than of his bad ones. - -Now, there were so many that nearly every one of the tall evergreens -bore a Blackbird's nest. These were built near the top and close to -the trunk of the tree. They were carefully woven of different things -and lined with mud. Unless you knew the ways of Blackbirds, you would -never find out that there was a nest on the place. No careful -Blackbird, you know, will fly straight to his home if any one is -watching him. He will walk around on the lawn in the most careless -manner possible, until he has the home tree between him and you. Then -he will slip noiselessly in under the low branches and make his way to -the top by walking around and around the trunk, quite as you would go -up a winding staircase. - -Two married brothers built in near-by trees and were much together. -Their wives were excellent and hard-working birds--almost, but not -quite, as good-looking as their husbands. Like them, they were all -black except the yellow rings of their eyes. The only difference was -that they were smaller and in the sunlight did not have the same -gleaming green, blue, and purple lights on their feathers. - -These two couples were courting at the same time, and were usually in -the same tree, a tall maple. The brothers would sit there in the -sunshine, facing the wind and thinking about their sweethearts. Every -now and then they would spread their wings and tails, ruffle up their -feathers, stand on tiptoe, and squeak in a hoarse voice. Their -sweethearts were hiding in trees near by and crept nearer at each -squeak. - -Mrs. Wren said she had never heard anything like it, and that, much as -she loved Mr. Wren, if he had made love to her in that way she would -not have married him. "Think," said she, "of singing like a cartwheel -in need of oil! And then think of having to listen to that sort of -thing right along after you are married!" - -"Oh, that part of it will not be so bad," said an experienced Robin. -"They probably will not sing so much to their wives." - -"Or if they _do_ sing," said an Oriole who was building in an -apple-tree across the way, "they may go far away from wife and home -before beginning. Mr. Oriole will never sing in our own tree. He says -he would be seen at once, and then our nest would be found. That is -why he always perches near the big house before he begins. You know -bright-colored birds have to be very particular." - -When the brothers had really won and married their sweethearts, they -chose to build as near to each other as possible, and they walked over -the lawn together as they hunted for Grubs. - -The young wives sat on their eggs and chatted happily with each other. -The eggs were bluish-green, with all sorts of queer brown marks. It -was very interesting when they were laying them. No two were alike, -and then Blackbirds never know how many eggs to expect. It is not with -them as it is with other birds, who are sure beforehand of the color -and sometimes even of the number. - -You can imagine how often the young wives visited each other's nests, -and how the one who had only three eggs sat on the other nest, just to -see how it would feel to have five under her. Of course this -difference meant that the couple who lived in the fir-tree would have -to work much harder than the couple in the spruce. Two more mouths -take many more Grubs, and Mrs. Spruce-tree Blackbird, as she was -sometimes called, could never be sure whether she was glad or sorry -that she had only three eggs to hatch. As it happened, it was well for -the other family that there were no more. - -When the eight little cousins got safely out of their shells and were -about as large as Humming-birds, the mother of the fir-tree brood -disappeared. She had flown off as usual to find food and nobody ever -saw her again. At about this time her neighbors heard a loud bang and -saw a red-headed boy pick up something from the road. He put it -quickly into his bag and ran away, for he knew that shooting anywhere -near the big house was forbidden. - -The five motherless nestlings now had only one parent to feed them, -and he was a sadly overworked bird. He did the best he could and -brought such great billfuls of food that it was a wonder he did not -choke himself. He was up early and worked late, yet his five children -looked thin and forlorn while their three little cousins were plump -and sturdy. - -At last Mrs. Spruce-tree Blackbird could stand it no longer. She heard -the motherless children crying hungrily when her own three were filled -with Grubs almost to the tips of their bills. She paused on the edge -of her nest one day with a delicious lunch all ready. Her own children -were ready to swallow whatever she should give them, when she suddenly -turned and flew over to the fir-tree. "There!" she said, as she tucked -food down into first one gaping bill and then another. "There! I guess -it won't hurt my own babies, and I know it won't hurt you, if I make -them share once in a while." - -She spoke with her mouth full, which is bad manners, even in a -Blackbird, but one could forgive her still more than that because of -the kind things she was saying. When her husband came home she told -him what she had done and asked him to help. "Just think of your poor -brother," she said. "Our own children will not suffer, and you know -how you would feel if you were the one to bring up a family alone." He -looked at her lovingly with his yellow eyes, and sidled up close to -her on the branch. He was a dreadful tease, as all Blackbirds are, but -he was a kind husband and father. - -"We will do it," said he. "I really think our own children have eaten -too much lately. The eldest one has peeped crossly three times this -very day." - -"Yes," added Mrs. Blackbird, "I think they have been overfed myself. -The baby slept very poorly last night, and kept me awake much of the -time by wriggling around under me." - -So it was settled, and after that the poor brother had help. His five -motherless children began to grow fat and sturdy, while their cousins -were none the worse for sharing. Sad to say, however, they made a -dreadful fuss because their parents helped feed their little cousins. - -"Guess those children could get along some way," they grumbled. -"Mother always gives them the best. It isn't fair! We just won't eat -if she does that way!" - -When she brought them more food they were sulky and told her to take -it to the other nest. She looked sharply at them and flew away. "Guess -she will feel sorry when we are starved to death," said the three -cross nestlings. And when their father came to feed them they acted in -the same way. - -Their parents, being very wise for a couple with their first brood, -did not urge them to eat, or get worried in any way. They simply paid -no attention to them, besides cleaning out the nest once in a while. -They also kept on helping the other family. It made them very sad to -have their children so foolish and naughty, but they tried to remember -how young they were and to be patient. - -After a while the three cross children began to feel very badly. Their -stomachs had not been really empty since they could remember--not -until now. For a while they talked about getting even with their -parents. Then they were very still. The baby began to cry. "I am so -hungry," said she. And the others cried with her. "So are we," they -said. - -Their parents flew straight up to the nest. There was nobody watching -them, but they were in such haste that they might even have done so if -there had been. - -"Don't you like to feel hungry?" asked their mother. - -"No," sobbed the little Blackbirds. "We want you to feed us." - -"What if you had nobody to feed you?" said she. And she never moved -toward getting them a Grub. - -"B-but we have," they said. "We have a father and a mother." - -"Supposing I had been killed," said their mother, "don't you think -your aunt would have helped your father care for you?" - -"Yes, ma'am," answered all three. - -"Then don't you think I ought to help feed your cousins?" said she. - -"Yes, ma'am," was the very meek reply. - -"Now," said she, "are you willing I should feed your cousins, too?" - -"Yes, ma'am," said they, and each was trying to say it first. "We will -be good. We won't be cross any more." - -Such a meal as the three little Blackbirds had then! It is a wonder -that there were not three stomach-aches in that nest at once. When all -had been fed and were half asleep under their mother's warm breast, -the oldest one said to his sisters: "It must be dreadful not to have -enough to eat any of the time. I believe I am glad they fed our -cousins." - -"We are glad," said the others, and then they went to sleep. So the -little Blackbirds learned their first lesson in unselfishness, and -they learned it as larger people often have to do, by having a hard -time themselves. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOORYARD STORIES*** - - -******* This file should be named 42035-8.txt or 42035-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/0/3/42035 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/42035-8.zip b/42035-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e61810a..0000000 --- a/42035-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/42035-h.zip b/42035-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a323b94..0000000 --- a/42035-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/42035-h/42035-h.htm b/42035-h/42035-h.htm index 12dc8f2..3896cb7 100644 --- a/42035-h/42035-h.htm +++ b/42035-h/42035-h.htm @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en"> <head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> <title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Dooryard Stories, by Clara Dillingham Pierson</title> <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> <style type="text/css"> @@ -222,26 +222,10 @@ </style> </head> <body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42035 ***</div> <h1 class="pg">The Project Gutenberg eBook, Dooryard Stories, by Clara Dillingham Pierson, Illustrated by F. C. Gordon</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -<p>Title: Dooryard Stories</p> -<p>Author: Clara Dillingham Pierson</p> -<p>Release Date: February 6, 2013 [eBook #42035]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOORYARD STORIES***</p> <p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by Greg Bergquist, Matthew Wheaton,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive/American Libraries<br /> - (<a href="http://archive.org/details/americana">http://archive.org/details/americana</a>)</h4> <p> </p> <table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> <tr> @@ -4400,360 +4384,6 @@ time themselves.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOORYARD STORIES***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 42035-h.txt or 42035-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/0/3/42035">http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/0/3/42035</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed.</p> - -<p> -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. -</p> - -<h2>*** START: FULL LICENSE ***<br /> - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</h2> - -<p>To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">www.gutenberg.org/license</a>.</p> - -<h3>Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works</h3> - -<p>1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.</p> - -<p>1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below.</p> - -<p>1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.</p> - -<p>1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States.</p> - -<p>1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:</p> - -<p>1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed:</p> - -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> - -<p>1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9.</p> - -<p>1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.</p> - -<p>1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.</p> - -<p>1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License.</p> - -<p>1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.</p> - -<p>1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</p> - -<p>1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that</p> - -<ul> -<li>You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."</li> - -<li>You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works.</li> - -<li>You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work.</li> - -<li>You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.</li> -</ul> - -<p>1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.</p> - -<p>1.F.</p> - -<p>1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment.</p> - -<p>1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE.</p> - -<p>1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem.</p> - -<p>1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.</p> - -<p>1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.</p> - -<p>1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.</p> - -<h3>Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm</h3> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life.</p> - -<p>Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and -the Foundation information page at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> - -<h3>Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation</h3> - -<p>The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.</p> - -<p>The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org/contact">www.gutenberg.org/contact</a></p> - -<p>For additional contact information:<br /> - Dr. Gregory B. Newby<br /> - Chief Executive and Director<br /> - gbnewby@pglaf.org</p> - -<h3>Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation</h3> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS.</p> - -<p>The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org/donate">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a></p> - -<p>While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate.</p> - -<p>International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.</p> - -<p>Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org/donate">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a></p> - -<h3>Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works.</h3> - -<p>Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.</p> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.</p> - -<p>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> - -<p>This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</p> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42035 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/42035.txt b/42035.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b1bbbf3..0000000 --- a/42035.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4372 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Dooryard Stories, by Clara Dillingham -Pierson, Illustrated by F. C. Gordon - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Dooryard Stories - - -Author: Clara Dillingham Pierson - - - -Release Date: February 6, 2013 [eBook #42035] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOORYARD STORIES*** - - -E-text prepared by Greg Bergquist, Matthew Wheaton, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(http://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 42035-h.htm or 42035-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42035/42035-h/42035-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42035/42035-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - http://archive.org/details/dooryardstories00pier - - - - - -[Illustration: THE VERY RUDE YOUNG ROBINS. _Page 100_] - - -DOORYARD STORIES - -by - -CLARA DILLINGHAM PIERSON - -Author of "Among the Forest People," "Night People," etc. - -Illustrated by F. C. Gordon - - - - - - - -New York -E. P. Dutton And Company -31 West Twenty-Third Street - -Copyright, 1903 -by E. P. Dutton & Co. - -Published Sept., 1903 - -The Knickerbocker Press, New York - - - - - To - - MY FATHER - - WHO FIRST TAUGHT ME TO LOVE MY DOORYARD FRIENDS - - - - -PREFACE - - -MY DEAR LITTLE FRIENDS:--These stories are of things which I have seen -with my own eyes in my own yard, and the people of whom I write are my -friends and near neighbors. Some of them, indeed, live under my roof, -and Silvertip has long been a member of our family. So, you see, I -have not had to do like some writers--sit down and think and think how -to make the people act in their stories. These tales are of things -which have really happened, and all I have done is to write them down -for you. - -Many of them have been told over and over again to my own little boy, -and because he never tires of hearing of the time when Silvertip was a -Kitten, and about the Wasps who built inside my shutters, I think you -may care to hear also. He wants me to be sure to tell how the baby -Swift tumbled down the chimney into his bedroom, and wishes you might -have seen it in the little nest we made. When I tell these tales to -him, I have great trouble in ending them, for there is never a time -when he does not ask: "And what did he do then Mother?" But I am -telling you as much as I can of how everything happened, and if there -was more which I did not see and cannot describe, you will have to -make up the rest to suit yourselves. - -Besides, you know, there is always much which one cannot see or hear, -but which one knows is happening somewhere in this beautiful great -world. The birds do not stop living and working and loving when they -leave us for the sunny south, and above us, around us, and even under -our feet many things are done which we cannot see. As we become -better acquainted with the little people who live in our dooryards, we -shall see more and more interesting things, and I wish you might all -grow to be like my little boy, who is never lonely or in need of a -playmate so long as a Caterpillar or a Grasshopper is in sight. - -See how many tiny neighbors you have around you, and how much you can -learn about them. Then you will find your own dooryard as interesting -as mine and know that there are playmates everywhere. - - Your friend, - - CLARA D. PIERSON. - - STANTON, MICHIGAN, - - _October 30, 1902_. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - SILVERTIP 1 - THE FIGHT FOR THE BIRD-HOUSE 12 - THE FIR-TREE NEIGHBORS 22 - THE INDUSTRIOUS FLICKERS 36 - PLUCKY MRS. POLISTES 48 - SILVERTIP STOPS A QUARREL 68 - A YOUNG SWIFT TUMBLES 78 - THE VERY RUDE YOUNG ROBINS 96 - THE SYSTEMATIC YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO 108 - THE HELPFUL TUMBLE-BUGS 121 - SILVERTIP LEARNS A LESSON 132 - THE ROBINS' DOUBLE BROOD 145 - THE SPARROWS INSIDE THE EAVES 158 - A RAINY DAY ON THE LAWN 173 - THE PERSISTENT PHOEBE 183 - THE SAD STORY OF THE HOG CATERPILLAR 199 - THE CAT AND THE CATBIRD 210 - THE FRIENDLY BLACKBIRDS 222 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - THE KITTEN LAPPED UP HIS MILK 6 - THE FIGHT FOR THE BIRD HOUSE 18 - A RED SQUIRREL ATE THEM 34 - A VERY CRUEL THING TO DO 38 - THE CHIMNEY-SWIFT'S HOME 78 - THE VERY RUDE YOUNG ROBINS 100 - STUFFED IT DOWN THE WIDE-OPEN BILL 116 - MR. CHIPMUNK ON THE WOODPILE 142 - "O MOTHER, IT IS RAINING!" 175 - "YOU DESERVE TO BE EATEN" 218 - - - - -SILVERTIP - - -A very small, wet, and hungry Kitten pattered up and down a board walk -one cold and rainy night. His fur was so soaked that it dripped water -when he moved, and his poor little pink-cushioned paws splashed more -water up from the puddly boards every time he stepped. His tail looked -like a wet wisp of fur, and his little round face was very sad. -"Meouw!" said he. "Meouw! Meouw!" - -He heard somebody coming up the street. "I will follow that -Gentleman," he thought, "and I will cry so that he will be sorry for -me and give me a home." - -When this person came nearer he saw that it was not a Gentleman at -all, but a Lady who could hardly keep from being blown away. He could -not have seen her except that Cat's eyes can see in the dark. "Meouw!" -said the Kitten. "Meouw! Meouw!" - -"Poor little Pussy!" said a voice above him. "Poor little Pussy! But -you must not come with me." - -"Meouw!" answered he, and trotted right along after her. He was a -Kitten who was not easily discouraged. He rubbed up against her foot -and made her stop for fear of stepping on him. Then he felt himself -gently lifted up and put aside. He scrambled back and rubbed against -her other foot. And so it was for more than two blocks. The Lady, as -he always called her afterward, kept pushing him gently to one side -and he kept scrambling back. Sometimes she even had to stand quite -still for fear of stepping on him. - -"Meouw!" said the Kitten, and he made up his mind that anybody who -spoke so kindly to strange Kittens would be a good mistress. "I will -stick to her," he said to himself. "I don't care how many times she -pushes me away, I _will_ scramble back." - -When they turned in at a gate he saw a big house ahead of him with -many windows brightly lighted and another light on the porch. "I like -that home," he said to himself. "I will slip through the door when she -opens it." - -But after she had turned the key in the door she pushed him back and -closed the screen between them. Then he heard her say: "Poor little -Pussy! I want to take you in, but we have agreed not to adopt another -Cat." Then she closed the door. - -He wanted to explain that he was not really a Cat, only a little -Kitten, but he had no chance to say anything, so he waited outside and -thought and cried. He did not know that the Lady and her husband -feared that Cats would eat the many birds who nested in the trees on -the lawn. He thought it very hard luck for a tiny Kitten to be left -out in the cold rain while the Lady was reading by a blazing grate -fire. He did not know that as she sat by the fire she thought about -him instead of her book, for she loved little Kittens, and found it -hard to leave any out in the street alone. - -While he was thinking and crying, a tall Gentleman with a black beard -and twinkling brown eyes came striding up to the brightly lighted -porch. "Well, Pussy-cat!" said the Gentleman, and took a bunch of -shining, jingling things out of his pocket and stuck one of them into -a little hole in the door and turned it. Then the door swung open, and -the Gentleman, who was trying to close his umbrella and shake off the -rain, called first to the Lady and then to the kitten. "O Clara!" he -cried. "Come to see this poor little Kitten. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty! -I know you want to see him. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty! I should have -thought you would have heard him crying. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!" - -The Lady came running out and was laughing. "Yes, John," she said, "I -have had the pleasure of meeting him before. He was under my feet most -of the way home from church to-night, and I could hardly bear to leave -him outside. But you know what we promised each other, that we would -not adopt another Cat, on account of the birds." - -The Gentleman sat down upon the stairs and wiped the Kitten off with -his handkerchief. "Y-yes, I know," he said weakly, "but Clara, look at -this poor little fellow. He couldn't catch a Chipping Sparrow." - -"Not now," answered the Lady, "yet he will grow, if he is like most -Kittens, and you know what we said. If we don't stick to it we will -soon have as many Cats as we did a few years ago." - -The Kitten saw that if he wanted to stay in this home he must insist -upon it and be very firm indeed with these people. So he kept on -crying and stuck his sharp claws into the Gentleman's sleeve. The -Gentleman said "Ouch!" and lifted him on to his coat lapel. There he -clung and shook and cried. - -"Well, I suppose we mustn't keep him then," said he; "but we will give -him a warm supper anyway." So they got some milk and heated it, and -set it in a shallow dish before the grate. How that Kitten did eat! -The Lady sat on the floor beside him, and the Gentleman drew his chair -up close, and they said that it seemed hard to turn him out, but that -they would have to do it because they had promised each other. - -The Kitten lapped up his milk with a soft click-clicking of his -little pink tongue, and then turned his head this way and that until -he had licked all the corners clean. He was so full of warm milk that -his sides bulged out, and his fur had begun to dry and stuck up in -pointed wisps all over him. He pretended to lap milk long after it was -gone. This was partly to show them how well he could wash dishes, and -partly to put off the time when he should be thrust out of doors. - -[Illustration: THE KITTEN LAPPED UP HIS MILK. _Page 6_] - -When he really could not make believe any longer, his tongue being so -tired, he began to cry and rub against these two people. The Gentleman -was the first to speak. "I cannot stand this," he said. "If he has to -go, I want to get it over." He picked up the Kitten and took him to -the door. As fast as he loosened one of the Kitten's claws from his -coat he stuck another one in, and at last the Lady had to help get him -free. "He is a regular Rough Rider," said the Gentleman. "There is no -shaking him off." - -The Kitten didn't understand what a Rough Rider was, but it did not -sound like finding a home, so he cried some more. Then the door was -shut behind him and he was alone in the porch. "Well," he said, "I -like that house and those people, even if they did put me out. I think -I will make them adopt me." So he cuddled down in a sheltered, dry -corner, put his four feet all close together, and curled his tail, as -far as it would go, around them. And there he stayed all night. - -In the morning, when the rain had stopped and the sun was shining -brightly, he trotted around the house and cried. He went up on to -another porch, rubbed against the door and cried. The Maid opened the -door and put out some milk for him. He could see into the warm kitchen -and smell the breakfast cooking on the range. When she came out to -get the empty dish, he slipped in through the open door. She said -"Whish!" and "Scat!" and "Shoo!" and tried to drive him out, but he -pretended not to understand and cuddled quietly down in a corner where -she could not easily reach him. Just then some food began to burn on -the range and the Maid let him alone. The Kitten did not cry now. He -had other work to do, and began licking himself all over and -scratching his ears with his hind feet. - -When he heard the Gentleman and the Lady talking in the dining-room, -he watched his chance and slipped in. He decided to pay the most -attention to the Gentleman, for he had been the first to take him up. -They were laughing and talking and saying how glad they were that the -rain had stopped falling. "I believe, John," the Lady said, "that if -it