(xcdar Farm hikI I wo Wrens i/jr 



One iiiouiiii;^ lie did tiol, siii^',. 'I'Iktc w;i'; ;i. Imii yiii;.', in .iiid oiil I Ik window, 

 ;iikI, peering close to the nesl, I s;i.w ;i hnndlc ol hone;, li.iiilc,:; ;iiid d.-iiiip, 

 huge moiillis and blind eyes! Hul liow Ixanlilnl lliey were lo )oliniiy and 

 jenny! A lax was levied on every biisli lli;i,l held ;i, worni, and from d.-iwn nnlil 

 (he eveiiiii)^ insCCtS slli illrd IJicii tiny lioni!,, llii;, l;i,x w:i,:; < ()ll(( led. 



On ;i. nienior;i,l)le day, sev(;n l)el|)less, sullen inoiil li(-<l, liea,vy t*y( d Liid', '.il 

 on Ihe lloor, pic lures, < li;iir, bed, anywlu'ic, wliilf I.iIIkt :ind iiioIIki i.ijlcd, 

 coaxed, ;ind lliic-ilcncd llicin lo liy llicii win;.';. ;iiid <<)iiic l.» ihr ^',iid<ii, ll 

 look 1 wo hours lo gel ihein oul in Ihe plum live One hy <»ni- lliey llcw, lio|»pcd, 

 ,iiid rrepl lo Ihe garden ;ind I s.iw lliein no iiiok! 



Two weeks l.'iler I lonnd Mr,, jtiiiiy in vc:;l ig;i I ing ;i school de:;k on lln- 

 south jjorch. A repelilion ol Ihe same homely dr;i,m;i. h>llowed: lohnny lihd 

 il perforce, Ihe ik^sI was huill, Ihe eggs laid, hul someone unloil iin,il<ly Ioik hcd 

 llicni ;ind I his new home was ;i.h;i/idoned. 



A h;w da,ys laler I saw Mrs. Je/jjiy d;i,sh im|)eluously inio Ihe w;i,:,li house 

 ;ind fcjilowed her. An emply p;).inld>U( kel, hung ne;i,r Ihe door, w;i :, lni < hoic c 

 Ihis lime, ;i,nd its hiown wrinkled interior w;i.s cleverly c (hh e;ilc-d |>y the hii),/e 

 nest. Once more wen- the mystic seveji eggs laid, close together, :uicl oik e 

 more was the old, c>ld tragedy enacled for hirlli is a, Inigedy. Not cmly wen- 

 worms j>lenliliil, h^r il was July /low, hul ;d',o the •,ni;i,ll, lusc ic)u;-) IVuil;: ol the 

 garden were ahund;int. I'ot d;i.y:; I w;it'lied thi;; lillle hijm'ly grow. )inny 

 knew whid) onr. h;).d hc:c;i led l.'isl, anci il il thnrt il:; l<*ng, tliin neck :tnd ycl 

 |c)w mc*uth up lc;o high, she; wcjiild (h.'islise il wilh ;i. slrc)ke <;l her hill ih.ii I 

 knc>w must have hurl. The day she made litem le;ivc- the- nc-.i, I iiic-d to help, 

 hut succeeded only in sc-iring ;ukI scattering Ihem. An hcjur c>r so ;i,|iei I |c-|l 

 them, the friendly j>liim trc:c- he-Id thcrniincl the/i the- ^/;u<|eM ! SnM,ke;; ;i,nd il;i,wks 

 were in that garden, ;inc| I inc-d /loi tc, thnil' ol tho'c- lomteen h.-rhy Wrens 

 Ihat had gone to live in it. 



fwidently Mrs. Jct/my hc-li<vec| in the liir,h;)/id looking .-dlc-r the children, 

 lc*r shorf ly after she was endeavoring to reach lier first nest through the winclc>w, 

 hut it was screened now and she had recourse l,o the j)ainl -bucket. This lime 

 only four eggs, four hircl;,, the; h;).n'ly j)lum tree, the garden that ch<;w them 

 like an octopus, and her season's work was dc>ne, for autumn's yellow sere liad. 

 fallen on the meadc>ws, 1>anks, ravines, and hills. I'j'ghleen little Wrens w^tn: 

 mothered by this tiny bird in oit<: summer. She knew the number when ihc^y 

 left the nest. J}ut did slie remember whan tliey reachecl the garden? She is a 

 rebuke to Ihc^se whc> believe race suicide beneficial, anc| Jolnmy lives true to 

 the tradition oi the; patriarchal father at the head c^f the, trihct. 



