124 



TJie Audubon Knio^hts. 



Alex, when, supper over, they sat on the 

 porch and watched the silver moon climb 

 up the evening sky, " while I was watching 

 a lovely catbird (or Orpheus, rather) a 

 little ragamufifin came along — one of your 

 friends from Frog Hollow — and he pulled 

 out a slap-jack, and (he didn't see me) 

 was just going to let fly at my Orpheus, 

 when I grabbed him by the nape of the 

 neck and gave him such a trouncing that 

 he'll not get over it in a hurry." 



" Ah ! but my dear brother," remarked 

 Jack, " I did better than that. I am afraid 

 your friend will come back again and do 

 a great deal of damage to spite you." 



me say that I think you took the wisest 

 steps possible in the matter. But we must 

 go to bed, here's Phillie sound asleep in 

 papa's arms. Good-night, my brave barons. 

 I wish you every success with your 'faire' 

 countries. " 



The summer passed and autumn came. 

 The boys had learned much in the past 

 four months. Every bird that flew was 

 familiar to them, and they had little books 

 in which they wrote down their observa- 

 tions, and in which they had skilfully drawn 

 maps of their separate provinces, on which 

 were marked the trees that bore the nests. 



The birds were gone. After a series of 



"l WAS SO MUCH INTERESTED WATCHING A BLUEBIRD IN THE ORCHARD." 



" I don't see what else I could have 

 done or how I could have done it bet- 

 ter," said Alex, "unless I'd killed him," 

 he added, "and I didn't want to do that." 



" Then listen to what I did, and here- 

 after do not scoff at your brother's ' bright 

 and shining example.' I," and he poised 

 himself gracefully on the railing, and spoke 

 slowly and impressively, " I took a lot of 

 Audubon pledges down to Frog Holloio and 

 enlisted all the boys, and they've sworn to 

 protect the birds, and they're interested too. 

 Haven't I got a ' goodlie lot of retainers ' 

 for my earldom ?" 



"Bravo !" " Well done !" came from all 

 sides, as he clambered down from his perch 

 and went to his mother, saying: 



" There are their signatures, you take 

 charge of them, will you ?" 



"Certainly, my son," said she, "and let 



plaintive farewells, they had winged their 

 way to the sunny south. And then winter 

 came, and with his soft snows filled to the 

 brim all the forsaken little nests. 



It was the day before Christmas, and the 

 boys had been gone all afternoon to hunt 

 for greens and holly in the woods, and now 

 it was growing dark and they had not come 

 back, and mamma and little Phil were 

 watching for them from the window. Pretty 

 soon three stout figures staggered up the 

 drive under a load of holly and laurel 

 boughs, and three merry faces were turned 

 toward the window, shaking the snow off, 

 and all talking at once. At last Alex was 

 heard say : 



" We've had a splendid time, and we did 

 not forget the birds either." 



" The birds ! dear ; why they went south 

 long ago." 