had not been for me, you would really have kept that Kitten last -night." - -"Oh, no," answered the Gentleman. "We ought not to keep Cats. I think -that if it had not been for me _you_ would have kept him." - -Just at that minute the Kitten began climbing up his trousers leg and -crying. "Poor little Pussy," said the Gentleman. "Clara, can't we -spare some of this cream?" He reached for the pitcher. The Kitten -began to feel more sure of a home. - -"O John, not here?" began the Lady, and the Maid came in to explain -how it all happened. The Kitten stuck his claws into the Gentleman's -coat and would not let go. Then he cried some more and waved his tail. -He had a very beautiful tail, marked just like that of a Raccoon, and -he turned it toward the Lady. He had heard somewhere about putting the -best foot forward, and thought that a tail might do just as well. -While he was waving his tail at the Lady he rubbed his head against -the Gentleman's black beard. - -"If we _should_ keep him, John," said the Lady, "we ought to call him -Silvertip, because he has such a pretty white tip to his tail." The -Kitten waved it again and began to purr. - -"If you knew what a strong and fearless fellow he is, you would call -him Teddy," answered the Gentleman, turning over a paper which said in -big black letters, "Our Teddy Wins." - -"Call him Teddy Silvertip then," said the Lady, as she reached for the -bell. When the Maid came in answer to her ring, she said, "Belle, -please take our Kitten into the kitchen and feed him." Then the Kitten -let go and was carried away happy, for he had found a home. He had -also learned how to manage the Lady and the Gentleman, and he was -always _very_ firm with them after that. - - - - -THE FIGHT FOR THE BIRD-HOUSE - - -Under the cornice of the tool-house was an old cigar-box with a tiny -doorway cut in one end and a small board nailed in front of it for a -porch. This had been put up for a bird-house, and year after year a -pair of Wrens had nested there, until they began to think it really -their own. When they left it in the fall to fly south, they always -looked back lovingly at it, and talked over their plans for the next -summer. - -"I think we might better leave this nest inside all winter," Mrs. Wren -always said. "It will seem so much more home-like when we return, and -it will not be much trouble to clear it out afterward." - -"An excellent plan, my dear," her cheerful little husband would reply. -"You remember we did so last season. Besides," he always added, "that -will show other birds that Wrens have lived here, and they will know -that we are expecting to return, since that is the custom in our -family." - -"And then do you think they will leave it for us?" Mrs. Wren would -ask. "You know they might want it for themselves." - -"What if they did want it?" Mr. Wren had said. "They could go -somewhere else, couldn't they? Do you suppose I would ever steal -another bird's nesting-place if I knew it?" - -"N-no," said Mrs. Wren, "but not everybody is as unselfish as you." -And she looked at him tenderly. - -The Wrens were a most devoted couple,--all in all, about the nicest -birds on the place. And that was saying a great deal, for there were -many nesting there and others who came to find food on the broad -lawn. They were small birds, wearing dark brown feathers on the upper -parts of their bodies and lighter grayish ones underneath. Even their -bills were marked in the same way, with the upper half dark and the -lower half light. Their wings were short and blunt, and they had a -habit of holding their tails well up in the air. - -People said that Mrs. Wren was very fussy, and perhaps it was true, -but even then she was not a cross person. Besides, if she wished to do -a thing over five times in order to make it suit her, she certainly -had a perfect right to do so. It was she who always chose the -nesting-place and settled all the plans for the family. Mr. Wren was -quite content to have it so, since that was the custom among Wrens, -and it saved him much work. Mr. Wren was not lazy. He simply wanted to -save time for singing, which he considered his own particular -business. Besides, he never forgot what had happened to a cousin of -his, a young fellow who found fault with his wife and insisted on -changing to another nesting-place. It had ended in his going, and her -staying there and marrying another Wren. So he had lost both his home -and his wife by finding fault. - -Now the April days had come, with their warm showers and green growing -grass. A pair of English Sparrows, who had nested in the woodbine the -summer before and raised several large broods of bad-mannered -children, decided that they would like to try living in the -bird-house. Having been on the place all winter, they began work -early. The Blackbirds were already back, and one reminded them that it -belonged to the Wrens. - -"Guess not now," said Mr. Sparrow, with a bad look in his eyes. -"Nothing belongs to anybody else if I want it. Do you see?" Then he -picked up and swallowed a fat Grub which the Blackbird had uncovered -for himself and left lying there until he should finish talking. One -could hardly blame the Blackbird for being vexed about this, for -everybody knows that English Sparrows really prefer seeds, and that -this one ate the Grub only to be mean. It did not make the Blackbird -any happier to hear his relatives laugh at him in the evergreens -above, and he made up his mind to get even with that Sparrow. - -The Sparrows pitched all the old nest out of doors and began -quarrelling with each other about building their own. They always -quarrelled. Indeed, that was the way in which they had courted each -other. Mrs. Sparrow had two lovers, and she married the one who would -stand the worst pecking from her. "For," she said, "what is the use of -having a husband unless you can beat him when you fight with him?" - -Now they stuffed the dainty little bird-house full of straws, sticks, -feathers, and anything they could find, until there was hardly room -left in which to turn around. They were just beginning to wonder if -they must throw some out when they heard the happy song of Mr. Wren. - -"Get inside!" cried Mr. Sparrow to his wife. "I will stand on the -porch and fight them." - -Down flew Mr. and Mrs. Wren. "Oh, isn't it pleasant to get home -again?" she exclaimed. "But what is that Sparrow doing on our porch?" - -"This is our home now," said Mrs. Sparrow, "and we are very busy. Get -out of my way." - -"Your home?" cried the Wrens. "How is that? You lived in the woodbine -last season and knew that this was ours. You are surely not in -earnest." - -Mr. Wren looked at his wife and she nodded. Then he flew at Mr. -Sparrow and they fought back and forth on the grape trellis near by -them, in the air, then on the ground. Mrs. Sparrow peeped out of the -open door to see if her husband needed help. He was the larger of the -two, but not so quick in darting and turning. Now they passed out of -sight behind the tool-house and she forgot Mrs. Wren and flew down to -see better. She was hardly off the tiny porch when Mrs. Wren darted -in. Mrs. Sparrow saw when it was too late what a mistake she had made, -and tried to get back. She reached the porch again just in time to -have a lot of straws, twigs, and feathers poked into her face by the -angry Mrs. Wren. - -"I am cleaning house," said Mrs. Wren. "My house, too! Get out of my -way!" Then she pushed out more of the same sort of stuff. Mrs. Sparrow -tried to get in, and every time she put her head through the doorway -she was pecked by Mrs. Wren. And she deserved it. She called Mr. -Sparrow, but he could not help her, and Mr. Wren was so pleased that -he sat on top of the tool-house and sang and sang and sang. To look at -him you would have thought he was trying to kill himself. He puffed up -his throat and swelled up his body and sang so fast that he seemed to -be saying about four words at a time. - -[Illustration: THE FIGHT FOR THE BIRD HOUSE. _Page 18_] - -"Good for you! Good for you! Good for you!" he sang. "Stick to it! -Stick to it! Stick to it! I'm here! I'm here! I'm here, here, here!" - -Mrs. Wren was too busy to say much, but she did a great deal. Every -scrap of the nest was thrown out, and as she worked she decided to -keep that house if she starved there. - -This was in the middle of the morning and she could not get out to -feed until late in the afternoon. Mr. Wren found some delicious -insects on the grapevines, and tried to carry a few billfuls to his -wife, but the Sparrows prevented him. He would have enjoyed his own -dinner better if she could have eaten with him. When he asked how she -was, she chirped back that she was hungry but would not give up. Mr. -Wren spent most of his time walking around the roof of the tool-house -in circles, dragging his wings on the shingles, and saying, -"Tr-r-r-r-r-r!" He was so angry that sometimes he could not say -anything else. The Sparrows sat on the grape trellis and said mean -things. - -They were still doing this late in the afternoon, while the tree -shadows grew longer and longer on the lawn with the lowering of the -sun. Suddenly a Blackbird alighted on the trellis. It was the same one -whose fat Grub Mr. Sparrow had stolen. - -"This has gone far enough," said he. "This house belongs to the Wrens -and they are going to have it. _I_ say so. If I catch either of you -Sparrows around here again, I will drive you off the place. I can do -it, too. You may think it over until the next time that grapevine is -blown against the tool-house. If you do not go then, there will be -_trouble_." He ruffled up his feathers and glared with his yellow -eyes. That was all he had to do. Before the grapevine swayed again, -the Sparrows were far away. - -The Wrens thanked him, even before Mrs. Wren ate her late dinner. "You -are welcome," he said. "It was just fun for me. I cannot bear those -Sparrows, and I hoped they would stay and give me a chance to fight -them. How I wish they had stayed!" He looked sad and disappointed. - -"I'll never have another such good chance," said he. And he never did. -Perhaps it was just as well, although there are times when it is not -wrong to fight, and the Wrens think this would have been one. - - - - -THE FIR-TREE NEIGHBORS - - -With so many trees in the yard, it always seemed a little strange that -three families should choose to build so close together in one. Still, -it must also be remembered that there were many birds who liked to -build near the big house, and thought of that yard as home. - -The Lady spoke of this tree as "The Evergreen Apartment House." The -birds simply called it "The Tallest Fir Tree." - -Early in the spring a pair of English Sparrows decided to build there. -Perhaps one should say that Mrs. Sparrow decided, since her husband -had nothing to say about it, except to murmur "Yes, dear," when she -told him of her choice. They built well up in the tree, and had a big -mass of hay, grass, and feathers together there when the Blackbirds -came. This would have more than made a nest for most birds. Mrs. -Sparrow called it only a beginning, and was always looking for more to -add to it. - -When the Blackbirds came in a dashing flock, they began hunting for -building places and talking it all over among themselves. One mother -Blackbird, who had nested on the place the year before, had counted on -having that particular tree. - -"I decided on it last fall," said she, "before I went South, and I -have been planning for it all winter. I shall build in it just the -same." She shut her bill in such a way that nobody could doubt her -meaning exactly what she said. Her husband didn't like the place -particularly well, but she said something to him which settled it. -"You need not ruffle up your feathers for me," she said, "or stand on -tip-toe to squeak at me, unless you are willing to live there." - -They built higher than the nest of the English Sparrows. "We have -always been well up in the world," she said, "and we do not care to -come down now." That was all right. One could not blame them for -feeling above the English Sparrows. - -The English Sparrows had added more stuff to what they had, and the -Blackbirds had their nest about half done when a pair of Hairbirds -came to look for a comfortable tree. They were a young couple, just -married that spring, and very devoted to each other. They did not -decide matters in the same way as the English Sparrow, and the -Blackbirds. - -Although there were eleven other great evergreens in the yard, besides -a number of trellises covered with vines, and all the vine-covered -porches, there was no place which suited them so well as that -particular tree. Yet each was so eager to please the other that it -was rather hard to get either to say what he really thought. They -perched on the tips of the fir branches and chattered and twittered -all morning about it. - -"What do you think?" Mrs. Hairbird said. - -"What do you?" he replied. - -"But I want to know what _you_ think," she insisted. - -"And I would rather know what _you_ think," said he. - -"No, but really," asked she, "do you like this tree?" - -"Do you?" asked Mr. Hairbird. - -"Yes, yes," answered she. - -"So do I!" he said, with a happy twitter. "Isn't it queer how we -always like the same things?" - -"I wonder if we like the same branch?" said Mrs. Hairbird, after a -long pause, in which both picked insects off the fir-tree and ate -them. - -"Which branch do you like?" asked he. But he could not help looking -out of the side of his eye at the one he most fancied. He could not -look out of the corner of his eye, you know, because round eyes have -no corners, and being a bird his eyes were perfectly round. - -"I like that one," she cried, and laughed to think how easily she had -found out his choice. Then he laughed, too, and it was all decided, -although Mrs. English Sparrow, fussing around in her mass of hay and -feathers above them, declared that she never heard such silliness in -her life, and that when she had made up her own mind that was enough. -She never bothered her husband with questions. Mr. English Sparrow -heard her say this, and thought he would rather like to be bothered in -that way. - -Mrs. Blackbird thought it all a great joke. "When they have been -married as long as I have," she said, "it wont take so long to decide -things." Mrs. Blackbird laughed at everything, but she was mistaken -about this, for the Hairbirds, or Chipping Sparrows, as they are -sometimes called, are always devoted and unselfish. - -It being the custom in their family, the newcomers built quite low in -the tree. Such a happy time as they had. Every bit of grass root which -either of them dragged loose and brought to the tree, was the -prettiest and stoutest and best they had ever seen. And when it got to -the Horsehairs for lining, they visited all the barns for a block -around, hunting for them. Once, when Mrs. Hairbird wished for a white -hair for one particular place, Mr. Hairbird even watched for a white -Horse, and pulled it out of his tail. - -You can imagine how surprised the Horse was when he felt that little -tweak at his tail, and, looking around, saw a small brown bird -pulling at one of his longest hairs. "I am sorry to annoy you," said -this bird, "but Mrs. Hairbird needed a white hair." - -"That is all right," said the Horse, to whom one hair was a very small -matter, and who dearly loved a joke. "Please tell Mrs. Hairbird that -my tail is hers if she wishes it." - -"Your tail is hers!" exclaimed Mr. Hairbird, who ought to have seen -the joke, since he was not an English Sparrow. "Oh, no, surely not! -Surely your tail is not her tail. They are quite different, you know!" -Then he understood and hurried away, but not in time to help hearing -the Horse laugh. - -When the white hair was woven in, the nest was done, and Mrs. Hairbird -laid in it four greenish blue eggs with dark brown specks. In the nest -above were six greenish white ones with brown and light purple spots. -In the nest above that were five dingy streaked and speckled ones. -Mrs. Hairbird said that hers were by far the prettiest. "It is not -because I laid them," she said to her husband. "It is not for that -reason that I think so, but they really are." - -Mr. and Mrs. Hairbird were the only ones who paid for the chance to -build in the tree. They picked insects off the branches, insects that -would have robbed the tree of some of its strength. - -The Blackbirds would not bother with such small bits of food. The -English Sparrows should have paid in the same way, but they would not. - -Their great-great-great- --a great many times great- --grandparents -were brought over to this country just to eat the insects which were -hurting the trees and shrubs, but when they got here they would not -do it. "No, indeed," said they; "we are here now, and we will eat -what we choose." Their great-great-great- --a great many times -great- --grandchildren were just like them. - -Silvertip often came to sit under this tree. He called it a family -tree, because it had so many little families in its branches. He could -not climb it. The fine branches and twigs were so close together that -he could not get up the trunk, and they were not strong enough for him -to step from one to another of them. - -As might perhaps have been expected, there was some gossipping among -neighbors in this tree. The Blackbirds usually climbed to their nest -by beginning at the bottom of the trunk and going around and around it -to the top. This took them so close to the other nests that they could -not help looking in. At any rate, they didn't help it. - -Mrs. Blackbird told Mrs. Hairbird that the way Mrs. Sparrow kept house -was a disgrace to the tree. Mrs. Sparrow told her to be very careful -not to leave her eggs or young children alone when the Blackbirds -were around, because when they were very hungry they had been known -to----! She did not finish her sentence in words, but just ruffled up -her feathers and fluttered her wings, which was a great deal meaner. -If she were going to say such things about people, you know, she -should have said them, and not made Mrs. Hairbird guess the worst -part. - -Mr. Blackbird said he pitied Mr. Sparrow with all his heart. He knew -something what it was to have a wife try to run things, but that if -Mrs. Blackbird had ever acted as Mrs. Sparrow did, he would leave her, -even if it were in the early spring. - -Mr. Sparrow said it was most disagreeable to have such noisy neighbors -as the Blackbirds overhead. That if his wife had known they were -coming to that tree, she would have chosen another place. "Of course -it was too late for her to change when she found it out," he said. -"Her nest was well begun, and she had some very choice straws and -feathers which she didn't care to move. You know how such things get -spoiled in carrying them from place to place." - -Most of these things were told to Mrs. Hairbird, because she was at -home with the eggs, but she repeated them all to her husband when he -came. She even told him how Mr. Sparrow flew down one day just after a -quarrel with his wife, and of all the things he had said when angry. -It was quite right in Mrs. Hairbird to tell her husband, and yet she -never chirped them to another bird. And that also was right. - -When people talked these things to her, she always looked bright and -pleasant, but she did not talk about them herself. Indeed, she often -made excuses for her neighbors when she repeated things to her -husband. For instance, when she told what Mrs. Sparrow had said about -Mrs. Blackbird, she added: "I suppose that may be so, still I feel -sure that Mrs. Blackbird would not eat any of our children unless she -were _dreadfully_ hungry." - -You can see what a sweet and wise little person Mrs. Hairbird was, and -her husband was exactly like her. No matter how other people -quarrelled, they did not. No matter what gossip they heard, they did -not repeat it. And it ended just as such things always do. - -In late spring, about the time that the Bees were gathering varnish -for their homes, and every fir-tree tip had one or two buzzing around -it, there was a dreadful quarrel in the family tree. Mrs. Sparrow -wanted some grasses from the outside of the Blackbirds' nest, and she -sat on her own and looked at them until she felt she could not live -without them. Of course, that was very wrong. She might have forgotten -all about them if she had made herself think about something else. -Any bird who wants something he ought not to have should do that. She -might better have looked down at her own breast, or counted her wing -feathers over and over. However, she didn't. She took those grasses. - -Mrs. Blackbird missed them, and then saw them woven loosely into the -nest below hers. She did not say much, and she did not eat the eggs -out of the Sparrows' nest. Some people said that she ate them, but -that was a mistake. All that she did was to sit very quietly on her -nest while a Red Squirrel ate them. When this same fellow would have -eaten those in the nest below, both the Hairbirds being away, she -drove him off herself. - -You can imagine what the Sparrows said when they returned. Or perhaps -you might better not try to, for they said very cross things. Then -Mrs. Blackbird told what she thought about those stolen grasses, -and her husband joined in, until there was more noise than a flock of -Crows would make. - -[Illustration: A RED SQUIRREL ATE THEM. _Page 34_] - -It ended in Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow tearing down that nest and building -another in the woodbine, where most of their relatives lived. Some of -their neighbors thought the Blackbirds right and some thought the -Sparrows right, but through it all Mr. and Mrs. Hairbird were happy -and contented, and brought up their four charming children to be as -good birds as they were themselves. - -The Sparrows often said that the worst thing about going away from the -family tree was leaving the Hairbirds, who were such delightful -neighbors. The Blackbirds said that the pleasantest thing about the -tree was having the Hairbirds for neighbors. The Hairbirds were liked -by everybody, and never made trouble between friends. It was all -because they knew how and when to keep their bills shut. - - - - -THE INDUSTRIOUS FLICKERS - - -If the Bad Boy who lived in the next block had known more about the -habits of Flickers, there would probably have been no young ones to -feed on the lawn of the big house. He had watched Mr. and Mrs. Flicker -in the spring when they were making their nest ready, and had waited -only long enough for the eggs to be laid before climbing the tall -Lombardy poplar to rob it. - -You must not think that Mr. and Mrs. Flicker were stupid in showing -the Bad Boy where their nest was. There was never a more careful -couple, but they were so large and handsome that, if they went -anywhere at all, they were sure to be seen. After they had once been -seen, it was easy for any one with plenty of time to watch and follow -them home. - -Mr. Flicker was clad mostly in golden brown, barred with black. He had -a very showy black spot on his breast, which was just the shape of a -new moon, black patches on his cheeks and smaller ones on his belly. -The linings of his wings, and the quills of his long wing- and -tail-feathers were a bright yellow, and on the back of his head he had -a beautiful red band. All these were very fine, but the most -surprising thing was a large patch of pure white feathers on the lower -part of his back. These did not show except when he was flying. At -other times his folded wings quite hid them from sight. Mrs. Flicker -looked so much like her husband that you could not tell one from the -other, unless you were near enough to see their cheeks. Then you would -know, for Mrs. Flicker had no black spots on hers. - -When the Bad Boy was sure that the nest was high up in the trunk of -the old Lombardy poplar, just across the street from the big house, he -waited until his mother and his big sister were out of the way, and -then he climbed that tree and took the six white eggs out of it. That -was a very, very cruel thing to do. It would have been bad enough to -take one, but to take all six was a great deal worse. You will not -pity the Bad Boy when you know that he tore his trousers and hurt one -hand on his way down. - -Poor Mrs. Flicker cried herself to sleep that night. "If we had not -been careful," she sobbed, "I wouldn't feel so badly, but to have it -happen after all the trouble we took! I am sure that when we cut the -hole for our nest, not a single chip fell to the ground below. We -carried them all far away before dropping them. - -"Excepting the ones we left for the eggs to lie on," added Mr. -Flicker, who was always particular and exact in what he said, even -when in great trouble. - -[Illustration: A VERY CRUEL THING TO DO. _Page 38_] - -"Yes, excepting those," sobbed his poor wife. "I left a few of the -best ones inside." - -"I wonder where the eggs are now," said Mr. Flicker. He looked toward -the Bad Boy's home as he spoke. If he had but known it, the Bad Boy -had not one left. Two had been broken in coming down the tree (for his -mouth had not been big enough to carry all six), three he had traded -for marbles, and the last one, which he meant to keep for a -"specimen," had rolled off his desk in school and smashed on the -floor. The Bad Boy had been kept in at recess for this, but that did -not make the egg whole again. - -The Flickers went sadly to sleep, and dreamed of a land where Birds -were as big as Cows and Boys as small as Goldfinches--where boys were -afraid of birds and hid when they saw them coming. - -When the morning sunshine awakened them and they had breakfasted well, -Mrs. Flicker began to feel more hopeful. "I am really ashamed of -myself," she said, "for being so discouraged. There would be some -excuse for it if I were another kind of bird, but since I am a Flicker -and can lay more eggs whenever my nest is robbed, I think I'd better -stop crying and plan for six more." - -"My brave wife!" exclaimed Mr. Flicker. "You are quite right. It is -all very sad, but we will make the best of it and try to be happy." - -The Bad Boy passed under the tree more than twenty times before the -second lot of eggs were hatched, and he wished and wished for a -Flicker's egg (only he called them High Holes, because they built in -high holes). He never guessed that in the nest above his head lay six -more just as fine as the ones he had stolen. It is not strange that he -did not, for who but a Flicker can lay and lay and lay eggs when her -nest is robbed? - -Now the young Flickers were hatched and ready to leave their -comfortable home. They were much more helpless than most young birds -are when they leave the nest. In fact, they could hardly fly at all, -and had to tumble and sprawl their way to the ground, catching