STATELY MISS SWAN 
81 
among her playmates trumpeting so loudly 
and so joyously that they would all cheer, 
“Miss Swan’s going to have a cheerful old 
age!’’ 
For several days after that, she spent every 
morning all by herself learning to trumpet, 
until at last she felt quite sure she was ready 
to trumpet before a king. 
The next morning out she swam trumpet¬ 
ing at every bend of her graceful neck and 
every stroke of her dainty foot. How the 
Birdie children did look! Tommie Specks 
stopped turning hand springs and stared, 
while Little Baby Laughing Loon forgot all 
about playing submarine and stared too. In 
just a moment Tommie thought of just the 
right thing to do. He turned right in behind 
Miss Specks and in just a second there was 
a whole procession of little folks swimming 
round and round, led by Miss Swan trumpet¬ 
ing her very best. We may be certain that 
it was one jolly time, and it seemed true 
that there was not a little fellow in the 
group but was to have a cheerful old age,— 
