Rcdntfl 



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 now, spring now now — 

 Spring 7WIV now,' so persistently that one won- 

 dered 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, 

 again and again, a thundering 'Thump, thump, 

 thump, thunderrrrrrrrr' that wakened dull 

 echoes as it rolled, and voiced his gladness in 

 the coming of the spring. 



Away down the valley was Cuddy's shanty. 

 He heard the drum -call on the still morning 

 air and ' reckoned there was a cock patridge to 

 git,' and came sneaking up the ravine with his 

 gun. But Redruff skimmed away in silence, nor 

 rested till once more in Mud Creek Glen. And 

 there he mounted the very log where first he 



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