here -and there in the branches of the poplar. Her neighbors thought Mrs. -Flicker quite heartless to let them go so soon, but when she told them -what a care her six nestlings were, they felt differently about it. - -"Did you ever hear of such a thing?" exclaimed Mrs. Catbird, who -thought herself quite overworked in caring for her six, and who had -only known Flickers by sight before this. "Did you ever hear of such a -thing? She tells me that she and Mr. Flicker not only have to find -all the food for their children, but have to eat it for them also. I -remember the Mourning Doves doing that, but then, they never have more -than two children at a time, so it is not so hard." - -"What is that?" asked a Blackbird, who, like the rest of her family, -always wanted to know about everything. - -"Why," repeated Mrs. Catbird, "the Flickers have to eat all the food -they get for their children, and then, when it has become soft and -ready for young birds, they unswallow it into their children's bills. -It takes so much time to do this and to fly back and forth that they -want to have them out of the nest as soon as possible. Then they can -take them around with them." - -You can imagine how anxious the parents were for a few days, while -their six babies were still so awkward and helpless. They took them -across the street to the lawn around the big house, and tucked them -away in dusky places where their brown feathers would not show against -anything light. Most of them were under the edge of a board walk, one -was under a porch, and one was under a low branching evergreen. Mrs. -Robin, who was then hatching her second brood, kept watch for -Silvertip, and this was a great help to the Flickers on the ground -below. - -First one and then another of the young Flickers went out with one of -the parents, and it was most interesting to see them fed. The -Flickers, you know, are woodpeckers, and their long bills are slender, -curved, and pointed, just right for picking Grubs and nice fat little -Bugs out of tree-bark. Their tails, also, are stiff and right to prop -them as they work up and around the trunk of a tree. Still, they feed -on the ground more than on trees, and like Ants better than anything -else in the world. - -Now, one could see Mr. Flicker by an Ant-hill with a nestling beside -him, his head going up and down like a hammer, and an Ant picked up in -his bill at every stroke. Every now and then he would stop, turn his -head, place his bill in that of his child, and unswallow some Ants, -which the nestling would gulp down. Between feedings the nestling -would settle his head between his shoulders, and slide his thin -eyelids over his eyes. He never slid his thick eyelids over. He saved -those for night, when he would really sleep. - -While the father was feeding one, the mother would be feeding another. -When these two were satisfied they were sent back to their -hiding-places and two more had their turns. It was very hard work, in -spite of their being so good. They never fussed or teased. They waited -patiently for their turns and found no fault with the food. - -"Oh," said Mrs. Flicker to her husband, as she swallowed the six -hundred-and-forty-eighth Ant since sunrise. "I am so tired that I feel -like giving up. If it were not for you and the children, I believe I -would just as soon let that Cat catch me as not." - -"I know," he answered. "I am very tired myself, and I am sure you must -be more so. You do not seem strong since you were shut in so long -while brooding the eggs." - -"It is easier in one way, now that all are out of the nest," said she. -"It saves my wings a great deal, but my neck and throat ache from such -steady work. I used to rather enjoy eating for myself. The food tasted -good, and it was something pleasant to do. This eating for a whole -family is quite different." - -"Well, it won't last much longer," her husband said comfortingly. "The -children will soon be able to feed themselves, and you can have a good -rest. Then we will go picnicking in the fields beyond this place, and -every one shall get his own lunch." - -In a few more days they did this, and for three mornings they might -have been seen, in a happy party of eight, walking around together, -quite as Pigeons do. At the end of the third day, Mr. Flicker said to -his wife: "Well, my dear, are you having a good time? This is a -pleasant change from caring for the children, isn't it?" - -To his surprise, she turned her head away and did not answer. When he -repeated his questions, she replied with a little choke in her voice. -"It is very easy," she said, "and a great rest, but it seems to me I -have nothing to do. I eat all I can and try to swallow slowly, but -when my stomach is full I have to just walk around. I miss the -children putting their dear little bills up to mine and taking food -from me. I believe I am lonely." - -Poor Mr. Flicker was young and inexperienced. He did not know how -quickly some people change their minds, or how mothers miss the care -of children. - -"Isn't there something you can do," he asked, "to make you happier?" - -"Could you help me clean out our old hole in the Lombardy poplar?" -said she. "I believe I will lay some more eggs." - -"What?" cried her husband. "When you have been so tired? And then you -will be shut in so long while brooding them. Why not fly off on a -pleasure trip with me?" - -"I will," said she. "I'd love to go. But let us get the nest all ready -first." - -Mr. Flicker was young and inexperienced, as has been said before, yet -he flew right off to work on that nest and let his wife do exactly as -she chose. Which shows that, although she did change her mind and he -could not understand why, they were a very happy and sensible couple, -after all. - - - - -PLUCKY MRS. POLISTES - - -Mrs. Polistes was a charming little widow, who had slept through the -long, cold winter, snugly tucked away in a crack in the barn belonging -to the big house. She had married late in the fall, but her husband -was a lazy fellow who had soon left her, and sat around in the -sunshine with his brothers and the other fellows whom he knew. Each -sat in his own little spot, and at last died because he was so lazy. -That is the way with many insects who will not work. They die, and the -members of their families who keep busy live to a good old age. - -Now it was spring, and Mrs. Polistes awakened happy and full of plans. -You must not think her hard-hearted to be happy after her husband was -dead. If he had been a different sort of a fellow, you know, she would -have missed him more. As it was, she did not even think of marrying -again, but set to work to build her home and bring up her children to -be good and industrious Wasps like herself. - -She asked another young widow to work with her, and together they flew -around hunting for a good building-place. They talked first of hanging -their nest from the branch of a bush, but both were very careful Wasps -and preferred to be sheltered from rain-storms. (Some of their family, -however, did choose to build on bushes). Next they flew into the -ice-house and tried several of the corners there. Mrs. Polistes did -most of the talking, being a Wasp of very decided opinions. - -"It is too chilly here," she said. "I should never feel like myself in -such a cold place. And you know perfectly well," she added, "that if -anybody should disturb us in here, we would not be warm enough to -sting. Or if we did sting, we could never pump much poison in." - -There was nothing to be said after that, for everybody knows that -unless a Wasp can sting, and sting hard, he is not safe. - -Then they looked at the porch ceilings. Their cousins, the Vespae, had -started some nests there, and they preferred not to be too near them. -The Vespae were very good Wasps, but, as Mrs. Polistes said, "We wish -to bring our children up to be Polistes Wasps, and if they see the way -in which the Vespae live, they will get their ideas all mixed. I do not -think it wise to rear them within sight of covered nests, and you know -as well as I [this was to her friend] how the Vespae wall around their -cells." - -After this they found what they thought a most delightful place. It -was just inside the closed shutters of a bedroom window. The upper -sash of the window was lowered, and inside of that was a fine wire -netting. "Excellent!" said the friend. "That is probably there to keep -the people inside from coming out this way." - -Mrs. Polistes was not quite sure that the netting was there for that -reason, but she liked the place, so they flew off together to the -stump-fence which enclosed the great field back of the house. Then -they looked for an old stump, sat down on one of its prongs, and began -to gnaw off wood fibre. They did not talk much, for they had to work -so hard with their mouths. Each gnawed length-wise of the grain until -she had a little bundle of wood fibre in her jaws. When these were -ready, they flew off to their chosen spot and began to build. First it -had to be chewed for a long time, until it was soft and pulpy, then, -working together and very carefully, they built a slender, stemlike -thing down from the top of the window casing. - -It took many trips to bring enough wood fibre for this, and between -trips they had to stop for food. It took longer to find it so early in -the season than it would later, for Flies and insects of all kinds -were scarce and there were not many flowers yet. Some of those which -looked most tempting were for Bees, and not for Wasps. The Wasps, you -know, have such short tongues that they cannot get the honey from most -flowers. That is why they so like the flat-topped ones and the shallow -ones into which they can reach easily. Mrs. Polistes and her friend at -last found a bed of sweet clover which made them fine meals. - -That first day they only chose the place for their home and got the -stem ready, but it was not long before they had three tiny cells begun -and eggs in two of them. Mrs. Polistes and the homemakers of her -family always insisted upon doing in this way. - -"It not only saves time," said Mrs. Polistes, "to have several kinds -of work going at once, but it rests one, too. When my jaws are tired -of chewing wood fibre or shaping it into cells, I rest myself by -laying an egg. And when my sting is tired from that, I hunt food for -myself and the babies. There is nothing like having a change of work." - -Mrs. Polistes spoke in this way about her sting, you understand, -because it was her ovipositor, or egg-layer, as well. She really used -it in this way much more than the other. She did not wish to sting -with it any more than she had to. It tired her very much to pump -poison through it when she stung. There was always the danger, too, if -she stung a large creature, like a boy, of getting it stuck in him and -not being able to pull it out without breaking. If it broke, she would -die. - -Mrs. Polistes and her friends took turns in laying eggs, and soon had -to begin another row of cells around the first. They laid their oblong -white eggs in them long before the cells were done, and had to stick -them up to the side walls to keep them from falling out of the opening -at the bottom. Then, when they had time, they lowered the walls of the -cells. When the babies hatched, which was only a few days after the -laying of the eggs, they brought food and fed them as they hung in -their cells. - -The Lady who lived in the big house watched this very often, and Mrs. -Polistes and her friend became so used to it that they were not at all -frightened or disturbed. Wasps, you know, are very easily tamed by any -one who moves gently. The Lady stood on a chair just inside the -window, and put her face close to the screen. She could see exactly -how the mother Wasps bit the cell walls into shape, moving backward -all the time. She could see Mrs. Polistes and her friend bring nicely -chewed-up Flies and other insects with which to feed the babies, and -watched them go quietly from cell to cell, giving a lunch to each. - -They were very interesting babies. Being still fastened to the cell -wall by the tail end, only their heads showed, tiny white heads with -two little eyes and brown, horny jaws. Sometimes, when Mrs. Polistes -and her friend were away, the Lady would softly lower the screen from -the top of the window and touch the nest very, very gently with her -pencil. Then each baby thought it was his mother or his aunt, and -thrust his tiny head out for food. Perhaps this was not kind to the -Wasp babies, but if the Lady made them and their mother amuse her, she -was also very careful about worrying them. The older Wasps never found -out that the screen had been moved, and the Lady told everybody in the -house that the upper window sash must not be put up. She feared that -it would strike the outer cells and loosen the nest if raised. - -All would have gone well if it had not been for that dreadful -thunderstorm just before daylight one morning. The Gentleman found the -raindrops blowing in through the bedroom window, and got it almost -closed before he remembered the Wasps' nest. Then he lowered the upper -sash again and left it down, in spite of the rain. - -Sad to say, when morning came the dainty little nest lay on the top -edge of the upper sash. It had been loosened but not crushed, and had -fallen on to the only place it could. Mrs. Polistes and her friend -were flying in and out with food for the babies, who were now all -tilted up sidewise, instead of hanging head downward, as Wasp babies -should. - -"I don't understand it at all," said the friend. "Everything is -exactly as it was when we went to sleep, except that the nest has -fallen." - -"I was dreaming as I hung on the nest last night," replied Mrs. -Polistes, "when suddenly I felt a great jar and was knocked off." - -"So was I," exclaimed her friend. - -"I flew around in the dark until I found it again," added Mrs. -Polistes, "but I had to wait until daylight to see what had happened. -Oh, dear! It is so upsetting to find one's home upside down, and two -of my children are just ready to spin their cocoons." - -"Your children?" asked her friends quite sharply, for it made her -cross to have such misfortunes. "Your children? One of those children -is mine." - -"Which one?" asked Mrs. Polistes, who thought she remembered her own -egg-laying. - -"I don't know which, now that the nest is all turned around," was the -answer. "It has mixed those babies up, and I can't pick out mine." - -"Well, it doesn't really matter," said Mrs. Polistes kindly. "You may -call them both yours, if you want to. Just laying the egg doesn't -count for much, and we have both fed and cared for them. I supposed we -would share babies as we have shared everything else." - -This made the friend ashamed of herself, and she said that she was -sorry she was cross, and that Mrs. Polistes should call one of the -cocoons hers. - -Then they put their heads together to decide what to do with the nest. -When Wasps put their heads together, they stroke each other with their -long feelers, or antennae, and in that way each is sure what the other -is thinking. They also smell with these feelers, you know, and some -people say that they hear with them. A Wasp with broken antennae can do -but little, and as for not having any--why, a Wasp might as well die -at once as to lose his antennae. - -Poor Mrs. Polistes and her little friend! It looked now as though if -they were to bring up those children at all, they would have to do it -wrong side up. The right way, you know, is to raise them upside down, -and here they were lying with their heads up in cells that were open -at the top. - -Yet, even while they were thinking about it, something else happened. -The window sash on which the nest lay began to move slowly and -steadily upward, not stopping until the nest almost touched the casing -above. - -Mrs. Polistes was so frightened! She thought that nest, children, and -all were about to be crushed flat. She said afterward that she was so -scared she could think of nothing but stinging, and there was nobody -whom she could sting. Of course, that would be so, for a Wasp who is -frightened always wants to sting, and it is a great comfort to him if -he can. It gives him something new to think about, you know. - -The Lady was the one who slowly pushed the sash upward. She thought it -might help the poor little mothers somewhat. And it did. They began at -once to hunt food for their children and bring it in. The nest now lay -on the middle of the sash. Before it was knocked loose, it had hung -over in one corner of the casing. It would now have been much nearer -for the little mothers to crawl through the middle of the shutters. -But they were Wasps, and Wasps do not easily change their paths, so -they entered each time at precisely the old place, and then flew or -crawled to the nest. One who watches Wasps in the open air would never -expect them to go by a roundabout way, for they fly so swiftly, -strongly, and directly, yet they are easily puzzled by changes around -the nest. - -Mrs. Polistes had not fed more than half her share of children when -she had an idea. She struck her antennae against those of her friend -and told her about it. Then they walked all around the nest, looked at -it, felt of it, and gave it little pushes. The Lady stood on her chair -watching them, but they were used to her and did not mind it. - -"I believe we can," said Mrs. Polistes. - -"It would be lovely if we could," answered her friend, "but I am sure -we can't." - -"We can try it, anyway," said Mrs. Polistes. - -"What is the use?" said her friend. "It will just scare the babies and -tire us out. We might better feed them where they are." - -"No," said Mrs. Polistes, and she spoke very positively. "No! There -are worse things than being scared, and they must stand it. If we -leave this nest as it is, the first hard wind will tumble it around, -and a rolling nest raises no Wasps." - -"Mothers!" cried the children, in their weak little voices. "Mothers! -What are you talking about?" - -"We are going to fix your nest up again," answered Mrs. Polistes. "Now -be good children, and do not bother us with questions." - -Then she and her friend began pushing and pulling and rolling and -tumbling the nest around to get it more nearly right side up. They got -it tipped so that all the cells slanted downward, and then they began -chewing wood-pulp and building a new stem toward it from the casing -above. Mrs. Polistes worked so hard that her friend was really worried -about her. She would not take time to eat. At last her friend stood -right in front of her and unswallowed a drop of delicious honey. "You -must eat it," she said. "When I swallowed it, I meant to keep it for -myself, but I would much rather give it to you." Mrs. Polistes lapped -it up and felt stronger at once. - -Such a stout stem as this one was! The cell walls also had to be -strengthened with more of the wood pulp and sticky saliva from the -Wasps' mouths, because the stem was to be fastened to them in a new -place. It was not until the next day that all this work was done, and -the mothers could begin living in the old way again. The babies were -glad when this time came, for they had not been fed so much while -extra building had to be done. - -The two children who were ready to do so had spun their cocoons in -their cells. They used the silky stuff which they had in their mouths, -and which oozed out through a little hole in each child's lip. The -others were growing finely, the nest was hanging from its new stem, -the Lady had lowered the window sash once more, and Mrs. Polistes and -her friend had a little time to rest. "I am going to give myself a -thorough cleaning," said she, licking her front feet off and then -rubbing her head with them. "And then I am going away for a -playspell." - -She cleaned herself all over with her legs, and was most particular -about her antennae. She had special cleaners for these, you -know--little prongs which grow in the bend of the fourth and fifth -joints of the forelegs and fit closely around the antennae, scraping -them clean between the bent legs and the prongs. You can see she would -need to be particular, because she had to do her talking, her -smelling, part of her feeling, and perhaps some of her hearing with -them. When she was well scrubbed, she took a good look at the children -and flew off for a fine time, while her friend took care of things at -home. - -Such fun as she had! She caught and ate Cabbage Butterflies, Earwigs, -and other food which will not be touched by most insects and birds. -She supped a tiny bit of honey from the sweet clover, and then flew -straight to the cherry tree. A Catbird was already there, helping -himself to the best in the tree-top, and laughing at the Lady when she -tried to scare him away. He was never afraid of her throwing straight -enough to hit him. - -Mrs. Polistes sipped juice from one ripe cherry after another, and -then, sad to say, she began to drink from one which was over-ripe. She -may not have known that it was so, but not knowing made no difference -with her feelings. She was soon so weak in all her six legs that she -could not walk, and so weak in her wings that her big front and her -small hind pairs would not stay hooked together as they should be. It -was a long time before she could get home. - -When she _did_ go, she carried back some good things for the children, -and then took care of them while her friend had a playspell. After -all, when she was once rested, she enjoyed work better than play. Her -children all grew finely, and so did those of her friend, which was -exceedingly fortunate. If one had died, you know, after the tumbling -down of the nest, each would have thought it her own. - -The little Wasps also grew up as well as could be expected. The sons -all took after their father, and were lazy, but, apart from that, they -were all right. The Queen daughters were exactly like their mothers, -and the little Workers, of whom there were the most of all, were the -greatest of comforts. They did the work of the home as soon as they -were old enough. It was truly a family which paid for saving. - -When people asked Mrs. Polistes how she ever came to think of such a -thing as putting the nest up again, she simply flirted her wings and -replied: "Where else should I put it? I couldn't leave my children -there." - - - - -SILVERTIP STOPS A QUARREL - - -This is the story of something which did not really happen in the -dooryard of the big house, yet it has seemed best to put it in with -these tales because it could all be seen from that yard, and because -Silvertip had a part in it. - -He was sitting quietly upon the broad top-rail of the fence one -afternoon, wishing that the sun would shine again. It had rained most -of the time for three days, and he did not like wet weather. He -thought it was going to clear off, for the clouds had not sent any -drops down since noon. The grass and walks were still damp, so he sat -on the fence-rail. He had stayed in the house so long that he was -tired of it, and he was also watching a pair of Robins who had built -a nest on one of the up-stairs window-ledges. They had put it right on -top of a last year's Robins' nest, and that was on one of the year -before. You can see that it was well worth looking at. - -Silvertip had been here only a short time, when he saw Mr. White Cat, -from another house, walking over to the one across the street. Miss -Tabby Cat lived there, and he knew that Mr. Tiger Cat was around -somewhere. Mr. White Cat looked very cross. He was one of those people -who are good-natured only when the sun is shining and they have -everything they want, and this, you know, is not the best sort of a -person. - -"Um-hum!" said Silvertip to himself. "I think there will be a fight -before long. I will watch." He stood up and stretched himself -carefully and sat down the other way, so as to see all that happened. -Silvertip himself never fought. He spent a great deal of time in -making believe fight, and usually entertained his Cat callers by -glaring, spitting, or even growling at them, but he never really -clawed and scratched and bit. He did not care to have sore places all -over him, and he did not wish to get his ears chewed off. - -"I can get what I want without fighting for it, so why should I -fight?" said he. He was a very good sort of Cat, and had never been -really cross about anything except when the Little Boy came to live in -the big house. Then he had been sulky for weeks, and would not stay in -the room with the Little Boy at all. He thought that if he made enough -fuss about it, the Gentleman and the Lady would not let the Little Boy -live there. When he found the Little Boy would stay anyway, he stopped -being cross. After a while he loved him too. - -No, Silvertip would not fight. But he very much liked to watch other -Cats fight. Now he saw Miss Tabby sit quietly by the house across the -street and right in front of a hole under the porch. She had her legs -tucked beneath her, and her tail neatly folded around them. She looked -as though she had found a small spot which was dry, and wanted to get -all of herself on that. - -Just inside the open doorway of the barn, there sat Mr. Tiger Cat. He -also had his legs tucked in and his tail folded around him. Mr. White -Cat walked straight up to him and stood stiff-legged. Mr. Tiger Cat, -who had just eaten a hearty meal and wanted an after-dinner nap, half -opened his eyes and looked at him. Then he closed them again. - -This made Mr. White Cat more ill natured still. He did not like to have -people look at him and then shut their eyes. He began to switch his -tail and stand his hair on end. He decided to make the other Cat fight -anyway. He cared all the more about it because Miss Tabby was -watching him. He had not noticed Silvertip. "Er-oo!" said he, drawing -back his head and lowering his tail stiffly. "Did you say it was going -to rain, or did you say it was not?" - -"I hardly think it will," answered Mr. Tiger Cat pleasantly. - -"You don't think it will, hey?" asked Mr. White Cat. "Well, I say it -will pour." - -Mr. Tiger Cat slid his thin eyelids over his eyes. - -"Did you hear me?" asked Mr. White Cat, still standing in the same -way. - -"Certainly," answered the other. - -"Well, what do you say to that?" asked Mr. White Cat, and now he began -to stand straighter and hold his tail out behind. - -"I am willing it should pour," said Mr. Tiger Cat, beginning to -uncover his eyes slowly. - -"Oo-oo! You are?" growled Mr. White Cat. "You are, are you? Well, I am -not!" - -There was no answer. You see Mr. Tiger Cat did not want to fight. He -did not need to just then, and he never fought for the fun of it when -his stomach was so full. He supposed he would have to in the end, for -he knew when a fellow has really made up his mind to it, and is -picking a quarrel, it has to end