80 WINTER STORIES AND POEMS 



" What ? " 



" One of my eggs has been peeping and 

 moving! " 



Pretty soon another egg moved under her 

 feathers, then another, and another. 



Then the five little birds were hatched out. 



The father bird sang louder than ever. 



The mother bird wanted to sing, too. But 

 she had no time. So she turned her song into 

 work. 



The little birds were so hungry, that it kept 

 both parents busy feeding them. 



Soon the little birds were big enough to begin 

 to fly. 



Then they grew strong enough to find food. 

 They built their own nests, and sang their own 

 songs. 



The old birds then were silent. 



" Why don't you sing ? " said the mother. 



"I can't sing. I can only think and think." 



" What are you thinking about ? " she said. 



" I am thinking how everything changes. 

 The leaves are falling, the flowers are all going. 

 Something calls me. I feel as if I would like 

 to fly far away." 



" Let us fly together ! " said the mother bird. 



