UNEXPECTED GUESTS 



Although I had always been in the 

 habit of entertaining unexpected guests, 

 it was not strange, perhaps, that I was 

 somewhat taken by surprise one morning 

 last fall, by the arrival of twenty or 

 thirty visitors of whose intentions I had 

 received no announcement. To say that 

 they were entire strangers would scarcely 

 be true for I felt quite certain that I 

 had met some of them before, but I had 

 no speaking acquaintance with them, and 

 so could not avoid a certain feeling of 

 confusion at first. It soon wore off, 

 however, and in a short time I learned 

 to take great pleasure in the companion- 

 ship of my. uninvited guests. 



I think the greatest enjoyment lay 

 along the line of discrimination, owing 

 to the fact that my visitors were members 

 of two distinct families and were, there- 

 fore, continually exhibiting characteris- 

 tics quite dissimilar. Perhaps I have neg- 

 lected to tell you that my visitors be- 

 longed to that favored race who are 

 equally at home qn earth or in air, whom 

 the poet calls 



Beautiful creatures of freedom and light. 



I had never seen bluebirds and yellow 

 warblers flock together before, and so 

 found great enjoyment in watching them. 



Of the former, Mr. Burroughs says: 

 "When nature made the bluebird she 

 wished to propitiate both the sky and the 

 earth, so she gave him the color of the 

 one on his back and the hue of the other 

 on his breast, and ordained that his ap- 

 pearance in spring should denote that the 

 strife and war between these two ele- 

 ments was at an end. He is the peace 

 harbinger ; in him the celestial and terres- 

 trial strike hands and are fast friends. 



Not only this, but he is also one of the 

 last to bid us farewell when the "melo- 

 dies of summer decline," His one note 

 at this time is in direct contrast to the 



joyous song with which he greets the 

 summer, but it is almost incessant. 



As visitors I think I found the blue- 

 bird more sociable than the warbler, but 

 I must confess to a greater interest in 

 the latter, not because he was prettier 

 or daintier, but, being less familiar, there 

 was always the probability of discovering 

 some new trait. 



A woodbine which climbed about my 

 windows seemed to be a favorite seat of 

 action for my guests. And action it was 

 indeed. It is almost safe to say that not 

 one member of either family was still 

 for a moment during the whole week's 

 stay. From vine to roof, from roof to 

 branch flitting continually back and forth, 

 with an occasional excursion across the 

 yard to the gnarled old apple tree. The 

 object of all this activity seemed to be 

 the very laudable one of breakfast, din- 

 ner and supper, and although so very 

 practical, every motion was grace itself. 



Indeed, what could be more interest- 

 ing ? Bits of color flitting to and fro, giv- 

 ing first a glimpse of sky and then a flash 

 of sunshine. The myrtle warbler is very 

 chary of his gold, however, displaying 

 it only as he rises to fly, but even this 

 glint is worth watching for, and I am not 

 certain that I did not spend more time 

 in that way than in any other, during 

 their whole stay. This little warbler is 

 quite soberly dressed, with this one ex- 

 ception, and an appreciative observer 

 is liable at any moment to be rewarded 

 by one of these golden surprises. 



I have never known whether my 

 guests had decided before they came just 

 how long a visit they should make me, 

 or whether their sudden departure was 

 the result of a sudden fancy. At all 

 events the unwelcome time came when 

 they should go their way, leaving me the 

 enjoyment of a pleasant memory, 



Susie E. Kennedy. 



m 