in that way. At least, it has to end -in that way when one is a Cat. If one is bigger and better, there are -other ways of ending it. - -Mr. Tiger Cat knew all this, and yet he waited. "The longer I wait," -he thought, "the more I shall feel like it. My stomach will not be so -full and I can fight better. He needn't think he can come around and -pick a quarrel and chew my ears when Miss Tabby is looking on. No -indeed." - -You see Mr. Tiger Cat was also fond of Miss Tabby. - -"Er-roo!" said Mr. White Cat, straightening his legs until he stood -very tall indeed. "Er-roo!" - -He had made himself so angry now that he could not talk in words at -all. Mr. Tiger Cat sat still. - -"Er-row!" said Mr. White Cat, speaking way down his throat. "Er-row!" -Mr. Tiger Cat sat still. - -Silvertip became so excited that he could not stay longer on the -fence. He dearly loved to see a good fight, you know, so he jumped -quietly down without looking away from the barn door, and began -walking softly toward it. He knew that when a Cat got to saying -"Er-row!" down in his throat, something was going to happen very soon. -Silvertip did not know, however, exactly what it would be because he -did not see a couple of big Dogs trotting down the street toward him. - -He crept nearer and nearer to the barn, hardly looking where he -stepped for fear of missing some of the fun. His pretty white paws got -wet and dirty, but that did not matter now. Paws could be licked clean -at any time. Fights must be watched while they may be found. - -"Ra-ow!" said Mr. White Cat, giving a forward jump. - -"Pht!" answered Mr. Tiger Cat, standing stiffly on his hind feet and -letting his front ones hang straight down. He was wide awake now, and -ready to teach Mr. White Cat a lesson in politeness. - -"Bow-wow!" said the Dogs just behind Silvertip. He might have run up a -tree near by, but he had a bright idea. - -"I'll do it," he exclaimed. "The Little Boy says it is wicked to -fight, anyway." Then he ran straight in through that open door and -jumped to a high shelf in the barn. He saw Miss Tabby turn a -summersault backward and crawl under the porch. - -Mr. Tiger Cat took a long jump to the sill of a high window. Mr. White -Cat did not seem to care at all whether it was going to pour or not. -He sprang to the top round of a ladder. The Dogs frisked below, -wagging their tails and talking to each other about the Cats. - -Mr. Tiger Cat, who was very well-bred and could always think of -something polite to say, remarked to Silvertip: "Your call was quite -an unexpected pleasure!" He had a smiling look around the mouth as he -spoke. - -"Yes," answered Silvertip, who liked a joke as well as anybody, unless -it were a joke on himself alone. "Yes, I found myself coming this way, -and just ran in." - -Then they both settled down comfortably where they were, tucking their -feet under them and wrapping their tails around. Nobody said anything -to Mr. White Cat, who had no chance to sit down, and, indeed, could -hardly keep from falling off the ladder. - -The Dogs frisked and tumbled in the barn for a while and hung around -the foot of the ladder. They knew they could not get either of the -others, but they had a happy hope that Mr. White Cat might fall. - -When at last the Dogs had gone, and Mr. White Cat had also sneaked -away, Mr. Tiger Cat said: "Fighting is very wrong." - -"Yes," replied Silvertip, "very wrong indeed. But," he added, "I'll -make believe fight anybody." So he jumped stiffly down and Mr. Tiger -Cat jumped stiffly down, and they glared and growled at each other all -the afternoon and never bit or even unsheathed a claw. They had a most -delightful time, and Miss Tabby came out from under the porch and -smiled on them both. She loved Cats who acted bravely. - - - - -A YOUNG SWIFT TUMBLES - - -In one of the chimneys of the big house several families of Chimney -Swifts had built their homes. They had come north in April and flown -straight to this particular place. It was the family home of this -branch of the Swifts, and every year since great-grandfather Swift -discovered it, some of his children and grandchildren had come back -there to build. They were quite airy, and thought a great deal about -appearances. "Swifts are sure to be judged by the chimney in which -they live," they said, "and there is no use in choosing a poor one -when there are good ones to be found." - -Nobody would have dared remind these Chimney Swifts that their -great-great-great-great-grandparents lived in hollow trees, if -indeed any of their friends knew it. They themselves never spoke of -the Swifts who still do so, and since they had always lived in a land -of chimneys, they did not dream of the times when there were none to -be found. Of course, before the white men came to this country Swifts -had to build in hollow trees. - -[Illustration: THE CHIMNEY-SWIFT'S HOME. _Page 78_] - -You can just imagine what a happy, busy place this chimney was in the -springtime, when last year's nests were being torn down and new ones -were building. The older Swifts were there and those who were to keep -house for the first time. Then, of course, the younger ones had -married and brought new wives there, and they had to be introduced and -shown all over the chimney. - -Some wanted to build nearer the top than others, and the older ones -were always advising the younger ones. It was so hard for a Swift -mother to remember that her married son was old enough to decide -things for himself; and many such mothers fluttered around the sons' -nests, telling them how to place each twig, and giving the new wives -advice as to how to bring up the babies who would soon come to live -with them. - -This story is about a young couple who built the lowest nest of all. -They were dressed just alike in sleek, sooty, brown feathers, which -were of a lighter shade on their throats. Their necks and heads were -very broad, their bills short but able to open very wide; their wings -were longer than their tails, and the quills of their tail feathers -stuck out stiff and bare far beyond the soft, feathery part. The -Swifts are all very proud of these bare quills. "There are not many -birds," they say, "who can show their quills in that fashion." - -These quills are very useful, too, for after a Swift has broken off a -tiny twig for his nest, he has to cling to the side of the chimney and -fix it into place, and he could not do this without supporting himself -by these tail quills. It is hard work building nests, and you can see -that it would be. They have to cling with both feet, support -themselves with their tails, put each tiny twig in place with their -bills, and glue it there with sticky saliva from their mouths or else -with tree-gum. - -The young husband who was building his first home low down in the -chimney was a sturdy and rather wilful fellow, who was very sure what -he wanted, and just as sure that he was going to get it. When he said, -"I shall do this," or, "I am going to have that," other people had -learned to keep still. They sometimes had a smiling look around the -bill, but they said nothing. His wife was a sweet and sensible Swift -who never made a fuss about anything, or bragged of what she meant to -do. Still, other Swifts who watched them said that she had her way -quite as often as he had his. - -It was really she who had chosen to build well down in the chimney. -Her husband had preferred to be near the top, and she had agreed to -that, but spoke of what would happen if one of their children should -fall out of the nest. - -"There is no need of one falling out," said Mr. Swift. "Tell them to -lie still and not push around. Then they will not fall out." - -Mrs. Swift fixed one of the feathers on the under side of her left -wing, and then remarked: "And you do not think it would disturb you to -have our neighbors passing all the time." - -"Yes, I do," he replied. "I have thought so from the first, and I am -thinking that it might be well to build lower for that reason. Then we -could be passing the others instead." - -He flew down and pecked at the bricks in a few places to make sure -that he could fasten a nest securely. Then he came back to his wife. -"I have decided to build the lowest nest of all," said he, "but you -understand it is not on account of the children. There is no sense in -their moving around in the nest." - -"I understand," said Mrs. Swift, and he flew away for twigs while she -stayed behind to visit with her mother-in-law. - -The mother-in-law's eyes twinkled. "I believe my son said that his -children were not to move around in the nest," she said with a laugh. -"I wonder how he is going to stop their doing so." - -"Tell them, I suppose," answered young Mrs. Swift, smilingly. "Did he -push around at all when he was a baby?" - -"He?" replied the older Swift. "He was the most restless child I ever -hatched. He will know more about bringing up children after he has -raised a brood or two. Don't worry, my dear. It will come out all -right." She flew off and the young wife went for twigs also, and -thought how happy she ought to be in having such a mother-in-law. - -When the lowest nest was built and the four long pure white eggs were -laid in it, Mr. and Mrs. Swift were a very proud young couple. The -nest was so thin that one could see the eggs through it quite plainly, -but it was exceedingly stout and firm. It was not a soft nest, and it -had no real lining, although Mrs. Swift had laid in one especially -perfect grass blade "to give it style." - -That grass blade may be seen to this day by any one who cares to look -at the nest as it lies in a cabinet in the house. It was the only nest -in the chimney which had anything but twigs in it, and some people -wondered at Mrs. Swift's taste. One stout elderly mother Swift said -"she supposed it was all right, but that she had never done such a -thing and her children had turned out all right." However, young Mrs. -Swift smiled in her pretty way and did not talk back. - -When they were planning for the four children whom they expected, Mrs. -Swift spoke of how patient they would have to be with them, but Mr. -Swift said: "They must be brought up to mind! If I tell a child once -to do a thing, that is enough. You will see how I bring them up." Then -he ruffled up his feathers, puffed out his throat, and looked very -important. - -They did most of their visiting in the beautiful night-time, for it is -a custom among their people to fly and hunt and visit in the dark, and -rest by day. Their busiest time is always just before the sun comes -up, and so it happened that the Little Boy who slept in the room below -did not often hear the rumbling noise in the chimney as they flew in -and out. When they were awakened he slept quietly in his snug little -bed, and as he was awakening, and stretching, and getting his dimples -ready for the day, the Swifts were going to sleep after a busy night. - -When the baby Swifts broke their shells and were seen for the first -time by their loving father and mother, Mr. Swift was surprised to -find how small they were. Mrs. Swift murmured sweet words to them and -worked as hard as her husband to find them food. There were now so -many mouths to be fed that they flew by day as well as by night, and -often the Little Boy in the room below thought he heard distant -thunder when it was only the Swifts coming down the chimney with food -for their babies. All sorts of tiny winged creatures were brought them -to eat, for Swifts catch all their food as they fly, and that means -that they can feed upon only such creatures as also fly. - -When they were stretching up to reach the food, Mrs. Swift would say -to the children: "Now learn to move carefully, for if you should get -over the edge of the nest you will tumble down into that fireplace of -which I have told you." - -When he was feeding them Mr. Swift would say: "You may open your -bills, but not one of you must move beyond that twig. Do you -understand?" - -Three of them obeyed without asking questions, but the eldest brother -was always trying to see just how far he could go without tumbling, -and he would talk back to his father. - -"You don't care if I put one wing out, do you?" he would ask. - -"Not one wing!" his father would answer. - -"Why?" the son would ask. "I wouldn't tumble just because I put one -wing out." - -"It is not minding me," his father would say, "to see how far you can -go without tumbling. I did not tell you only to keep from falling -out. I told you to keep inside that twig." - -Then the son would pout his bill and act very sulky, getting close to -the twig which he had been told not to pass. When he thought his -father was not looking, he would even wriggle a little beyond it. Mrs. -Swift was worried, but what could she do? She noticed that her husband -did not talk so much as he used to about making a child mind the very -first time he is spoken to. - -One night when the Swifts had fed their children faithfully, this son -was unusually naughty. It may be that he had eaten more than his share -or that he had picked for the biggest insect every time that lunch was -brought. It may be, too, that he was naughty simply because he wanted -to be. It does not always mean that a child is ill when he is naughty. -His father had just told him to be more careful, and he made a face -(yes, he did) and flopped aside to show what he could do without -falling. - -Then he felt a tiny twig on the edge of the nest break beneath him, -and he went tumbling, bumping, and scraping down into the fireplace -below. He could not fly up, for his wings were not strong enough to -carry him up such a narrow space, and his parents could not get him. -He heard his brother and sisters crying and his mother saying that she -had always expected that to happen. - -"Horrid old twig!" he said. "Don't see why it had to break! Should -think they might build their nest stronger. I don't care! I was sick -of being told not to wriggle, anyway!" - -Then he fluttered and sprawled through a crack beside the screen of -the grate until he was out in the room. The Little Boy lay asleep in -the bed, and that frightened the young Swift. When they tried to -scare each other the children had always pretended that a Boy was -after them. He crawled behind a picture which leaned against the wall, -and stayed there and thought about his dear, dear home up in the -chimney. - -The Little Boy stirred and awakened and called out: "Mother! Mother! -There is somefing making a scratching noise in my room. I fink it is a -Bear." - -The young Swift sat very still while the Lady came in and hunted for -the Bear. She never came near his hiding-place, and laughed at the -Little Boy for thinking of Bears. She told him that the only Bears -around their town were two-legged ones, and when he asked her what -that meant she laughed again. - -He peeped out from behind the picture and saw the Little Boy dress -himself. He heard him say: "I can't poss'bly get vese shoes on, but -I'll try and try and try." He thought how much pleasanter it was to -be a Swift and have all his clothes grow on, and to go barefoot all -the year. - -He heard the Lady say: "Why, you precious Boy! You did get your shoes -on, after all." Then he saw them go off to breakfast, racing to see -who would beat. - -After they were gone, he fluttered out to the window, and there the -Lady found him, and the Little Boy danced around and wanted to touch -him, but didn't quite dare. The Lady said: "I think this must have -been your Bear," and the Little Boy said: "My teeny-weeny little bitty -Bear wiv feavers on." He heard the Little Boy ask, too, why the bird -had so many pins sticking out of his tail, and this made him cross. He -did not understand what pins were, but he felt that anybody ought to -know about tail-quills. - -He didn't know much about Boys, for this was the first one he had -ever seen, and he wondered what those shiny white things were in his -mouth. He had never seen teeth and he could not understand. He -wondered how the Boy got along without a bill, and pitied him very -much. This Little Boy did not seem so very terrible. He even acted a -bit afraid of the Swift. - -Next the young Swift felt himself lifted gently in the Lady's hand and -laid in a box with soft white stuff in it and two small holes cut in -the cover. He was carried from room to room in the house and shown to -other people. Once he heard a queer voice say, "Meouw!" and then the -Little Boy stamped his foot and said: "Go way, Teddy Silvertip. You -can't have my little bird, you hungry Cat." - -After this the young Swift was more scared than before, and would have -given every feather he had to be safely back in the nest in the -chimney. He was hungry, too, and he wanted to see his father and his -dear mother. He beat his wings against the sides of the box and cried -for his mother. "Oh," he said, "if I were only back in the nest I -wouldn't move. I wouldn't move a bit." Then the Cat mewed again and he -kept still from fright. - -At last he was taken into the open air and placed in the top of a -short evergreen, where the Cat could not reach him. Here he clung, -weak and lonely and scared, blinking his half-blinded eyes in a light -brighter than he had yet seen. All the rest of that day he stayed -there, while his father and mother and their other children were -sleeping in the home nest. He expected never to see them again, but he -did want to tell them how sorry he was. - -After the sun had set and the moon was shining, he saw his father -darting to and fro above him. "Father!" he cried. "Father, I am so -sorry that I moved past the twig. I was very naughty." - -His father heard and flew down to tuck a fat and juicy May Beetle into -his mouth. "You poor child!" said he. "Eat that and don't try to talk. -You will not do such things when you are older. I will get you some -more food." - -When he returned Mrs. Swift was with him, and they petted and fed the -young Swift all night, never scolding him at all, because, as they -said, he had been punished quite enough and was sorry. And that was -true. His grandmother came also with a bit of food. She told him that -they would feed him every night and that he should hide in the -branches each day until his feathers were grown. - -"In three days more," said she, "you will be ready to fly, and you -look more like your father all the time. In three days more," she -said, "if nobody eats you up." - -You can imagine how anxious the young Swift was during those three -days, and how small he tried to be when Silvertip was around. -"Surely," he thought, "the sun and moon were never before so slow in -marking off the time." - -When at last he was ready for flight, Silvertip was under the snowball -bush near by. The young Swift sprang into the air. "Good-by, my Cat -friend," said he. "You look hungry, but you have lost your best chance -at me. You should have been waiting at the grate for me. You might -have known that such a foolish young Swift as I would tumble down -sooner or later. All that saves some people is not having their -foolishness found out!" - - - - -THE VERY RUDE YOUNG ROBINS - - -Why this pair of Robins chose to build so near the Sparrows, nobody -knows. It was not at all like Robins to do so, for they are quite -careful how they bring up their children. One would expect them to -think how likely the little Robins would be to grow up rude and -quarrelsome. - -However, there their nest was, not the length of a beanpole from those -of two pairs of Sparrows. When the nestlings were hatched, they -listened all day to what the Sparrows were saying and looked at what -they were doing. They heard and saw many things which Mr. and Mrs. -Robin did not like. But there was no helping it then, and all that -their parents could do was to try to bring them up to be good little -birds, and do as they had been told, and not as they had seen naughty -children do. - -It did make a difference in the behavior of the children, however, and -after they left the nest this showed very plainly. When they were old -enough to go outside the yard in which they had been hatched, they -went to the place next door. There were many fowls on this place, and -several Hens in coops with young Chickens around them. The father and -mother left the young Robins in safe places while they went to hunt -Worms in the newly hoed garden. Two children, a brother and a sister, -were half hidden under the drooping branches of a large gooseberry -bush. - -They had been there for some time, when the sister said, "Just see -what lots of good, clean food that Hen and her Chickens have. Don't -you wish you had some of it?" - -"Um-hum!" answered the brother. "What a pretty yellow it is. I just -know it is good!" - -Neither of them spoke again for a long time. Indeed, the brother had -begun to settle his head down on his shoulders and slide the thin lids -over his eyes, when his sister said, "If you were a Sparrow, you'd get -some." - -"Well, I'm not a Sparrow," he answered, "and so I shall have to go -without." - -He was almost cross to his dear little sister, but perhaps one could -partly excuse him. He saw that there was much more than the Chickens -could eat, and that it would lie there spread out on the board until -they had spoiled it all by trampling it with muddy feet. Now it was -lovely, clean, sweet corn-meal mush. Besides, he was becoming -dreadfully hungry. It was fully ten minutes, you know, since he had -been fed anything. - -The little sister kept still for a while. Her mother had taught her -that it does not always pay to talk too much. At last she asked, "Do -you suppose those tiny bits of Chickens know the difference between a -Sparrow and a Robin?" - -Her brother opened his eyes very wide, and stretched his head up so -that one could see the black and white feathers under his bill. He was -almost full-grown. "I've a good mind to try to fool them," he said. -"You see, the Hen can't reach the board where the food is." - -"I dare you to!" cried his sister, who really should have been his -brother, she was so brave. - -"All right," he answered. "Only you come too." - -"I will," she said. "But let's wait until Father and Mother are -looking the other way." - -Twice they started out and came back because their parents were -looking. At last they made a dash and were by the board. - -"Stand aside!" said the brother, talking as nearly like a Sparrow as -he could. "Let us have some of this!" - -"Who are you?" asked the Chickens, while the old Hen -cluck-cluck-clucked and strutted to and fro in the coop. Every little -while she stuck her head out as far as she could reach, and her neck -feathers spread around in a funny, fat way against the slats of her -coop. - -"Go away!" she scolded. "Go right away! That is not your mush! You are -not my Chickens! Go right home to your mother! Cr-r-r-r-r!" She said -this last, you know, because she was getting so angry that she could -say nothing else. - -The fowls behind the netting of the poultry-yard all came to see what -was going on, and chattered about it in their cackling way. "Send -them off!" they cried. "Send them off! The idea of their trying to -take food from the Chickens!" The Cocks looked particularly big and -fierce. Still, there is not much fun in looking big and fierce behind -a wire netting, when the people whom you want to scare are in front of -it. - -The young Robins were dreadfully frightened, but having feathers all -over their face, it did not really show. Neither one was willing to be -the first to start away, and they didn't like to speak about it to -each other for fear of being overheard. You know, if you can keep -other people from finding out that you are scared, you may end by -scaring them, and that was exactly what the Robins meant to do. - -"Get out of our way!" said they. "Don't brush against us so again! If -you were not young, we wouldn't have stood it this time. When you have -feathers you may know better." - -Then the little Chickens were very badly scared indeed. They backed -away as quickly as they could, and crawled in beside their mother. She -told them to go back; that the Robins couldn't hurt them, and that she -was ashamed to have them act so Chicken-hearted. - -"Let us get under your wings!" they said. "Please let us get under -your wings!" And they followed, peeping, after her, as she marched to -and fro in the narrow coop. Sometimes they got so near her feet that -she almost knocked them over, and at last they quite gave up trying to -cuddle down under her, and got together in little groups in the back -part of the coop. - -"Had enough?" asked the brother at last. - -"Yes, indeed," answered his sister. "I can't swallow any more now. -I'm just making believe because you are not through." - -"All right!" said he. - -He turned to the Chickens. "Now you may come," he said. "But another -time get out of our way more quickly." Then they turned their backs -and hopped off. They didn't want to try flying, because that would -show how very young they were. - -"We did it," exclaimed those two naughty children. "Did you ever see -such little Geese as those Chickens? But oh, what if our parents -should find it out?" - -"See here," chirped their mother, who could not speak very plainly -because she had two large Earthworms hanging in wriggling loops from -her bill, "Here is a lovely lunch for you." - -"Give it to Brother," said the little sister. "He always wants more -than I." - -"Oh, no. Give it to Sister," said he. "I don't mean to be selfish." - -"You shall both have some," said their mother, tucking a large Worm -down each unwilling throat. "Little birds will never be big birds -unless they eat plenty of the right kind of food. I will bring you -more." - -When she was gone they looked at each other. "I just can _not_ eat -another billful," said the sister. - -"And I won't!" said the brother. After a while he added, "Is there any -of that mush sticking to my bill?" - -"No," said the sister. "Is there any on mine?" - -They did not feel at all sure that their mother would have let them -eat so much mush if she had been asked. They wondered if it would make -them sick. They began to think about the stomach-ache, and felt sure -that they had one--that is to say, two--one apiece, you know. - -Over in the garden, Mrs. Robin said to her husband, "Do you know what -those children have done? It was a very ill-bred, Sparrow-like trick. -They scared the little Chickens away, and ate all they could of their -mush. I am dreadfully ashamed of them, but I shall pretend I did not -see it." - -"Make them eat plenty of Worms," suggested Mr. Robin. - -"Just what I am going to do," answered his wife. "It won't really hurt -them to overeat for once in their lives, and it will punish them very -well." - -That was why Mr. and Mrs. Robin worked so especially hard all morning, -and made so many trips in under the gooseberry bush. The two young -Robins who were there kept insisting that they didn't