BY THE WAY SIDE 
le robins. Such combats followed 
tie after the other for four or five 
^ ays when the blackbirds succeeded in 
I taring the nest up. The robins have 
uilt another nest, and I think that 
le blackbirds will leave them alone, 
have been counting the birds I saw 
: nee the eleventh of April and I have 
ien five hundred and hope to see 
tore. I am fifteen years of age. 
Your Friend, 
Jesse L. Woodward. 
Mazomanie, Wis., Feb. 1, 1912. 
'ear Wayside:— 
One day as I was coming to school 
saw around a grove of trees a lot of 
duns. My father had been telling me 
e had seen some and I was watching 
ir them. There were about fifty or 
lore. They would sit on their feet in 
le road. I think it has been quite 
ild for robins to stay here. They seem 
) get enough to eat for they are very 
it. They seem to be very happy for 
ley sometimes sit in the trees and 
airp. I had never seen robins stay 
ere in the winter before. They get 
own on the ground close to the bushes, 
'lie day when I was walking by the 
rove of trees a flock of them flew out 
i roni the bushes and frightened me. 
could not see them until they flew. 
! 
Age 1 
Yours truly, 
Lilly Winch. 
5 years. 
(Continued from page 51) 
hristmas day ate merrily of the food 
iven them through the kindness of the 
iing. 
By evening the story of this thought- 
d act was known, not only in the city, 
ut through the nearby country, and 
umbers of happy Christmas revellers 
athered to watch the eager birds eating 
lyfully, 
Even now, as Charles R. Russell 
writes, in many sections of the large 
Scandinavian country, during the wheat 
harvest many farmers make an espec¬ 
ially large sheaf of wheat, known as 
the Christmas sheaf, in remembrance 
of the kindness of their good king of 
long ago. 
On Christmas morning their immense 
sheaves can be seen surrounded by 
happy, feasting birds and the passers 
all stop to watch the wee creatures and 
take delight in relating to their little 
ones as did their parents to them the 
lovely story of “The King and the 
Birds. ” 
As the invalid finished she heard a 
twittering, and saw on the window-sill 
two sparrows fighting over a piece of 
dried bread. 
“Though I am only an invalid and 
have no sheaf of wheat,” she said. “1 
can perhaps help the birds by keeping 
them supplied with food, not only on 
Christmas, but every day during the 
winter . 1 ’ 
Each morning she had suet, corn, and 
different crumbs put out freshly and 
the sparrows came hurridly; but the 
news spread rapidly through the bird- 
land and soon many other birds joined 
the ranks, among them a large Bluejay, 
who always carried his morsel to a 
tree nearby, and holding it in his claw, 
hammered the kernel with sledge-like 
blows of his strong bill, until broken 
enough to be eaten easily. 
One morning among the blue and; 
gray a bit of scarlet flashed in the sun, 
as a gorgeous Cardinal picked eagerly 
at the crumbs. 
However the crowning glory of all 
gladdened the heart of the invalid, when 
she caught a glimpse of the Bluebird 
and heard its clear soft note, for she 
felt then that “Sweet Spring, full of 
sweet days,” was once more here to fill 
the world with rejoicing. 
Helen P. Haskell. 
