A Dish of Robins 95 



about to nearly all the little people before they 

 are out of their long dresses and they know about 

 his need of stockings and shoes before they have 

 any of their own, and romance is born when some 

 inspired person, with his woeful history of Cock 

 Robin and Jenny Wren at his command, leads 

 uncertain little footsteps through the thrilling 

 days of courtship, merciless disaster and death 

 and sad obsequies through which the Dove can 

 actually be heard mourning for some one else's 

 love. 



"John O' Mountains" found a dandelion and a 

 Robin very much at home on a glacier in Alaska, 

 and Cock Robin is a dandelion among birds, will- 

 ing to make himself at home just about every- 

 where, if you will please keep him out of your 

 pot-pies. From the savannahs and jungles of the 

 tropics to beyond the tree-line in the far North, 

 he adopts all countries and climes and what he 

 whistles at sunset is what he whistled at dawn: 

 "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, 

 of thee I sing." Then again he is a very common 

 unit of measure, to people generally, most birds 

 being either larger or smaller than a Robin. 



From her knowledge of his splendid appetite 

 it almost looks as though Mother Goose might 

 have entertained him at a church supper or had 

 him spend a summer vacation with her. Let me 

 see, what was it she said of his ability as a trencher 