need any more, -and that they really couldn't eat another Worm. After they said this, -Mrs. Robin always looked sharply at them and asked, "What have you -children been doing? Young birds should always want all the Worms -their parents can bring them." - -The little Robins were not brave enough to tell what they had done. -You know it often takes more courage to confess a fault than it does -to scare people. So whenever their mother said this they agreed to eat -one more Worm apiece, and choked and gulped it down. It was a dreadful -morning for them. - -Inside the Chicken-coop the old Hen was trying to settle down again, -and the Chickens were talking it over. - -"Wasn't it dreadful?" asked one. "I didn't know that Robins were so -fierce." - -"Mother said that we shouldn't be afraid of them," cried another, "but -I guess she'd be afraid her own self if she wasn't in that coop. She'd -be 'fraider if she was little, too." - -"I'm glad they didn't eat it all," said a third Chicken. "When do you -suppose they'll come again?" - -"Every day," said another, a Chicken who always expected bad things to -happen. "Perhaps they will come two times a day! Maybe they'll even -come three!" - -But they didn't. They didn't come at all. And they never wanted -corn-meal mush again. - - - - -THE SYSTEMATIC YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO - - -The people who lived in the big house were much worried about the -maple trees which shaded the sidewalk around the place. It was spring -now, and they feared another such summer as the last, when the lawn -had been covered with fine, healthy, large maple leaves, gnawed off by -hungry Caterpillars. One could be sure they were not blown or knocked -off, for each stem was neatly eaten through at about the length of a -fir needle from the leaf. The lawn did not look well, and the Man who -cared for it grumbled and scolded under his breath as he went around -raking them up. He could not see that the Caterpillars were of any -use in the world. The birds thought differently, but he was a busy -Man and not used to thinking of things in that way. - -Now spring had come again, and every day the people looked for more -leaves on their lawn. They had not found them yet, because the -Caterpillars were not old enough to nibble through the stems. Then, -one morning while they were eating their breakfast, these people heard -a new voice outside. It was not a sweet voice. It sounded somewhat -like a thumping on rough boards. It was saying, "Kuk-kuk-kuk!" - -Some men who were passing by stopped to look up at the trees, then -shook their heads and went on. The Little Boy wanted to leave his -breakfast and go out at once to find the new bird, but he had to stay -where he was, eat slowly, and fold his napkin before he was allowed to -do this. When he went, the Lady and the Gentleman went with him. None -of them could see the bird, although they heard his "kuk-kuk-kuk!" in -first one tree and then another. - -"I am sure that is a Yellow-billed Cuckoo," said the Lady, "and if it -is, he has come for the Caterpillars that are spoiling our trees." - -"Why, Mother?" asked the Little Boy. "How do you know? You didn't see -him." - -"If you had your eyes shut, and I spoke to you," she replied, -"wouldn't you known whose voice it was?" - -The other birds also seemed to know whose voice it was, for they flew -around in fright, and scolded and chattered until the visitor had left -that row of maples and gone far away. Even then the more timid ones -could not settle down to their regular duties. "It has given me such a -start," said one Robin, whose nerves were always easily upset, "that I -don't believe I can weave another grass-blade into my nest to-day." - -"Nonsense!" exclaimed a Blackbird. "Eat something and you will feel -all right. There is nothing like eating to make one feel better." - -The Robin did as she was told and felt somewhat steadier, yet even -then she talked of nothing else that morning. "To think of a -Yellow-billed Cuckoo coming here!" she said. "It makes my quills -tingle to think of it. My poor babies! My poor babies!" - -"Couldn't you stop worrying for a while?" her husband asked. "You know -you have not even laid your eggs, so your children are not in danger -yet." - -Mr. Robin was always gentle with his wife. The other birds didn't see -how he could stand it, for she was forever worrying about something. - -"No," she replied, "they are not laid yet, but they will be, and you -know perfectly well, Mr. Robin, how glad that dreadful Cuckoo would -be to suck every one of them. If he were only a Black-billed Cuckoo, -it would not be so bad, but I saw his bill quite plainly, and it -was yellow. Besides, he said, 'Kuk-kuk-kuk!' instead of -'Kow-kow-kow-kuk-kuk!'" - -"We will guard the nest carefully when the eggs are laid," said Mr. -Robin. "And now I think I will go across the street to hunt." That -also was a wise thing to do, for Mrs. Robin was always more sensible -when she was alone. - -The birds saw nothing more of the Cuckoo that morning, but in the -afternoon he came again. He was a large and very fine-looking bird, -with green-gray feathers on the upper part of his body and in the -middle of his tail, the outer tail-feathers being black with white -spots. His wings were a bright brown, and the under part of his body -was grayish-white. His bill was a very long and strong one, and the -under half of it was yellow. - -He had a habit of sitting very quietly every now and then on some -branch to think. At such times he looked handsome but stupid, and -really, when he got to thinking so, he was in great danger. It is at -just such times that Hawks like to find Cuckoos, and after a Hawk has -found one, nobody else ever has a chance. If you remember what sort of -food Hawks like, you will understand what this means. - -When he was flying, however, he was exceedingly careful, always -flitting from tree to tree by the nearest way, and never talking until -he was well sheltered again by leafy branches. When he came to a row -of maples, he began at one end and went right through, stopping a -little while in each to hunt. He was very systematic, and that, you -know, means that he always tried to do the same things in the same -way. This was why, during all the summer that followed, he came both -morning and afternoon at just the same times as on that first day. -That is, he did on every day but one. - -Mrs. Cuckoo looked exactly like her husband. Indeed, some of their -neighbors could hardly tell them apart. She was a very poor -housekeeper. Her nest was only a few sticks laid on a bush in the edge -of an orchard. She often said that she did not take easily to home -life, so many of her great-grandparents having built no nests at all, -but laid their eggs in the homes of other birds. Since this was so, -people should not have expected too much of Mrs. Cuckoo. - -Another thing which made it hard for her, was the way in which she had -to lay eggs, hatch eggs, and feed nestlings at the same time all -summer. This was not her fault, for of course when an egg was ready it -had to be laid, and there were seldom two ready at once. It kept her -busy and worried and tired all summer, and one could forgive her if -she sometimes grew impatient. - -"I can never half do anything after my first egg is hatched," she used -to say. "I go to get food for that child, and all the time I am -worrying for fear the second egg, which I have just laid, will get -cold. Of course one newly hatched nestling cannot keep a large egg -like mine warm. Then, when I am having all I can do to care for child -and egg, I have to stop to lay another egg." - -Mr. Cuckoo was always sleek and respectable-looking. He never seemed -in a hurry. He said that haste was ill-mannered. "Always take time," -he said, "to do things in the best way. If you are not sure which is -the best way, sit down and think about it." He was much annoyed by -Mrs. Cuckoo, and often told her how she needed to be systematic. "You -have such a hurried way, my dear," said he. "It is really very -disagreeable." - -She was naturally a sweet-tempered bird, but one day she made up her -mind to let her husband see how systematic he could be in her place. -At that time she had a young bird and two eggs in the nest, and was -very sure that one of the eggs was about to hatch. - -When they awakened the next morning, she said sweetly to Mr. Cuckoo, -"My dear, please stay with the baby until I get back." Then she flew -away without giving him time to ask how long it would be or anything -about it. Mr. Cuckoo was much surprised, and sat there thinking, as -you know he was likely to do, until the nestling fairly screamed for -food. - -"Dear me!" said he to himself, "I must do something to keep that child -still." So he hunted food and stuffed it down the nestling's wide-open -bill. While he was doing so, he remembered the eggs, which he found -rather cool. "She will never forgive me if those get cold," he said, -so he hopped onto the nest and covered them with his breast. He wished -that his wife would return. He thought that when a mother-bird had -home cares she should stay by the nest. Just then his child cried for -more food. - -[Illustration: STUFFED IT DOWN THE WIDE-OPEN BILL. _Page 116_] - -"Hush!" he exclaimed. "I cannot go now. Don't you see that I am -warming these eggs?" - -"I don't care! I am hungry," cried she. "You didn't feed me enough." - -"Well, I couldn't get you more just then," he said. "Now be patient -until your mother comes. That's a good child." - -"I can't be patient. I'm hungry," cried the nestling. "I want a -Caterpillar." - -Mr. Cuckoo could not stand teasing, so he hopped off the nest and -picked up the first Caterpillar he found. It was not a good kind, and -the little Cuckoo made a bad face and would not swallow it. Mr. -Cuckoo rushed away to get a better one. That was eaten, and he was -just getting on the eggs again when he heard a faint tapping inside of -one. This made him very nervous, for he was not used to caring for -newly hatched children. He called several times to Mrs. Cuckoo, but -received no answer. - -There was more tapping, and the second child stuck his little bill -through the shell and broke it. "Ouch!" cried the older one; "that -pricks me. Take it away!" - -"'Sh!" exclaimed his father, who knew that it would never do to help a -young bird out of its shell. The elder child began to cry. - -Well! You can just imagine what kind of morning Mr. Cuckoo had. He had -to quiet and feed the older child, clear away the broken shell when -the second was out, keep the remaining egg warm, get some food for -himself, and just hurry and worry until noon. He was about worn out -when his wife came back. She looked very trim and happy, and there was -no ill-mannered haste in her motions as she flew toward the nest. - -"I have had such a pleasant morning," she said. "I met my sister and -we went hunting together. I hope you did not mind. I felt quite easy -about everything. I knew that you would manage it all beautifully, -because you are so systematic." She looked at him with such a sweet -smile that he did not say any of the things which he had been planning -to say about mother-birds staying at home. - -Just then the elder nestling said, "I'm hungry, Mother! I haven't had -a Caterpillar in ever so long." - -Mrs. Cuckoo answered cheerfully, "All right, I'll get you one," and -was about to start off when Mr. Cuckoo spoke up: - -"You stay here and look after your newly hatched nestling," said he. -"I'll get some food." - -Mrs. Cuckoo was delighted to find another egg hatched, and the morning -away had been a great rest to her. Only one thing troubled her. "I do -wish," she murmured, "that I could have seen Mr. Cuckoo trying to do -three or four things at once and be systematic. Now I shall never know -how it worked." - -But she did know. Her first-hatched child said, "I'm so glad you are -back. It made Father cross to hurry." She also knew from another -thing: Mr. Cuckoo never again told her to be systematic, or said that -it was ill-mannered to hurry. - -And that was the one day when Mr. Cuckoo did not make his two regular -hunting trips through the maple trees around the big house. - - - - -THE HELPFUL TUMBLE-BUGS - - -In the corner of the barnyard was a pile of manure which was to be put -upon the garden and plowed in. This would make the ground better for -all the good things growing in it, but now it was waiting behind the -high board fence, and many happy insects lived in it. There were big -Bugs and little Bugs, fat Bugs and slim Bugs, young Bugs and old Bugs, -good Bugs and--well, one does not like to say that there were bad -Bugs, but there were certainly some not so good as others. - -Among all these, however, there were none who worked harder or thought -more of each other than the Tumble-bugs. One couple, especially, were -thrifty and devoted. They had been married in June, when each was -just one day old. June weddings were the fashion among their people. - -Mr. Tumble-bug believed in early marriages. "I have known -Tumble-bugs," he said, "who did not marry until they were two days -old, but I think that a great mistake. Each becomes so used to having -his own way that it is very hard for husband and wife to agree on -anything. Now Mrs. Tumble-bug and I always think alike." Then he -smiled at Mrs. Tumble-bug and Mrs. Tumble-bug smiled at him. They were -nearly always together and busy. Perhaps it was because they worked -together every day that they cared so much for each other. You know -that makes a great difference, and if one had worked all the time -while the other was playing, they would soon have come to care for -other things and people. - -One hot summer morning, Mrs. Tumble-bug said to her husband, who was -just finishing his breakfast, "I have found the loveliest place you -ever saw for burying an egg-ball. Do hurry up! I can hardly wait to -begin work." - -Mr. Tumble-bug gulped down his last mouthful and answered, "I'm ready -now." - -"Follow me then," she cried, and led the way over all sorts of little -things which littered up the ground of the barnyard. No Horse was -there just then, and she felt safe. Mr. Tumble-bug followed close -behind her, and a very neat-looking couple they made. Both were -flat-backed and all of shining black. "We do not dress so showily as -some Bugs," they were in the habit of saying, "but black always looks -well." And that was true. Although they spent most of their days -working in the earth, they were ever clean and shining, with smiling, -shovel-shaped faces. - -"There!" said Mrs. Tumble-bug, as she stopped for breath and pointed -with her right fore-leg to the ground just ahead of her. "Did you ever -see a finer place?" She could point in this way, you know, without -falling over, because she had five other legs on which to stand. There -are some very pleasant things about having six legs, and the only -tumbling she and her husband did was part of their work. - -"Excellent!" exclaimed Mr. Tumble-bug. "And the ground is so soft that -it will not tire you very much to dig in it." He did not have to think -whether it would tire him, because he never helped in that part of the -work. His wife always liked to do that alone. - -Then both Tumble-bugs scurried back to the manure heap. "I cannot see -why some of our neighbors are so foolish," said she. "There is a -Beetle now, laying her eggs right in this pile. She will leave them -there, too, and as likely as not some hungry fellow will come along -before the sun goes down and eat every one of them. She might much -better take a little trouble, put her egg in a mass of food, and roll -it away to a safe place for burial. When my children hatch out into -soft little Grubs, I intend they shall have a chance to grow up safely -and comfortably. Such Beetles do not deserve to have children." - -"Well, they won't have many," said her husband. "Perhaps only a -pitiful little family of twenty or thirty." - -"Now," exclaimed Mrs. Tumble-bug, "We must get to work. Help me roll -this ball of manure. I have laid an egg in it while we were talking, -so that time was not wasted." - -Together they rolled a ball which was bigger than both of them when it -started, and grew larger and larger as they got it away from the heap -and the dust of the ground stuck to it and crusted it over. - -Mrs. Tumble-bug stood on top of the ball, and, creeping far out on it, -pulled it forward with her hind feet, while he stood on his head -behind it and pushed with his hind legs. Of course if Mrs. Tumble-bug -had not been climbing backward all the time, the ball would have -rolled right over her. To pull forward with part of your legs and -climb backward with all of them at the same time, and that when your -head is a good deal lower than your heels, is pretty hard work and -takes much planning. Mrs. Tumble-bug had very little breath for -talking, but she did not lose her temper. And that shows what an -excellent Bug she was. "Harder!" she would call out to Mr. Tumble-bug. -"We are coming to a little hill." - -Then Mr. Tumble-bug, who, you will remember, had to stand on his head -all the time, and really did the hardest part of the work, would -brace himself more firmly and push until it seemed as though his legs -would break. He could never see just where they were going unless he -let go of the ball, and Mrs. Tumble-bug did not believe in turning out -for anything. - -"What if there is a hill?" she often said. "Can't we go over it?" And -over it they always went, although they might much more easily have -gone around it. Mrs. Tumble-bug did not want anybody to think her -afraid of work, and she knew her husband would have a chance to rest -while she was burying the ball. Once in a while, when the ball came -down suddenly on the farther side of a twig or chip, it rolled quite -on top of her, and Mr. Tumble-bug would be greatly alarmed. Some -people thought this served her quite right for insisting that they -should go over things instead of around them. Still, one hardly likes -to say a thing like that. - -If it were much of a hill, she would climb down from the ball and talk -with him. Then they would put their shovel-shaped heads together under -the back side of the ball, and, pushing at the same time, send it -over. "Two heads are better than one," they would say, "and this needs -a great deal of head-work." - -At last the ball had reached the spot where they intended to have it -buried. Both were hot and tired. "Many legs make light work," said -Mrs. Tumble-bug, as she carefully cleaned hers before eating dinner, -"and if there is anything I enjoy, it is finishing a good job like -this!" - -Mr. Tumble-bug sighed heavily and said he thought he would go for a -walk with some of his friends that afternoon. "All work and no play -would make me a dull Bug," said he. Then he called out "Good-by" to -his wife, and told her not to work too hard. - -Mrs. Tumble-bug looked after him lovingly. "Now, isn't he good?" she -said to herself. "There are not many Bugs who will help their wives at -all, and most of them never look at an egg, much less see to getting -it well placed." And that is true, for the Tumble-bugs are the model -Bug fathers. - -Now, indeed, Mrs. Tumble-bug was at her best. She hurried down her -dinner, taking mouthfuls which were much too large for good manners, -and began plowing the earth around the ball as it lay there. She -plowed so deep that sometimes she was almost buried in the loose -earth. At last she came up, took a good look around, knocked some -grains of dust off her shining back, then dived in again upside down, -and pulled the ball in after her by holding it tightly with her middle -legs. All the time she was kicking the earth away with her two hind -legs and her two front ones, which were stout diggers, so that little -by little she sank deeper into the ground. - -She made a much larger hole for the ball than it really needed. "I -might just as well, while I am about it," she said. "And I should so -dislike to have any one think me afraid of work." - -At last she finished and crawled away, covering the place neatly over, -so that nobody could see where she went in or out. "There!" she said. -"Now I am ready to play." - -A stray Chicken came along and she hurried under a chip to be safe. -The Chicken was lost and calling to his mother. "Mother!" he cried. -"Mother Hen, I want to get home and go to sleep under your wings." - -"Dear me!" exclaimed Mrs. Tumble-bug. "Is it time for Chickens to go -to sleep?" She looked through a crack in the fence and across the lawn -to the big house. The shadows lay long upon the short grass. "It -certainly is," she said. "And here I have spent all day burying that -egg properly. I think it very strange that I cannot get more time for -rest and play." So she had to eat her supper and go straight to bed to -get rested for the next day's work. - -Mrs. Tumble-bug did not understand then, and perhaps never will learn, -that if she would stop doing things in the hardest way and begin doing -them in the easiest way, she might get a great deal of work done in a -day and still have time to rest. If one were to tell her so, she might -think that meant laziness, but it would not, you know. It is always -worth while to make one's head save one's feet, and when a single head -could save six feet it would certainly be worth while. Still, although -Mrs. Tumble-bug never dreamed of such a thing, she probably enjoyed -work about as much as her neighbors enjoyed play. - - - - -SILVERTIP LEARNS A LESSON - - -You may remember what a funny time Silvertip had with the first Mouse -he caught; how he carried it so long in his mouth before daring to lay -it down, and how frightened he was each time that it wriggled. That -was because he was just beginning to hunt. Cats have to learn by doing -things over and over, just like other people. He used to hear the -Little Boy sing. - - If at first you do not try - Try, try again. - -After a while he heard him sing. - - If at first you don't succeed - Try, try again. - -He did not understand just what this meant, but he soon knew that -Little Boys have to learn things quite as Cats do. He watched him -afterward learning to turn summersaults, and saw him do just that and -nothing else for nearly a whole afternoon. - -It was in some such way that Silvertip came to be a good hunter. He -used to spend whole hours under the low branches of some evergreen, -crouching and springing at every passing bird. In summer he crawled -through the wheat-field back of the house, looking for Mice. If he -found nothing better, he caught Moles, although he never ate them. He -thought that Moles were probably made for Cats to practice on, and -that good little Cats, who did the best they could on Moles, would -find Mice to catch after a while--if they were patient. - -When he could not find anything alive to hunt, he practiced on the -dead leaves which were blown over the lawn, or chased empty spools -across the kitchen floor. In the spring, when the Gentleman went out -before breakfast to work in his garden, Silvertip played with the -onion sets, chasing them down the narrow trench in which they had been -placed, until the Gentleman had to carry him off and shut him up. - -This is how he became so fine a hunter, and it is perhaps not strange -that after a while he grew conceited. You know what it means to be -conceited. Well, Silvertip was so. He thought himself really the -cleverest Cat that had ever lived, a Cat who could catch anything he -tried to. He bragged to the other Cats who came around, and when he -was alone he purred to himself about the fine things he could do. Now -people who think themselves clever are not always conceited, for -sometimes they are as clever as they think. But when a person is -always thinking and talking about what he can do, you watch him to see -if he does as well as he thinks. If not, then he is conceited. - -Silvertip even used to climb nearly to the top of the tall maple-trees -after Blackbirds, and crouch there, switching his tail, yet he never -caught any. When the other Cats asked him about this, he would smile, -and say that he decided not to eat any more just then, or that he had -found that Blackbirds disagreed with him. Undoubtedly these excuses -were both true, still they did not keep him from trying again and -again. - -The only Blackbird he ever caught was a young one who had disobeyed -her mother and flopped away from the tangle of rosebushes where she -had been told to stay. She was dreadfully punished for it--but then it -was very wrong for her not to mind her mother. If she had stayed where -she was, the thorns would have kept Cats away. - -Silvertip had been in the big house nearly a year, when Mr. Chipmunk -came to live in the yard. He chose to burrow under the open shed -which ran along by the back fence, and under which wood was piled to -dry before it was split and carried into the wood-house. He was the -first Chipmunk who had ever lived on the place, and all his new -neighbors were much interested in him. - -"Shall you bring your family here?" Mr. Robin asked him, as he watched -his own children caring for themselves. Mr. Robin had worked hard all -summer, and now he was enjoying a little visiting time before starting -south. - -"My family?" answered Mr. Chipmunk, with a chuckling laugh. "No, -indeed! One is company and two is crowd with Chipmunks. Of course -mothers have to live with their children for a time, but fathers -always have holes to themselves." - -Mr. Robin did not think that right, yet he kept still. He knew that it -is not always wise or polite to say all that one thinks. He thought it -was not fair to make the mothers have all the care of the children. -There is great difference in animals about this. - -Mr. Chipmunk began at once to dig his burrow. He had not seen -Silvertip yet, and did not know that there was a Cat around. He began -just in front of the woodpile, and when he had enough earth loosened -to fill his cheek-pockets, he brought it out and emptied it by the -doorway of his burrow. Quite a pile was there already when Silvertip -came walking past. - -"Meouw!" said he. "What sort of creature is at work here?" - -Mr. Chipmunk heard his voice, and lay still in his burrow. If -Silvertip had not spoken just then, this story might end very -differently. In fact, it would probably be ended already. "A Cat!" -said he. "Well, it is always something, and it might as well be a Cat -as a Dog. He won't be so likely to dig me out, anyway." - -After a long time he turned around, and went quietly toward the -door-way of the burrow, just far enough to see who was there. What he -saw was a white face with tiger spots and a pink nose. Long white -whiskers stuck out on either side, and the nose was twitching. -Silvertip was trying to get a good smell of the new-comer. - -Mr. Chipmunk did not move, and being brown and in the darkness of the -hole, Silvertip, who