WHAT THE ROBIN SAW. 



THE stars were shining clearly, a gen- 

 tle breeze just stirred the newly born 

 leaves, the air was laden with the perfume 

 of apple and cherry blossoms and lilacs. 

 Cock Robin, stirring in his warm nest, 

 thought to himself that this was a lovely 

 world, and that it was a good thing to be 

 alive on a spring morning. Then he lifted 

 his head and uttered a little chirp. In a 

 moment it was answered from a neighboring 

 nest, then from far away came another call, 

 and presentlv the air was filled with twitter- 

 ings. 



The stars faded, a clear pure light 

 streamed up from the east, and before long 

 the sun rose in his majesty, and the day 

 ■was begun. 



"Now, my dear," said Cock Robin to his 

 little brown-coated spouse, "you stay quietly 

 at home, and I will find breakfast this 

 morning. The gardner spent nearly all of 

 yesterday afternoon spading up part of the 

 garden, and I know just the spot where the 

 fattest worms are," and with a gush of song, 

 away he flew. 



The inmates of the big house near which 

 the nest was built, were still asleep. The 

 Robin looked at the closed blinds and shook 

 his head, wondering how one could sleep 

 in the midst of all this sweet, new stir and 

 life. Down in the garden he soon found 

 the newly turned earth he was in search of, 

 and laden with a large worm, back he flew 

 to his little wife. She was hungry, and it 

 took several journeys to satisfy her appetite, 

 and then there was his own breakfast to eat 

 and a morning call to pay to his next door 

 neighbors. By the time that he returned 

 from this visit, the big house began to wake 

 up. 



First the cook opened the kitchen door, 

 and out bounded the big watch-dog barking 

 just for the very love of it; then the house- 

 maid opened wide blinds and windows, and 



presently out ran the children to welcome 

 the sweet spring day. 



"Bless the children, how I love them," 

 chirped the Robin, and he flew around them 

 and poured song after song out of his little 

 throat. 



And what games those children had. 

 Near the barn was a huge heap of white 

 sand, which was by turns a ship, a train, a 

 house, and finally was transformed into a 

 mountain. They built houses from it, 

 loaded carts and boxes with it, and carried 

 them carefully away just for the pleasure of 

 bringing them back. The Robin, swinging 

 on a grapevine near by, laughed with them 

 as they rolled down the mountain side, 

 shouting with glee. 



Then up the path came the butcher-boy, 

 whistling as he strolled along with his bas- 

 ket under his arm. As he reached the door 

 the cook came out and began to scold be- 

 cause the meat was late. That hurt the 

 boy's feelings, and to relieve them he threw 

 a stone at the Robin who was watching 

 from a twig. He saw it coming, skipped 

 aside to avoid it, and settled back on his 

 twig, shaking his fat little sides with glee- 

 The boy shook his fist at the bird and then 

 sauntered away, giving a series of unearthly 

 cat calls and idly swinging his empty basket. 



Then down flew the Robin to the garden. 

 The sweet spring life was stirring there 

 more than anywhere else. The damp, fresh 

 smell of the newly turned earth mingled 

 with the lilac odors; one or two white blos- 

 soms shone on the strawberry bed. The 

 rose vines were all in bud, and Cock Robin 

 listening hard, with his head on one side 

 and his bright little eyes glancing back and 

 forth, thought he could really hear the 

 grass blades pushing up toward the sun. 



John the gardener was hard at work set- 

 ting out rose plants. The Robin saw him 

 coming from the greenhouse with a wheel- 



