many children on the grass. Why, they. "I never thought them very well-bred," 



are as thick as dandelions any fine day, replied Mrs. Thrush, bridling prettily,, 



and in spite of the care of the great gray for she and her family pride themselves 



creatures it would be impossible to safely on their correct behavior. "Wonderfully 



teach our children to fly. We finally pretty, but too loud/' 



found a lovely suburban place within "Altogether too gay and noisy. Mrs. 



easy flying distance of the park. An Jay was a great scold, and Blue almost 



apple tree with perfect branches for a as bad. You could hear them all over the 



nest grew in the back yard, the cherry neighborhood. Well, they lost all their 



trees were white with bloom and the children by a Hawk, though Mrs. Jay 



whole place fragrant with the blossoms fought bravely for her little ones, and 



of the grape. There was a flat jar always Blue proved himself a real hero. She 



kept filled with water for the birds, with over-exerted herself, however, and died 



a stone in it that reached nearly to the shortly after of nervous prostration. I 



surface on which to stand while bathing, saw a girl, who had found her body,. 



The water made the birds come in flocks, spreading out her poor dead wings and 



so that the place was gay with songs, and holding them up against her hat. She 



really that yard was a little Eden. But finally wrapped Mrs. Jay up in her hand- 



you know," she went on, dropping her kerchief and carried her away." 



voice, "there is a story of something ter- "If women would only be satisfied with 



rible that walked in the garden of Eden, the wings of a bird that had died a nat- 



and I think it was a black cat, for that ural death we would not complain," said 



is what walks in our garden. He lies on Mrs. Thrush, as she folded her own pretty 



the back steps in the sunshine pretending wings a little closer. "Blue Jay married 



to be asleep, but where his eyes ought to again right away, of course," she went 



be in that big black ball he calls his head on, as she dropped a little red ant down 



I can see a narrow yellow stripe, and out among the mill stones of her gizzard to 



of that stripe of yellow he watches every be ground up. 



bird that comes." "He did not even wait the conventional 



"Does he get any birds?" asked the two weeks. If I thought Robin Red- 

 Thrush in an awe-struck whisper. breast would be looking out for another 



The Redbreast shook her black head housekeeper so soon after my death he 



sadly. "Every now and then his mis- would not have such a good wife as he 



tress finds him with feathers in his whis- has to-day. He would have to hunt more 



kers, and she scolds him. But there is a worms and bugs than he does, instead of 



serpent in every Eden," she added phil- just bringing home a little bit of dessert 



osophically ; "if it isn't cats it's boys." in the shape of cherries or grapes to 



"Did you ever hear what became of the please the children ;" and the mother 



family of Wrens that lived in the honey- fluffed up her feathers alarmingly, 



suckle over the back door?" asked Mrs. "That makes me think," said Mrs. 



Thrush, who cared more for gossip than Thrush, "that I promised the children an 



moralizing. "They were so pleasant and especially nice supper to-night if they 



cheery." would not chirp or stick up their heads 



"Oh, yes. We started south before and look over the edge of the nest. They 



they left and I haven't seen them since, are really getting so big now that Mr, 



They were a proud little folk, that made Thrush and I can do nothing with them, 



believe they were not proud, always wear- Last night when I went home I found 



ing the finest clothes, yet in such sober my eldest son, Brown Thrush, sitting on 



colors. I always called them stuck up." the edge of the nest, and he is taller 



"Their tails certainly were he, he, he," Just then a large shadow wavered over 



giggled Mrs. Thrush. the sunshiny sward, and with a scared ex- 



"Ha, ha, ha," laughed Mrs. Redbreast, clamation of "Hawk !" the birds flew 



"That's pretty good. I must tell that to swiftly in different directions, not waiting 



Robin. But don't you remember," she to see that the object which cast the 



went on, "the Blue Jays that lived in the shadow was nothing but a harmless paper 



elm tree down the lane?" kite. S. E. McKee. 



116 