stood in the sunshine, could not see him. For a -long time neither moved. Then Silvertip walked slowly away. He was not -very hungry that morning. Mr. Chipmunk always believed in keeping -still as long as possible. "If the other fellow is the larger," said -he, "always wait to see what he is going to do. Then you can decide -better what you should do." - -After this Silvertip came often to the burrow. He learned the Chipmunk -by smell long before he saw him. When at last he did see him, Mr. -Chipmunk was perched on a low stick of wood, with his small fore paws -clasped on his breast and his beautiful fur glistening in the -sunshine. He was facing Silvertip, so the Cat did not see the five -dark stripes on his back till later. - -Silvertip crouched and tried his muscles by shaking himself a little. -He did not say that it was a pleasant day, or that he was glad to -become acquainted with Mr. Chipmunk. He did not even say, "I see you -are making a new home!" He was sure this was the little creature whom -he had been smelling for several days, and he saw no use in saying -anything. He meant to eat Mr. Chipmunk, and Mr. Chipmunk understood -it. There was really nothing to be said. Mr. Chipmunk might object to -being eaten. People usually did object to it, but Silvertip saw no -sense in talking it over. He would rather have no conversation -whatever at meals than to speak of disagreeable things or to quarrel. - -Mr. Chipmunk did not care to talk, either. He believed in thinking -before you speak, and he had a great deal of thinking to do just then. -A team stopped by the gate of the driveway. Mr. Chipmunk dared not -look to see what was coming. Silvertip did not look until the Milkman -was near him carrying the milk bottles. Then he gave one quick upward -glance. When he looked back, the stick of wood was there, but Mr. -Chipmunk was gone. - -Silvertip was not at all happy, and he felt still worse when Mr. -Chipmunk stuck his saucy little face out of the burrow and called, -"Chip-r-r-r! Milk is better for Cats anyway, you know!" Mr. Chipmunk -did not have to stop to think when he was in his hole. - -That was the beginning of the acquaintance, and a very merry one it -was for Mr. Chipmunk. "I have to be hunted anyway," he said, "so I -might as well have some fun out of it." - -Whenever he saw Silvertip having an especially comfortable nap, he -would run near and give his chirping, chuckling laugh. Then he would -run away. Sometimes he would stand as still as a stone, with his tiny -fore paws clasped on his breast. Silvertip would creep and crawl up -close to him, and he would act too scared to move. Then, just as -Silvertip was ready to spring, he would cry out, "Chip-r-r-r!" and -tumble heels over head into his burrow. - -Sometimes, too, Silvertip would be walking along as happily as -possible, not even thinking of Chipmunks, when a mischievous little -face would peep out from the woodpile just beside him. Mr. Chipmunk -would say "Good-morning!" then draw back and disappear, only to peep -out again and again from new places as the Cat came along. You know -nothing can catch a Chipmunk when he is in a woodpile. The worst of it -was that there always seemed to be so many other people around to see -how poor Silvertip was teased. You would never have thought that -Silvertip was hunting Mr. Chipmunk. It always seemed to be Mr. -Chipmunk who was hunting Silvertip. - -At last Mr. Chipmunk had his burrow all done. He had made an opening -at the second end and closed the one at the first, so nobody could -tell from the pile of earth what had been happening. He said he had -crawled into the hole and pulled it in after him. The last opening, -which was now to be his only door, was under the woodpile. No rain -could fall into it and no Dog could dig at it. Mr. Chipmunk was very -happy. - -He made friends with the Lady, too. She seemed to be perfectly -harmless, and she brought him a great deal of corn and many -peanuts. Sometimes he found butternuts tucked around in the woodpile, -which could not possibly have fallen from any tree. He decided that he -might come to some sort of agreement with Silvertip. He got ready for -it by being more annoying than ever. When Silvertip's tail was -switching and his nose twitching with anger, Mr. Chipmunk peeped out -from a hollow stick in the pile and called to him. - -[Illustration: MR. CHIPMUNK ON THE WOODPILE. _Page 142_] - -"Silvertip!" cried he, "O Silvertip! I want to talk with you. How -would you like to be eaten up?" - -There was no answer, except a murmuring under his breath that he -"guessed there wasn't much danger." - -"Enjoy the acquaintance, do you, Silvertip?" asked Mr. Chipmunk. "Find -me a pleasant talker? Ever tell anybody that you were going to eat -me?" - -Now Silvertip had told some of his friends exactly that, but this was -before he knew so much about Chipmunks. He growled something under -his breath about "Quit your teasing." - -"I will if you will quit trying to catch me," answered Mr. Chipmunk. -"Tell your friends that you changed your mind. Tell them that I am not -to your taste. Tell them anything you wish, but let me alone and I -will let you alone." - -"All right," said Silvertip. "Now don't you ever speak to me again." - -"Never!" answered Mr. Chipmunk. "Walnuts couldn't hire me to!" And -after that there was peace around the woodpile. - - - - -THE ROBINS' DOUBLE BROOD - - -The Robins who nested on the west-side second-story window-ledge had -four as good children as you would care to see. They were healthy -nestlings, brought up to mind and to eat what was given to them -without fussing. If, for any reason there came a time when they had to -go without for a while, they were good-natured then also. Their -parents had raised other broods the year before, and had learned that -it is not really kind to children to spoil them. - -"You must never forget," Mrs. Robin used to say, "that your father -_is_ your father and your mother _is_ your mother. If it were not for -us, you would not be here at all, and if it were not for us you would -have nothing to eat now that you are here. Little birds should be very -thoughtful of their parents." - -When it was bedtime, and the young Robins wanted to play instead of -going to sleep, their father would often leave the high branch where -he was singing his evening song and come over to talk to them. When he -did this he did not scold, but he looked so grave that each child -listened to every word. "Your mother," he would say, "has been busy -all day, hunting Worms for you and flying up to the nest with them. -Now she is tired, and would enjoy perching on a branch and sleeping -alone, but because that would leave you cold and lonely she is willing -to sleep in the nest and cover you with her soft feathers. Do you -think it is fair for you to keep her awake?" - -Then all the little Robins would hang their heads and murmur, "No, -Father." - -"What are you going to do about it?" would be the next question. And -then the little Robins never failed to raise their heads and answer, -"We will be good and not say a word." - -Mrs. Robin often said that there would be more happy mothers in the -world if their children took as good care of them as her nestlings -took of her. "They have to be reminded," she said, "because they are -so young, but when they have been told the right thing to do, they -always do it." The Catbird, however, who was a very shrewd fellow, -said he thought it was not so much what their father said to them that -made them good, as what they saw him do. He was always kind to Mrs. -Robin himself, you know, and spoke gently, and left the biggest Worms -for her to eat, so his children felt sure that this was the right way. - -Mrs. Robin, too, was always polite to her husband. She spoke -pleasantly of him to the children, and if he had any faults she did -not talk about them. The little Robins were certain that they had the -finest father in the world, and meant to be exactly like him when they -grew up. That is, the sons did. The daughters meant to be like their -mother. - -When the little Robins' tail-feathers were about as long as fir -needles, they were surprised to find a beautiful blue egg in the nest -beside them. "Is it for us to play with?" they asked their mother. -"Did we come out of eggs like that? Why is this here?" - -Then their wise and gentle mother stood on the ledge beside the nest -and talked to them. She was a busy bird, you know, but she always said -that it took no longer to answer children's questions than it did to -tell them over and over again to keep still. - -"Each of you came out of just such an egg as that," she said. "This -one is here because I had it ready to lay, and there was no other -good place to put it. You may play with it very carefully, and be sure -not to push it out of the nest, for then it would fall on the porch -roof and break. You may take turns lying next to it, and before long I -will lay another, so you can all be next to an egg at the same time." - -"What are you going to do with them?" asked the Oldest Nestling. "What -will become of them when we are old enough to leave the nest?" - -"That is the loveliest part of it," answered their mother. "I shall -hatch these eggs, too, and then you can have baby brothers and -sisters, perhaps both." - -"But who will take care of us?" asked the Youngest Nestling, and she -looked as though she wanted to cry when she spoke. - -"Don't you worry, little Robin," said her mother cheerfully. "There -are always enough people to do the things which have to be done, if -they will only keep sweet and not make a fuss. We will all help each -other and everything will come out beautifully. This is the first time -I ever laid the eggs for the second brood before the first brood was -out of the nest, but we shall manage. Besides," she added, "I believe -you are the first little Robins I ever knew who had a chance to help -hatch eggs before being grown up. Won't that be fine?" - -Mrs. Robin looked so bright and happy as she spoke that her children -were sure it was going to be great fun, and one and all chirped back, -"Oh, let's! We'll hatch them just as hard as we can." - -Mrs. Robin fixed them with the new egg in the middle of the nest, and -went off to help their father find dinner for them. After they had -been fed with about fifteen Worms, she laid the second egg. "That will -be all for this brood," she said, "and perhaps it is just as well. Too -many eggs would crowd the nest." - -Then she told them what wonderful things eggs are; how what is going -to be the young bird is at first only a tiny, soft, stringy thing, -floating around inside the shell, with a ball of yellow food-stuff in -the middle of the shell and clear white stuff all around it. She told -them, too, how this little thing which is to be a bird floats on top -of the other stuff, and so is always next to the mother's breast as -she sits over it on the nest. "It is the being warm for a long time -and all the time that changes it into a bird strong enough to break -the shell. You will remember that, won't you," said she, "and keep the -top side of the eggs warm when I am not here?" - -All the little birds were sure that they could, and very proud to -think that she would trust them so. Perhaps if she had said, "Now, -don't you let me catch you leaving those eggs uncovered!" they might -have murmured to each other, "What do we care about her old eggs? Let -them get cold!" It is a great pity, you know, when people in families -get to talking in that way. And the worst of it is that every time one -person speaks so, another is almost sure to answer in the same way. - -Now the Robin family were all caretakers, and when Mrs. Robin flew up -with choice Worms for her children, she gave them loving glances, and -said, "You are such helpers! I don't know how I could get along -without you." - -Mr. Robin, too, remarked every now and then that it made him happy to -see how thoughtful they were of their mother. After he had said these -things, the children always stretched themselves, so that they might -look as big as they felt. - -With four growing children besides the two eggs in the nest, it soon -became very much crowded. Mr. and Mrs. Robin talked it over while -hunting in the garden, where the Hired Man was spading. After they -had fed the children whole billfuls of Worms, which they had found -wriggling there on top of the ground, Mr. Robin said: "Now, if you -will keep very still and not interrupt, I will tell you some good -news." - -When all was quiet, he said: "I shall take you out into the great -world to-morrow. I shall teach you to fly, to perch on branches, and -to hunt for yourselves." - -"Oh goody!" cried all the little Robins together. Then they remembered -how stubby their wings and tails still were, and wondered how they -could ever get to the ground. "Won't we tumble some?" they asked -doubtfully. - -"You may tumble some," answered their father, "but isn't it worth a -tumble to get out into the world? Mother will stay up here and finish -hatching the eggs while I am with you, and we will stay near enough -for her to see how fast you learn." - -You can imagine how excited the young Robins were then. They talked so -much that day that not one of them took a nap, and if their mother had -not insisted upon it, they would not have quieted down at sunset. - -Early the next morning their parents helped them to the ground. First -they tumbled, fluttered, and sprawled to the porch roof below the -nest. Then when they had rested, they tumbled, fluttered, and sprawled -to the tops of the sweetbriar bushes underneath. There they clung -until after breakfast, while their father hunted for them and their -mother sat on the eggs above. If they had not been taught to mind, it -would have been much harder. As it was, when their parents said, -"Flutter your wings! Get ready! Fly!" they did the very best they -could at once. And that is exactly the way children must do if they -wish to grow strong and help themselves. - -There never were such plump, cheerful, and obedient little Robins as -these. Their father had them stay in the lower branches of the fir -tree, within sight of the nest, and the mother watched them while he -was hunting, and called down comforting things to them. When they had -tumbles in trying to fly, she would say: "Never mind! Pick yourselves -up! Robins must tumble before they can fly. After awhile, when I have -finished hatching these eggs, you can come right up to this window -ledge and see the babies." - -Then the little Robins would try harder than ever, for they were -already proud of the babies to be hatched, since they had helped keep -the eggs warm. - -Sometimes Silvertip would stroll around the corner of the house, and -Mrs. Robin would be so scared that she could hardly scream "Cat!" Yet -she always managed to do it in some way, and all the other Robins -would help her. Then the Lady, who was almost always writing or sewing -at the sitting-room window, within sight of the nest, would drop her -work and run out the nearest door, pick up Silvertip, and carry him -inside. There he would stand, with his nose pressed against the screen -and his tail switching angrily. - -The Lady seemed to understand Robins. When they only cried "Trouble!" -she did not move, knowing it was something she could not help, but -when they cried, "Cat! Cat!" she always hurried out. Sometimes, -though, it was the Gentleman who came, and sometimes the Little Boy. -Mrs. Robin often said that she was sure she could never raise children -so well in any other place as here, in spite of Silvertip's being -around. - -Every day the young Robins were larger and stronger, and their -tail-feathers were better grown. When at last the joyful time came -for the two babies to chip the shell, every one of the four children -managed to get up to the window ledge to see them. It was a hard trip, -and they had to try and try again, and rest between times. They were -not all there at once, but oh, it was a happy, happy time! - -The mother told the babies how their big brothers and sisters had -helped hatch them, and the father told the mother how beautifully she -had managed everything. Then the mother told him how faithfully he had -worked, and they both told the older children how proud they were of -them. Everybody said lovely things to everybody else, and the best -part of it was that all these lovely things were true. - -The babies were too little to talk much, but they stretched their -necks up lovingly and sleepily to all the family, and acted as though -they really understood how many people had been loving and working for -them, even before they were hatched. - - - - -THE SPARROWS INSIDE THE EAVES - - -One does not like to say such things, but the English Sparrows were -very disagreeable people. And they are very disagreeable people. Also, -they always have been, and probably always will be, very disagreeable -people. They were the first birds to make trouble among neighbors -anywhere around the big house. If it had not been that the Gentleman -who lived there was so very tender-hearted, their nests would probably -have been poked down with poles long before the eggs could have been -laid in them. When Boys came around with little rifles and ugly -looking bags slung over their shoulders, they were always ordered -away and told that the Gentleman would have no shooting near his -house. - -It is not strange then that the woodbine was full of Sparrows' nests, -and that many of the evergreens also bore them in their top branches. -One had even been tucked in behind a conductor pipe, and their owners -hunted and argued and fussed all over the place. There was just one -way in which the English Sparrows were not cared for like other birds -around the big house. Silvertip was allowed to eat all that he could -catch. And you may be very sure that no Robin ever called "Cat!" when -he was ready to spring upon a Sparrow. - -"It may be wrong," said one Robin mother, "but I cannot do it. I -remember too well how they have robbed my nests and quarrelled with my -friends. I say that they must care for their own children. And if they -do not--well, so much the better for Silvertip!" - -You see that the birds were not angry at Silvertip for trying to eat -them. It was all to be expected, as they knew very well. It was not -pleasant, but it had to be, just as Worms and Flies had to expect to -be eaten, unless they were clever enough to keep out of the way of -birds. Only the quickest and strongest could live, so of course all -the young ones tried hard to become quick and strong. - -When Miss Sparrow, from the nest behind the conductor pipe, was old -enough to marry, she had many lovers, and that was quite natural. She -was a plump and trim-looking bird, and pretty, too, if one came close -enough to her. Her feathers were gray and brown, with a little white -and black in places. Her bill was black, and her feet were brown. She -was very careful to keep clean, and although she had to hunt food in -the mud of the street, she bathed often in fine dust and kept her -wings and tail well up. Her lovers were dressed in the same colors, -but with more decided markings. - -Her parents were very clever to think of building where they did; and -because they had such a large nest and so near the eaves of the house, -they were much looked up to by the other Sparrows. They were very -proud of their home, and especially on days when the water running -down the pipe made a sweet guggle-guggle-guggling sound. Sparrows like -noise, you know, and this always amused the children and kept them -quiet on rainy days. - -All the young Sparrows who were not already in love, and a few who -were, began to court Miss Sparrow as soon as it was known that she -cared to marry. This was partly on her own account, and partly because -of her distinguished family. - -Some birds would have waited for their suitors to speak first about -marriage. Miss Sparrow did not. The Sparrows are not very well bred. -"Of course I am going to marry," she said. "I am only waiting to make -up my mind whom I will choose." - -They flocked around her as she fed in the dust of the road, all -talking at once in their harsh voices. When a team passed by, and that -was not often, they flew or hopped aside at the last minute. When they -settled down again there was always a squabble to see who should be -next to Miss Sparrow. Her lovers fought with each other over choice -seeds, but they let Miss Sparrow have everything she wished. She -always seemed very cross when her lovers were around (as well as most -of the time when they were not), and often scolded and pecked at them. -Sometimes one who was not brave, and would not stand pain, flew away -and began courting somebody else. - -After a while she had driven away so many that only two were left. She -flew at these, striking first one and then the other, until, brave as -they were, one went away. Then she turned to the suitor who was left -with a sweet smile. "I will marry you," she said. - -His wings were lame from her fighting him, his head smarted where she -had picked at it, and two or three small feathers were missing from -his breast. Miss Sparrow was certainly a strong bird, and he knew that -anybody who wanted her would have to stand just what he had stood. He -would have preferred to court as the Goldfinches and Wrens do, by -singing to their sweethearts, but that could not be. In the first -place, he could not sing, and in the second place she would not have -taken him until she had beaten him anyway. It would have been more fun -for him to fight some of the other birds and let the winner have her, -yet that could not be done either. If he wanted to marry, he had to -marry an English Sparrow, and if he wanted to marry an English -Sparrow he had to go about it in her way. It would have been just the -same if he had courted her sister or her cousin. - -The truth is that, although the Sparrow husbands swagger and brag a -great deal and act as though they owned everything in sight, there is -not one whose wife does not order him around. Miss Sparrow would not -have taken him if she had not made sure that she could whip him. - -"What do I need of a husband," she said, "unless he will mind me? And -when I feel crosser than usual I want somebody always near and at -home, where I can treat him as I choose. That is what I care for in a -home." - -"Now," she said, "if you are to be my husband, I will show you where -we are to build." - -Mr. Sparrow flew meekly along after her. You would be meek with lame -wings, a sore head, and three feathers off from your breast. She led -the way to the front west porch, where the syringa shoots made a -little hedge around it and a tall fir tree made good perching places -beside it. - -"Where are we going to build?" asked Mr. Sparrow. He saw plenty of -good window ledges and places which would do for Robins and Phoebes -and other birds who plaster their nests. Yet he did not see a single -corner or big crack where a Sparrow's nest could be made to hold -together. - -"I will show you," answered Mrs. Sparrow. She perched on the top of a -porch column and looked up at a small round hole nearly over her head. -It was the place where a conductor pipe had once run through the -cornice. Now the pipe had been taken away and the opening was left. -She gave an upward spring and flutter and went straight up through -the hole. "Come up!" she cried in the most good-natured way. "Come up! -This is the best place I ever saw. Our nest will be all hidden, and no -large bird or Squirrel can possibly get in. The rain can never fall on -it, and on cold days we shall be warm and snug." - -She did not ask him what he thought of it, and he did not expect her -to. So he just said, "It is a most unusual place." - -"That is what I think," she replied. "Very unusual, and I would not -build in the woodbine like some Sparrows. No, indeed! One who has been -brought up in style beside a water-pipe, as I was, could never come -down to woodbine. It should not be expected." - -"I'm sure it was not, my dear," said her husband. - -"Very well," said she. "Since you like this place so much, we may as -well call it settled and keep still about it until we are ready to -build." - -Mr. Sparrow had not said that he liked it, yet he knew better than to -tell her so. If he did, she might leave him even now for one of her -other lovers. He really dreaded getting out through that hole, and let -her go while he watched her. She went head first, clinging to the -rough edges of the hole with both feet, let go with one, hung and -twisted around until she was headed right, then dropped and flew away. -Mr. Sparrow did the same, but he did not like it. - -After a while they began nest-building, and all the straws, sticks, -and feathers had to be dragged up through the little round doorway to -the nest. Mrs. Sparrow did most of the arranging, while her husband -flew in and out more than a hundred times a day. She was a worker. Any -bird will tell you that. Still, you know, there are different ways of -working. Some of the people who do the most work make the least fuss. -Mrs. Sparrow was not one of these. When she did a thing, she wanted -everybody to know it, and since her building-place was hidden she -talked all the more to Mr. Sparrow. - -"I am going to have a large nest," she said. "So bring plenty of -stuff. Bring good things, too," she added. "You have brought two -straws already that were really dirty, and this last stick isn't fit -to use. I will push it back into a corner." - -Mr. Sparrow would have liked to tell her what hard work his was, and -ask her to use things he brought, even if they were not quite what she -wanted. He was too wise for this, however, so he flew out and pitched -into another Sparrow who was getting straws for his wife. He tried to -steal his straw, and they fought back and forth until their wives came -to see what was the matter and began fighting also. When they stopped -at last, the straw had been carried away by a Robin, so neither had -it. But they had had a lovely, loud, rough fight, and Sparrows like -that even better than straw, so they all felt good-natured again. - -Twice Mrs. Sparrow decided to move her nest a little this way or a -little that, and such a litter as she made when doing it! Some of the -best sticks fell down through the doorway, and the Lady swept them off -the porch. Then Mrs. Sparrow scolded her. She was not afraid of a -Lady. "She might have left them there," she said. "I would have had my -husband pick them up soon. Yesterday she had the Maid put some of her -own horrid chairs and tables out here while they were cleaning, and I -never touched them." - -Mr. Sparrow flew up with a fine Turkey feather. "It came from the -Lady's duster," he said. "I think it will give quite an air to your -nest." - -"Excellent!" cried his wife. "Just wait until I get ready for it." He -clung patiently by one foot to the doorway. When that was tired he -changed to the other. When that was tired he perched on the top of the -column. He was very hungry, and he saw some grain dropped from a -passing wagon. - -"Hurry up, my dear!" he called. "It is past my dinner-time already." - -"Wait until supper then," cried his wife. "As if I hadn't enough to do -without thinking about your dinner! Don't let go of it or it will be -blown away." - -Then Mr. Sparrow lost his temper. He stuck that feather into a crack -near by, and flew softly away to eat some grain. He thought he might -be back in time to carry in the feather and his wife never know where -he had been. Unfortunately, he got to talking and did not hear his -wife call him. - -"Mr. Sparrow!" said she. "_Mr. Sparrow!