A SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 101 



were four, and then one or the other of the birds sat on 

 the eggs all the time. Robins' eggs are a queer color 

 — not just blue or quite green, but something between, 

 all of their own." 



" Yes," said Olive, " it is their own color, and we 

 give it a name ; for it is called ' robin's-egg blue ' in 

 our books." 



'' The old birds had been sitting for ten days, and it 

 was almost time for the little ones to come out, when 

 one niglit there was a great wind and the grape vine, 

 that was only fastened up with bits of leather and tacks, 

 fell down in a heap. In the morning there was the 

 nest all in a tangle of vine down on the ground. The 

 vine must have swung down, for it hadn't tipped 

 the nest over, and the mother bird Avas sitting on it 

 still. 



" ' That will never do,' said my mother ; ' the first 

 cat that strays by will take the poor thing.' While I 

 was looking at it mother went in the house and came 

 back with a little tin pail. She picked some branches 

 and tied them round it so that the tin didn't show. 

 ' Now,' she said to the Robin, the same as if it under- 

 stood our language, ' get up and let me see if I can't 

 better you a bit.' Then the bird left the nest, making 

 a great fuss, and crying ' quick I quick ! ' as if all the 

 woods were afire. 



" ' Oh, mother ! ' I cried, ' the eggs will get cold. 

 What are you taking the nest away for ? It was better 

 to chance the cats.' 



"'Don't you fret, sonny,' said she; 'your mammy 

 has some common sense if she don't trampoose all over 

 creation watching birds.' And before I understood 



