54 Redriiff 



Soon good support was found, for the sun 

 gained strength and melted the snow from the 

 southern slope of Castle Frank Hill, and ex- 

 posed great banks of fragrant wintergreen, 

 whose berries were a bounteous feast for Red- 

 ruff, and, ending the hard work of pulling 

 frozen browse, gave his bill the needed chance 

 to grow into its proper shape again. Very 

 soon the first bluebird came flying over and 

 warbled as he flew ' The spring is coming* The 

 sun kept gaining, and early one day in the dark 

 of the Wakening Moon of March there was a 

 loud * Caw, caw,' and old Silverspot, the king- 

 crow, came swinging along from the south at 

 the head of his troops and officially announced 



*THE SPRING HAS COME.* 



All nature seemed to respond to this, the 

 opening of the birds' New Year, and yet it was 

 something within that chiefly seemed to move 

 them. The chickadees went simply wild ; they 

 sang their ' Spring ?iow, spring now now — Spring 

 now now^ so persistently that one wondered 

 how they found time to get a living. 



And Redruff felt it thrill him through and 

 through. He sprang with joyous vigor on a 

 stump and sent rolling down the little valley. 