_ I am ready for that -feather." - -When he did not answer, she put her head out of the doorway. There was -the Turkey feather stuck into a crack, and in the road beyond was her -husband eating happily with several of his friends. She looked very -angry and opened her bill to speak. Then she changed her mind and flew -quietly off the other way. She went straight to the Horse-block, where -another old suitor was, the one who had come so near winning her. "Mr. -Sparrow has disobeyed me," she said, "and is actually eating his -dinner when he should be waiting by the nest to help me. I believe -that I ought to have married you, but better late than never. Come -now." - -This was how it happened that when Mr. Sparrow's stomach was quite -full, and he suddenly remembered his work, he flew back and found the -Turkey feather gone. In the eaves overhead he heard Mrs. Sparrow -telling somebody else what to do. He tried to force his way up there. -Every time he was shoved back, and not very gently either. - -"You might better look for another home," said Mrs. Sparrow's voice. -"I have found another husband, one who will help me as I wish. -Good-by." - -That was the ending of Mr. Sparrow's first marriage. It was a very sad -affair, and the birds talked of nothing else for a long time -afterward. Some said that it served him exactly right, because he -married to get into a fine family, when there were dozens of Sparrow -daughters much prettier and nicer than the one he chose. There may -have been something in this, for certainly if Mrs. Sparrow had not -been so sure of finding another to take his place, she would not have -turned him out in the way she did. It is said, however, that her -second husband had a hard life of it. - - - - -A RAINY DAY ON THE LAWN - - -When the sun rose, that morning late in April, he tried and tried to -look at the big house and see what was happening. All he could see was -a thick gray cloud veil stretched between him and the earth, and, -shine as hard as he might, not a single sunbeam went through that -veil. - -When the Blackbirds awakened, they found a drizzling rain falling, and -hurried on their waterproofs to get ready for a wet time. Blackbirds -are always handsome, yet they never look better than when it rains. -They coat their feathers with oil from the pockets under their tails, -as indeed all birds do, and then they fly to the high branches of some -tall and swaying tree and talk and talk and talk and talk. They do -not get into little groups and face each other, but scatter themselves -around and face the wind. This is most sensible, for if one of them -were to turn his back to the wind, it would rumple up his feathers and -give the raindrops a chance to get down to his skin. When they speak, -or at least when they have anything really important to say, they -ruffle their own feathers and stand on tip-toe, but they ruffle them -carefully and face the wind all the time. - -When the Robins opened their round eyes, they chirped cheerfully to -each other and put on their waterproofs. "Good weather for us," they -said. "It will make fine mud for plastering our new nests, and it will -bring out the Worms." - -The English Sparrows, Goldfinches, and other seed-eaters were not made -happy by the rain. With them it was only something to be borne -patiently and without complaining. The Hummingbirds found fewer -fresh blossoms open on cloudy days, and so had to fly farther and work -harder for their food. The Pewees and other fly-catchers oiled their -feathers and kept steadily at work. - -[Illustration: "O MOTHER, IT IS RAINING!" _Page 175_] - -The birds had not awakened so early as usual, because it was darker. -They had hardly got well started on their breakfast before a sleepy -little face appeared at the window of the big house and a sleepy -little voice called out: "O Mother, it is raining! I didn't want it to -rain." - -"Foolish! Foolish! Foolish!" chirped the Robins on the lawn. "Boys -would know better than to say such things if they were birds." - -"Boys are a bother, anyway," said an English Sparrow, as he spattered -in the edge of a puddle. "I wish they had never been hatched." - -"Ker-eeeee!" said a Blackbird above his head. "I suppose they may be -of some use in the world. I notice that the Gentleman and the Lady -seem to think a great deal of this one, and they are a very good sort -of people." - -"I'd like them better if they didn't keep a Cat," said his brother. -"Their Cat is the greatest climber I ever saw. He came almost to the -top of this maple after me yesterday, and I have seen him go clear to -the eaves of the big house on the woodbine." - -"That is because the Sparrows live there," said Mr. Wren. "He went to -see their children. Silvertip says that he is very fond of -children--they are so much more tender than their parents." Mr. Wren -could laugh about this because his own children were always safely -housed. Besides, you know, he had reason to dislike Sparrows. - -"I would not stay here," said a Sparrow who had just come up, "if the -people here were not of the right sort. They have mountain ash trees -and sweetbrier bushes where birds find good feeding. And in the winter -that Boy throws out bread crumbs and wheat for us." - -"Humph!" said the Oldest Blackbird. "There is no need of talking so -much about it. You can always tell what sort of people live in a place -by seeing if they have a bird-house. If they have, and it is a -sensible one, where a bird could live comfortably, they are all -right." - -After that the birds worked more and talked less, for the Oldest -Blackbird, while he was often grumpy and sometimes cross, was really a -very sensible bird, and what he had said was true. The Robins went -here and there over the lawn in quick, short runs, pausing once in a -while with their heads bent forward and then pulling up choice Worms -to eat. Some of their mouthfuls were half as long as they, but that -was not rude in Robins. What they insist on in bringing up their -children is that mouthfuls should not be too broad, and that they -should not stop swallowing until all the Worm is out of sight. - -The Blackbirds hunted in a more dignified way. They never ran after -food, or indeed after anything else. "If walking is not fast enough," -the Blackbird mothers say, "then fly, but do not run." They walked in -parties over the lawn and waggled their heads at each step. When they -found Grubs they did not appear greedy, yet never a Grub escaped. - -"There are two ways of hurrying," they often said. "One is the jerky -way and the other is our way, of being sure and steady. Of course our -way is the better. You will see that we do just as much and make less -fuss." - -Silvertip came to the edge of the porch and looked around. He was -licking his lips, and every bird on the lawn was happy to see that, -for it meant that he had just finished his breakfast. His eyes -gleamed and his tail waved stiffly as he saw the fat Robins so near. -He even crouched down and took four short steps, quivering his body -and trying his muscles. Then he remembered how wet the grass was and -turned back with a long sigh. After all, his stomach was full and he -could afford to wait until the grass was dry. The Robins would be -there then, and if they kept on eating Worms at this rate, they would -be growing plump and juicy all the time. He began to lick himself all -over, as every truly tidy Cat does after eating. By the time he had -finished the tip of his tail he was sleepy, so he went into the -kitchen and dozed by the fire. - -The front door opened with a bang, and the Little Boy stood there, -shouting and waving a piece of red paper with a string tied to it. -"See my kite!" he cried. "Whee-ee-ee!" - -Five birds who had been feeding near flew off in wild alarm. "Now why -did he do that?" asked one, after they had settled down elsewhere. -Nobody answered. None but Little Boys understand these things, and -even they do not always tell. - -The Lady came to the door behind him and helped him start away. He -proudly carried a small new umbrella, and the precious kite fluttered -out behind him. When he was outside the gate, he peeped through it and -called back: "Good-by, Mother! I'm going to school to learn everyfing. -I'll be a good Boy. Good-by!" Then he ran down the walk with the -umbrella held back over his shoulder and the rain falling squarely in -his face. All that the birds could see of the Little Boy then was his -fat legs bobbing along below the umbrella. - -"There!" said all the birds together. "There! Silvertip is asleep and -the Little Boy has gone to school. Now we can take comfort." - - * * * * * - -When the morning was nearly past, and the birds felt so safe that they -had grown almost careless, Silvertip wakened and felt hungry. He -walked slowly out of the kitchen door and looked at the grass. The sun -was now shining, and it was no longer sparkling with tiny drops. He -crept down the steps and around to a place under a big spruce tree, -the lower branches of which lay along the ground. A fat Robin was -hunting near by. - -Silvertip watched her hungrily, and if you were a Cat you might have -done exactly the same thing. So you must not blame Silvertip. He was -creeping, creeping, creeping nearer, and never looking away from her, -when the Little Boy came tramping across the grass. He had come in by -the gate of the driveway, and was walking straight toward Silvertip, -who neither saw nor heard him. - -Then the Little Boy saw what was happening, and dropped his bright -paper chain on the grass beside him. "G'way!" he cried, waving his -umbrella. "G'way! Don't you try to eat any birds 'round here. My -father doesn't 'low it. G'way! G'way! Else I'll tell my mother that -you are a _bad_ Cat." - -Silvertip fled under the porch, the Robin flew up onto the snowball -bush, and all around the birds sang the praises of the good Little Boy -with the umbrella. But the Little Boy didn't know this. He stood by -the porch and dangled his pretty paper chain until Silvertip forgave -him and came out to play. Then they ran together into the house, and -the birds heard him shouting, "Mother! Mother! Where are you? I want -to give Silvertip some cream. He is so very hungry that he most had to -eat up a Robin, only I wouldn't let him." - - - - -THE PERSISTENT PHOEBE - - -It is not often that a Phoebe will nest anywhere except near running -water, and nobody but the Phoebes themselves will ever know why this -pair chose to build under a porch of the big house. When they came -there on their wedding trip the other birds supposed that they were -only visiting, and it was not until a Catbird heard them discussing -different porches that any one really believed they might come there -to live. - -Mrs. Phoebe was eager to begin at once, and could not pass a soft -bit of moss or an unusually good blade of grass without stopping to -look it over and think how she could weave it in. "I see no use in -waiting," said she. "I know just as much about building now as I -shall after a while, and I should like a home of my own. It makes my -bill fairly tingle to see all these fine grasses and mosses waiting to -be used. And the worst of it is," she added, "that if we wait, some -other bird may get them instead." - -Mr. Phoebe wanted to think it over a little longer. He was older -than his wife and had been married before. "Phoebe!" he would -exclaim. "Wait a day. You know we are building by a house to please -you, now wait one more day to please me." - -That, you see, was quite right and perfectly fair, for it is _not_ -fair for one person to decide everything in a family, and it was right -for the wife to wait as long as she could. She could not, of course, -wait many days, for there were eggs to be laid, and when it was time -for them, the nest had to be ready. Mr. Phoebe knew this and wasted -no time. - -"We cannot build on a rock," said he, "because there are no rocks -here, and we cannot build under a bridge because there is no bridge -here. My other wife and I lived under a bridge." Then he stood silent -for a long time and looked down at his black feet. When he spoke of -his first wife he always seemed sad. The second Mrs. Phoebe had not -liked this at first, but he was so good and kind to her, and let her -have her own way so much more than some husbands would, that she had -begun to feel happier about it. - -There is reason to think that she chose an unusual nesting-place just -to see how far she could coax him out of his old ways. Perhaps, too, -she thought that there would be less in such a place to remind him of -his first wife. Another thing which had made her come to feel -differently was remembering that if he died or left her she would -marry again. Then, you know, she might want to think and talk about -her first husband. - -She was very proud of him, and watched him as he stood thinking. His -upper feathers were deep brown, his under ones a dingy white, and the -outer edges of some of his tail-feathers were light colored. His most -beautiful features were his black bill and feet and the crest which he -could raise on the top of his head. Mrs. Phoebe had the same -coloring as her husband, yet she always insisted that he was the -better looking of the two, while he insisted, as a good and wise -husband should, that she was by far the handsomer. - -Now Mr. Phoebe was speaking. "We have decided to build on this -house," said he, "and under a porch. Still, there are four large ones -and we must find out which is the best. You feed on the shady side and -I will feed on the sunny side of the house. Then we shall see how much -these people use their porches." - -"I'll do it," answered his wife, "but isn't it a pity that there are -people living in this house? It would be so much pleasanter if it -were empty." - -Mrs. Phoebe perched on a maple branch on the shady side and watched -two porches. She thought she would like the front one the better, and -had already chosen her window ledge, when she noticed a pair of -English Sparrows dragging straws and feathers toward it and -disappearing inside the cornice. "Not there," she said firmly, as she -clutched the branch even more tightly with her pretty black feet. "I -will not have quarrelsome neighbors, and I could never bring our -children up to be good if the young Sparrows were always near, showing -them how to be naughty." Then she darted after a Fly, caught and -swallowed him, and was back on her perch. - -"I wonder how the back one would do?" she said. "There are no steps -leading to it, and those sweetbrier bushes all around it would keep -Boys from climbing onto the railing." - -She flew near and saw the Maid kneading bread by one window. A door -stood open into the big kitchen, and through two other windows she -could look into a pleasant dining-room. "I wouldn't mind that," she -said. "If I have plenty to eat myself, I would just as soon see other -people eating. We like different things anyway. I dare say those -people never tasted an insect in their lives and do not even know the -flavor of a choice Fly." Then she swallowed a careless Bug who had -mistaken her for an English Sparrow and flown when he should have -stayed hidden. Mrs. Phoebe was much interested in the nest, but not -so much as to let an insect escape. Oh, never so much as that! - -Mr. Phoebe watched the back porch on his side. Some Robins were -building on a window-ledge there, which he thought exceeding -imprudent. But then he was not surprised, for everybody knows how -careless Robins are. That is why so many of them have to leave their -nests--because they are built where no nest should be. Mr. Phoebe -could tell at a glance that no bird should build there. Woodbine -climbed over the pillars and fell in a thick curtain from the cornice, -and beside the door stood a saucerful of milk. "That means a Cat," -said he, "a Cat who stays on this porch most of the time and always -comes here when he is hungry. And when he tires of milk he will climb -up that woodbine and finish with young Robin. Or, perhaps," he added, -"I should say that he will finish _a_ young Robin." - -The front porch on his side was sunshiny and quiet, but there was the -woodbine again, and with the Cat so near. He next looked at the -portico over the front door. Under the roof of this was a queer shiny, -thin thing with a loop of black thread hanging down in it. He tried to -get the thread, but only hit and hurt his bill against the shiny, -thin stuff. Then he remembered seeing a bright light in it the night -before when he had been awakened by a bad dream. "That will never do," -he said. "It is not good for children to sleep with a light near. One -would want to be catching insects there, too," he added, "when he -should be sleeping. There must be many drawn by the light." - -So it ended in the couple building under the dining-room porch on the -shelf-like top of a column. Mrs. Phoebe chose this instead of a -window-ledge because from here she could look into the window while -brooding her eggs. "You may laugh at me all you choose," said she to -her husband, "for I did wish the house empty. Since it cannot be, -however, I might as well see what the people in it do." - -"I was not laughing, my dear," answered her husband meekly (you -remember that he had been married before). "I was only smiling with -pleasure at our fine nest. You have so much taste in arranging -grasses!" - -That was the way in which the Phoebes began housekeeping. It was not -always easy, sitting on the nest day after day as Mrs. Phoebe had -to, with only a chance now and then to stretch her tired legs. She was -even glad that people lived in the house. "It gives me something to -think about," said she, "although I do get much out of patience with -them sometimes. Much they know about bringing up children! That Boy of -theirs eats only three times a day. How can they ever hope to raise -him unless he eats more? Now, I expect to feed my children all the -time, and that is the way to do." Here she darted away to catch a Fly -who came blundering along. - -"It's a good thing for that Fly that I got him," she said, smilingly. -"It saved him from being caught in the Spider's web over there, and I -am sure it is much pleasanter to be swallowed whole by a polite -Phoebe than to be nibbled at by a horrid Spider." - -Mr. Phoebe sometimes brought her a dainty morsel, but he spent much -of his time by the hydrant. "There is not much chance to bathe," he -said, as he wallowed around in the little pool beside it, "but it is -something to smell water. You know we Phoebes like to fly in and out -of ponds and rivers, even when we cannot stop for a real bath." His -favorite perch was on the top of a tall pole covered with cinnamon -vine, in the flower garden. Here he would sit for a whole morning at a -time, darting off now and then for an insect, but always returning to -the same place and position. He did not even face the other way for a -change. - -The little Phoebes were hatched much like other birds, and were -about as good and about as naughty as children usually are. Mrs. -Phoebe was positive that they were remarkable in every way. Mr. -Phoebe, having raised other broods, did not think them quite so -wonderful, although he admitted that there was not another nestling on -the place to compare with them. "Still," as he would modestly remark, -"we must remember that we are the only Phoebes here, and that it is -not fair to compare them with the young of other birds. You could not -expect our neighbors' children to be as bright as they." - -Unfortunately there were only two little Phoebes, so each parent -could give all his time to one. The mother cared for the son and the -father for the daughter. When it was time for them to learn to catch -their own Flies, these children did not want to do so. The father made -his daughter learn, in spite of the fuss she made. He gave her his old -perch on the cinnamon-vine pole, and told her that she must try to -catch every insect that flew past. This was after she had been out of -the nest several days, and had learned to use her feet and wings. - -"If you do not," he said, "I shall not feed you anything." When she -pouted her bill, he paid no attention to it, and she soon stopped. -There is no use in pouting, you know, unless somebody is looking at -you and wishing that you wouldn't. Perhaps it was because he had -brought up children before that Mr. Phoebe was so wise. - -Mrs. Phoebe meant to be very firm also, but when her son whimpered -and said that he couldn't, he knew he couldn't, catch a single one, -and that he was sure he would tumble to the ground if he tried it, she -always felt sorry for him and said: "Perhaps you can to-morrow." Then -she would catch food for him again. - -This is how it happened that, day after day, a plump and strong young -Phoebe sat on a branch of the syringa bush and let his tired mother -feed him. At last his father quite lost patience and interfered. "My -dear," he said to his wife, "I will be with our son to-day, and you -may have a rest." - -"You are very kind," she replied, "but he is so used to having me that -I think I might better----" - -"I said," interrupted her husband, "that I would be with our son -to-day. I advise you to fly away with our daughter and show her -something of the world." Mrs. Phoebe did not often hear him speak in -that tone of voice. When he did, she always agreed with him. - -As soon as father and son were alone, the father said: "Now you are -going to catch Flies before sunset. You have let your poor mother -nearly work her feathers off for you. (Of course, feathers do not come -off so, but this was his way of speaking.) She is very tired, and you -are not to act like this again. There comes a Fly. Catch him!" - -The young Phoebe made a wild dash, missed his Fly, and came back to -the syringa bush whimpering. "I knew I couldn't," he said. "I tried as -hard as I could, but he flew away." - -"Yes," said his father. "You tried once, just once. You may have to -try a hundred times before you catch one, but that is no reason why -you should not try. Go for that Mosquito." - -The son went, and missed him, of course. This time he knew better than -to talk about it. He just flew back to his perch and looked miserable. - -"I think you got a little nearer to this one," said his father. "Go -for that Fly!" - -The young Phoebe was kept darting here and there so often that he -had no time to be sulky. Indeed, if people have to keep moving quite -fast, they soon forget to want to be sulky. At last he was surprised -by his father's tucking a very delicious Bluebottle down his throat. -"Just for a lunch," he explained. "Now try for that one." - -The son made a sudden lurch and flight, and actually caught him. It -was a much smaller Fly than the one which his father had fed him, but -it tasted better. He swallowed it as slowly as he could, so as to feel -it going down as long as possible. Then he began to be happier. "Watch -me catch that Mosquito," he said. And when he missed him, as he did, -he made no fuss at all--only said: "I'll get the next one!" When he -missed that he simply said: "Well, I'll get the next one, anyhow!" - -And he did. - -All day long he darted and failed or darted and succeeded, and more -and more often he caught the insect instead of missing him. - -When the long shadows on the lawn showed that sunset was near, his -mother and sister came back. His mother had a delicious morsel for -him to eat. "Open your bill very wide," she said, "you poor, tired, -hungry child." - -He did open his bill, because a Phoebe can always eat a little more -anyway, but he did not open it until he had said: "Why, I'm not much -tired, and I am not really hungry at all. You just ought to see me -catch Flies!" - -You can imagine how surprised his mother was. And in the tall fir tree -near by he heard a Blackbird say something in a hoarse voice about a -persistent Phoebe. But that didn't make much difference, because, -you see, he didn't know what "persistent" meant, and if he had known -he could not have told whether the Blackbird was talking about him or -about his father. Could you have told, if you had been a Phoebe? - - - - -THE SAD STORY OF THE HOG CATERPILLAR - - -THE grape-vines on the trellis were carefully pruned and tended, but -that did not prevent a few Hog Caterpillars of the Vine from making -their home upon them. There were a number of other Hog Caterpillars on -the place, and all expected to be Hawk Moths when they grew up. -Sometimes they thought and talked too much about this, and planned too -far ahead. They might better have thought more about being the best -kind of Caterpillars. For sometimes, when they were telling what great -things they would do by-and-by, they forgot to do exactly as they -should just then. - -None of them knew when they got their name. Somebody who noticed their -small heads and very smooth, fat, and puffy-looking bodies must have -begun it. Perhaps, too, this person thought that the queer little -things sticking upward and backward from the end of their bodies -looked like the tail of a Hog. Those who lived on grape-vines were -called Hog Caterpillars of the Vine. Then, when their friends spoke of -them, people knew at once to what family they belonged. - -If you were to look closely at a Hog Caterpillar of the Vine, you -would think him handsome. He has seven reddish spots along the middle -of his back, every one set in a patch of pale yellow. On each side you -would see a long green stripe with white edges, and below this you -would find seven slanting white ones. - -When these Hog Caterpillars of the Vine were hatched, they were very, -very tiny, and had to feed and rest and change their skins over and -over, just as all Caterpillars must. Of course when they changed their -skins, they had nobody to help them, because their parents were Hawk -Moths and never bothered with the care of children. They believed that -Caterpillars should help themselves. "They will have plenty of time to -play when they are grown up," the Hawk Moths said, "and it is much -better for children to have to change their own skins. If they do -that, they will be more careful of their new ones, when they get -them." - -There is a great deal in the way a child is brought up, and no -Caterpillar ever says, "I can't do this;" or, "Somebody must help me -get off my old skin, so there!" No indeed! Caterpillars help -themselves and make no fuss at all. - -This is not saying that they have no faults. It just means that this -fault was not one of theirs. Perhaps their worst fault was bragging -about what they were going to do. It was either that or carelessness, -and every now and then some one of them would be dreadfully punished. -With so many hungry birds around, Caterpillars should be very careful. -One of those on the grape-vines laughed at a Robin for being afraid of -Silvertip. Of course he did not expect to be heard by any except his -relatives. He was, though, and as soon as Silvertip had walked off, -the Robin came back and hunted for him and ate him. He was very, very -sorry for his rudeness, and tried to wriggle out of it, when the Robin -spoke about it, but he should have remembered sooner. "I laughed -before I thought," he said. "I'll never do it again. Never! Never!" - -"Say nothing more about it," answered the Robin, who was noted for his -polite ways; "I am very sure you won't." Then he swallowed him while -he was talking. The Catbird said that the Robin took in all that the -Caterpillar was saying, but the other birds didn't quite understand -what he meant by that. - -The oldest Hog Caterpillar of the Vine was always reckless. He would -feed in plain sight in the sunshine if he wanted to, and he was -forever telling what a fine Hawk Moth he expected to be. "If a bird -comes after me," he would say, "I will just let go of the leaf and -fall to the ground in a little round bunch. I can lie so quietly in -the grass that he will never see me." He looked so haughty when saying -this that none of his relatives dared to say a word, although a pretty -young one wept quietly under her grape-leaf. He had been very -attentive to her, and she wanted to marry him after they had changed -into Moths. Such plans, you know, might be sadly upset by a hungry and -sharp-sighted bird. - -Yet birds were not the only people to fear. The Ichneumon Wasps and -their cousins the Braconids were always flying around and looking for -fat and juicy Caterpillars, and many a promising young fellow had been -pounced upon by them. They were so much smaller and more quiet than -the birds that they were really much more to be feared. His friends -and relatives used to tell the oldest Hog Caterpillar to keep hidden -from them, but he paid no attention. "Do you suppose," said he, "that -a fine fellow like me is going to sneak under leaves for a slender -Ichneumon or a little Braconid? Not I!" - -So it is not surprising that when a mother Braconid came along one -day, looking for a good place to lay eggs, she saw him busily eating -in the sunshine. He had just taken the sixth mouthful from an -especially fine leaf when she alighted on him. "Don't move!" she said. -"Your position is exactly right. Keep perfectly still and I shall soon -be through." - -The Hog Caterpillar of the Vine understood every word she said, but he -moved as fast as he could. Unfortunately, you know, his legs were all -on the under side of his body, and were so stubby that he could not -reach up to push her away. He did rub up against a leaf and brush her -off for a minute, but she was right back and talking to him again. - -"You are very foolish to make such a fuss," she said. "You might -better keep still and get it over. I have decided on you, and you -can't help yourself. Now hold still!" - -There was only one other thing left for the poor Hog Caterpillar of -the Vine to do. He let go of the grape leaf and fell to the ground. He -had hardly struck it, however, when the Braconid was on his back. "No -more nonsense," said she sternly. "You really make me quite out of -patience, and I shall not wait any longer. I want to get my eggs laid -and have some time for play." - -Then she ran her ovipositor, which is the tube through which insects -lay their eggs, into his fat back and slipped an egg down through it. -How it did hurt! The poor Hog Caterpillar of the Vine squirmed with -pain, and all the Braconid said was: "It would be much easier for me -if you would lie quietly. Still, I am used to working under -difficulties.... You won't mind it so after a while." Then she drew -out her ovipositor, stuck it into another place, and laid another egg. - -Before she left him, the Braconid had laid thirty-five eggs in his -body, and the Hog Caterpillar of the Vine was so tired with pain and -anger that he could hardly move. Of the two, perhaps the anger tired -him the more. He had time to do a great deal of thinking before he -climbed onto the vine again. "I will be more careful after this," he -said, "but I guess there isn't any need of telling the other fellows -what has happened. None of them were around when that dreadful -Braconid came." - -When he was up on the vine again, one of his relatives said: "You look -sick. What is the matter?" And he answered: "Oh, I am rather tired. -Guess this skin is getting too tight." - -The next day he felt quite well, but as time went on he grew worse and -worse. He ate a great deal, yet he did not grow as he should, and the -other Hog Caterpillars of the Vine began to talk about it. The truth -was, you know, that the Braconid's thirty-five eggs had all hatched, -and her children were eating up the poor Hog Caterpillar of the Vine. -They were fat little Worms then, and when they were old enough to spin -cocoons, they cut thirty-five tiny doors in his skin and spun their -cocoons on the outside. - -Then all his relatives and friends knew what was the matter with him, -for wherever he went he had to carry on his back and sides thirty-five -beautiful little shining white cocoons. He did not think them -beautiful, yet they were, and the Braconid mother looked at them with -great pride as she flew past. - -"I should like to see them cut off the tiny round lids of their -cocoons," she said, "and fly away, but I suppose I shall not be around -then. It is very hard not to have the pleasure of bringing up one's -own children. Yet I suppose it is better for them, and one must not be -selfish." She flew away with a very good, almost too good, look on her -face. - -The Hog Caterpillar of the Vine was so tired that he died--what there -was left of him. Really the Braconid babies had eaten most of him -before spinning their cocoons. The only truly happy people around were -the Braconid children, who came out strong and active the next day. - -This is all a very, very sad story. It is true, though, and it had to -be written, because there may still be some Hog Caterpillars of the -Vine, or perhaps some other people, who will not take advice about -what they should do, and so they come to trouble. - - - - -THE CAT AND THE CATBIRD - - -It was late in the fall when Silvertip came to live in the big house, -and he was then a very small kitten. All through the winter which -followed, he was the pet of the Gentleman and the Lady, of the Maid, -and of the people who came there to visit. He liked the Gentleman best -and showed it very plainly, but that was only right, for it was the -Gentleman, you know, who first brought him into the house. - -At night he slept on a red cushion in a basket in the kitchen, except -when he made believe catch Mice with a spool for a Mouse. Sometimes, -when the other people were in bed, they could hear him running and -jumping out there and having the finest kind of a time all by -himself. During the days he spent most of his time on a red -lamb's-wool rug under a desk where the Lady kept her typewriter. He -thought the desk must be a Cathouse, for the room under it was just -large enough and just high enough to suit him, and there were walls on -three sides to make it warmer. He did not see why the Lady should sit -down at it nearly every day and thump-thump-thump on the queer-looking -little machine which she kept upstairs in this house. When she did -this he had to move farther back on his rug, and it bothered him to do -so when he was sleepy. - -Sometimes, when he had been really awakened by the -thump-thump-thumping of the machine and the ringing of the little bell -on it, he would jump up behind it. Then he would peep over its top at -the Lady and chew the paper which stuck out in his face until he was -gently lifted or pushed away. Sometimes he sat by the side of it, and -then he would watch the little bell ringing until he learned to put up -one tiny white paw and ring it himself. After he had watched and -played in this way for a while, he would lie on the high part of the -desk, over where the drawers were, and sleep again. Yet he was never -too sleepy to pat with his paws every printed sheet which the Lady -took from the machine, or to play with every clean white one which she -fastened into it. He liked the white ones the better and didn't see -why the Lady wanted to mark them all up so. Still, he thought it was -probably her way of playing, so it didn't matter. - -Sometimes, when she seemed tired, the Lady would bend over and put her -face down against his back and call him "her little collaborator." He -did not know what that big word meant. He thought it might be -something about his tail. They were both interested in tales. - -When the Lady was writing on her lap in the funny way that Ladies -sometimes have, he would cuddle down under her portfolio and sleep. -For these things he liked her, but she would hardly ever take time to -play with him. So, when he heard the latch-key rattle in the front -door, he listened, and if it were the Gentleman's step which he heard, -he ran to the hall door and waited with his little pink nose to the -crack until the Gentleman came in. Then what romps they would have! -Back and forth from one room to another, with balls, spools tied onto -the most charming strings, and even yardsticks and tape-measures, and -things taken from the Lady's sewing-stand. - -He liked the Maid, too. She was always kind to him, although she did -shut him up one day when he stole a silvery little sardine from the -table. She would not let him have anything but milk to eat until he -was nearly grown-up. Whenever he smelled a roast or a fine juicy -steak he would beg as hard as he knew how, but not one taste did he -ever get until he had lost all his Kitten-teeth and his Cat-teeth were -growing in. When he was older and knew more about life, he understood -that this was to keep him from swallowing a loose tooth with a -mouthful of meat, and that Kittens who are given all sorts of food are -very likely to do this and bring on fits. You can just imagine what -trouble it would make to have a sharp tooth get into a Kitten's -stomach. - -This was probably the reason, too, why Silvertip grew so very large -and handsome. At Christmas time he was given a red ribbon to wear -around his neck, red being very becoming to his complexion. He did not -care very much for the ribbon, though, and went off into a corner and -scratched at it with his hind feet until it came off. Then he chewed -it into a wet wisp and left it. - -This was Silvertip's life during that first winter. Sometimes on -sunshiny days he sat out on the kitchen porch, and once in a while he -sunned himself on the broad rail of one of the front porches. Whatever -he wanted he had, except, of course, some kinds of food, which he -ought not to have anyway. Nobody was ever cross to him and many people -were doing things to make him happy. He had yet to learn that this -could not last forever. - -When spring came he lived more out of doors, and followed the Hired -Man around barn and woodshed. He went into the ice-house once, but -found that too cold. In these places he saw his first Mice. He will -never forget the very first one which he caught. It was just at supper -time and he brought it into the kitchen. He could not understand why -the Maid should scream and act so queerly. He thought perhaps she -wanted it herself. - -Whenever the Mouse wriggled or flirted its tail into his eyes he -jumped backward. It scared him dreadfully, but he would not let go. -Instead of that he would walk backward two or three times around the -kitchen range. He wanted to lay the Mouse down and play with it, only -he did not know just how to go about it. He tried to have the Maid -help him, but every time he went to lay it at her feet she jumped into -a chair. At last she called for the Lady. Then the Lady came out and -laughed at both of them. How it ended nobody but Silvertip knows, for -he walked around the kitchen with it in his mouth until late in the -evening, and the next morning there was not a sign of it to be found. - -It was this spring, too, that he became acquainted with the Catbird. -He heard a queer Cat-like voice saying "Zeay! Zeay!" many times, and -yet could never find the Cat to whom it belonged. "Come out here!" he -would cry. "Come out here, and we will make believe fight!" When no -Cat came he couldn't understand it. He had already become acquainted -with many Cats in the neighborhood, and whenever one came to call they -made believe fight. It was their favorite game. They would sit around -and glare at each other and growl a whole day at a time. So Silvertip -could not understand a Cat who said "Zeay!" instead of "Meouw!" and -would not fight. - -One morning when Silvertip was sitting on the back porch, a slender -gray bird, with black crown, tail, bill, and feet, perched on the -woodbine over his head and said, "Zeay!" It sounded as though somebody -in the little apple-tree had said it, but Silvertip was looking at the -bird and saw him open and shut his bill. - -"Pht!" said Silvertip, as he began to let his tail and the hair along -his back bristle. "Pht! Don't you dare to mock me!" - -"Zeay!" answered the bird. "Zeay! Zeay!" - -"I don't say it just that way, anyhow," said Silvertip; "so quit!" - -"Zeay!" answered the bird. - -"I am the Cat who belongs here," said Silvertip. "You quit mocking me -or go away!" - -"Zeay!" replied the bird, putting his head upon one side. "I am the -Catbird who belongs here. I had a nest here last year before you were -born, and when I went south for the winter you were not here. Zeay!" - -Now Silvertip, not having had a chance to learn much about birds, -thought that this one was not telling the truth, and he quite lost his -temper. "You deserve to be eaten," he cried, and he began to climb up -the woodbine, feeling his way along without taking his eyes from the -Catbird. The Catbird sat there and twitched his tail until Silvertip -had almost reached him. Then he said, "Zeay!" and flew off. A few -minutes later he was sitting on the top twig of a fir tree and singing -wonderfully. This was what he sang: "Prut! Prut! Coquillicot! Really! -Really! Coquillicot! Hey, Coquillicot! Hey! Victory!" - -[Illustration: "YOU DESERVE TO BE EATEN." _Page 218_] - -Silvertip walked back and forth on the kitchen porch. He was too angry -to sit down at once. When at last he did, and began to wash himself, -he was thinking all the time how mean the Catbird was. - -Every day the Catbird came and flirted around and said, "Zeay! Zeay!" -till Silvertip lost his temper. He just ached to get his claws into -that bird, and that even when his stomach was full. He did not care so -much about eating him, you see, although he would undoubtedly have -done so if he had had the chance, but he wanted to stop his teasing. - -One day he was looking out through a screen door and happened to see -the Catbird mocking another bird. He was surprised to hear the other -say: "Mock away, if it is any fun! It doesn't hurt me any." Then he -heard the Catbird laugh and saw him fly away. - -"I wonder what he would do if I were to try that?" said Silvertip. "I -believe I will the next time." - -That very day, when Silvertip was sunning himself on the porch and -heard the same teasing voice say, "Zeay!" above his head, he opened -his thick eyelids and slid the other ones about half-way to one side, -and looked lazily up. "Pretty good!" he said. "You do a little better -every day I think. If you keep at it you can say 'Meouw' after a -while." Then he began to shut his eyes again. - -"Prut!" exclaimed the Catbird. "It's no fun teasing you any more! You -don't care enough about it! Good-by!" And that was the last time that -Silvertip ever saw him nearer than the top of a tree. So Silvertip -learned one of the great lessons of life, which is not to pay any -attention to people who make fun of you, or to mind when you are -teased. - - - - -THE FRIENDLY BLACKBIRDS - - -Ever since the year when the first pair of Blackbirds nested near the -big house, there had been some of their family in the tall evergreens. -One could not truly say that the Blackbirds were popular. When they -first came they had a quarrel with a pair of Catbirds about a certain -building-place, and most of the older birds took sides with the -Catbirds. Nobody knew which couple first chose this place, so of -course nobody knows who was really right, and perhaps it might better -all be forgotten. - -The Blackbirds were happy there and returned the next year with some -of their children, who courted and married and built in other tall -evergreens in the same yard. After that they were company for each -other and had little to do with Robins, Phoebes, and more quiet -neighbors. They were handsome, bold, loud-voiced, teasing, and not at -all gentle in their ways. Still, that had to be expected of their -family. Their neighbors should have remembered that they were not -Chipping Sparrows or Humming-birds. On the other hand they were -neither Bluejays nor Hawks, and it is much better to think of a bird's -good qualities than of his bad ones. - -Now, there were so many that nearly every one of the tall evergreens -bore a Blackbird's nest. These were built near the top and close to -the trunk of the tree. They were carefully woven of different things -and lined with mud. Unless you knew the ways of Blackbirds, you would -never find out that there was a nest on the place. No careful -Blackbird, you know, will fly straight to his home if any one is -watching him. He will walk around on the lawn in the most careless -manner possible, until he has the home tree between him and you. Then -he will slip noiselessly in under the low branches and make his way to -the top by walking around and around the trunk, quite as you would go -up a winding staircase. - -Two married brothers built in near-by trees and were much together. -Their wives were excellent and hard-working birds--almost, but not -quite, as good-looking as their husbands. Like them, they were all -black except the yellow rings of their eyes. The only difference was -that they were smaller and in the sunlight did not have the same -gleaming green, blue, and purple lights on their feathers. - -These two couples were courting at the same time, and were usually in -the same tree, a tall maple. The brothers would sit there in the -sunshine, facing the wind and thinking about their sweethearts. Every -now and then they would spread their wings and tails, ruffle up their -feathers, stand on tiptoe, and squeak in a hoarse voice. Their -sweethearts were hiding in trees near by and crept nearer at each -squeak. - -Mrs. Wren said she had never heard anything like it, and that, much as -she loved Mr. Wren, if he had made love to her in that way she would -not have married him. "Think," said she, "of singing like a cartwheel -in need of oil! And then think of having to listen to that sort of -thing right along after you are married!" - -"Oh, that part of it will not be so bad," said an experienced Robin. -"They probably will not sing so much to their wives." - -"Or if they _do_ sing," said an Oriole who was building in an -apple-tree across the way, "they may go far away from wife and home -before beginning. Mr. Oriole will never sing in our own tree. He says -he would be seen at once, and then our nest would be found. That is -why he always perches near the big house before he begins. You know -bright-colored birds have to be very particular." - -When the brothers had really won and married their sweethearts, they -chose to build as near to each other as possible, and they walked over -the lawn together as they hunted for Grubs. - -The young wives sat on their eggs and chatted happily with each other. -The eggs were bluish-green, with all sorts of queer brown marks. It -was very interesting when they were laying them. No two were alike, -and then Blackbirds never know how many eggs to expect. It is not with -them as it is with other birds, who are sure beforehand of the color -and sometimes even of the number. - -You can imagine how often the young wives visited each other's nests, -and how the one who had only three eggs sat on the other nest, just to -see how it would feel to have five under her. Of course this -difference meant that the couple who lived in the fir-tree would have -to work much harder than the couple in the spruce. Two more mouths -take many more Grubs, and Mrs. Spruce-tree Blackbird, as she was -sometimes called, could never be sure whether she was glad or sorry -that she had only three eggs to hatch. As it happened, it was well for -the other family that there were no more. - -When the eight little cousins got safely out of their shells and were -about as large as Humming-birds, the mother of the fir-tree brood -disappeared. She had flown off as usual to find food and nobody ever -saw her again. At about this time her neighbors heard a loud bang and -saw a red-headed boy pick up something from the road. He put it -quickly into his bag and ran away, for he knew that shooting anywhere -near the big house was forbidden. - -The five motherless nestlings now had only one parent to feed them, -and he was a sadly overworked bird. He did the best he could and -brought such great billfuls of food that it was a wonder he did not -choke himself. He was up early and worked late, yet his five children -looked thin and forlorn while their three little cousins were plump -and sturdy. - -At last Mrs. Spruce-tree Blackbird could stand it no longer. She heard -the motherless children crying hungrily when her own three were filled -with Grubs almost to the tips of their bills. She paused on the edge -of her nest one day with a delicious lunch all ready. Her own children -were ready to swallow whatever she should give them, when she suddenly -turned and flew over to the fir-tree. "There!" she said, as she tucked -food down into first one gaping bill and then another. "There! I guess -it won't hurt my own babies, and I know it won't hurt you, if I make -them share once in a while." - -She spoke with her mouth full, which is bad manners, even in a -Blackbird, but one could forgive her still more than that because of -the kind things she was saying. When her husband came home she told -him what she had done and asked him to help. "Just think of your poor -brother," she said. "Our own children will not suffer, and you know -how you would feel if you were the one to bring up a family alone." He -looked at her lovingly with his yellow eyes, and sidled up close to -her on the branch. He was a dreadful tease, as all Blackbirds are, but -he was a kind husband and father. - -"We will do it," said he. "I really think our own children have eaten -too much lately. The eldest one has peeped crossly three times this -very day." - -"Yes," added Mrs. Blackbird, "I think they have been overfed myself. -The baby slept very poorly last night, and kept me awake much of the -time by wriggling around under me." - -So it was settled, and after that the poor brother had help. His five -motherless children began to grow fat and sturdy, while their cousins -were none the worse for sharing. Sad to say, however, they made a -dreadful fuss because their parents helped feed their little cousins. - -"Guess those children could get along some way," they grumbled. -"Mother always gives them the best. It isn't fair! We just won't eat -if she does that way!" - -When she brought them more food they were sulky and told her to take -it to the other nest. She looked sharply at them and flew away. "Guess -she will feel sorry when we are starved to death," said the three -cross nestlings. And when their father came to feed them they acted in -the same way. - -Their parents, being very wise for a couple with their first brood, -did not urge them to eat, or get worried in any way. They simply paid -no attention to them, besides cleaning out the nest once in a while. -They also kept on helping the other family. It made them very sad to -have their children so foolish and naughty, but they tried to remember -how young they were and to be patient. - -After a while the three cross children began to feel very badly. Their -stomachs had not been really empty since they could remember--not -until now. For a while they talked about getting even with their -parents. Then they were very still. The baby began to cry. "I am so -hungry," said she. And the others cried with her. "So are we," they -said. - -Their parents flew straight up to the nest. There was nobody watching -them, but they were in such haste that they might even have done so if -there had been. - -"Don't you like to feel hungry?" asked their mother. - -"No," sobbed the little Blackbirds. "We want you to feed us." - -"What if you had nobody to feed you?" said she. And she never moved -toward getting them a Grub. - -"B-but we have," they said. "We have a father and a mother." - -"Supposing I had been killed," said their mother, "don't you think -your aunt would have helped your father care for you?" - -"Yes, ma'am," answered all three. - -"Then don't you think I ought to help feed your cousins?" said she. - -"Yes, ma'am," was the very meek reply. - -"Now," said she, "are you willing I should feed your cousins, too?" - -"Yes, ma'am," said they, and each was trying to say it first. "We will -be good. We won't be cross any more." - -Such a meal as the three little Blackbirds had then! It is a wonder -that there were not three stomach-aches in that nest at once. When all -had been fed and were half asleep under their mother's warm breast, -the oldest one said to his sisters: "It must be dreadful not to have -enough to eat any of the time. I believe I am glad they fed our -cousins." - -"We are glad," said the others, and then they went to sleep. So the -little Blackbirds learned their first lesson in unselfishness, and -they learned it as larger people often have to do, by having a hard -time themselves. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOORYARD STORIES*** - - -******* This file should be named 42035.txt or 42035.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/0/3/42035 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/42035.zip b/42035.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index bc4c264..0000000 --- a/42035.zip +++ /dev/null |