The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-10-25


two instances were teachings ever forgot
ten.
Once two of these children were with
company of boys who were stoning frogs
in their own pond-a cruelty that any
boy with tenth part Of soul i'll him
ought to be ashamed at doing. These
children always declared that they did
not, themselves throw II stone, but they
were IN tie company Of sinners dHd not tes-
ttWnG against MeT woriS Thus they
were caught by the oldest of their number
who in sorrow and shame at their con-
duct, administered a very severe rebuke,
crying aloud, and calling them to come in
statly out from among the cruel COM
pany.
All! how those boys started and run,
and how miserably ashamed of themselves
they felt, and how for days and days
they seemed to feel their own sides brus-
ed and sore, just as they knew very well
the sides of many a poor frog must be-
You see they had their reward They
never were caught again in the same
fault. To this day the frog pond wakes
unpleasant memories.
The other time one of the children
shut Il flying squirrel into cage, and
meant to keep him there, and sell him
for good price. But poor Bunny would
net eat. He only moped and pined, and
longed and onged for the sweet freedom
Of the forest. Another OF the children
thought about the captive for several
days, and became sad as the squirrel him
solf.
Brother the child said at LIST looking
in the face Of the owner of the cage, I'VE
should not like to be shut up so away
from our friends Bunny is unhappy
He will die. DO let him go. There
were tears in the eyes of the speaker.
The child who held the captive uttered
not a word of reply but ran with his
cage to the edge of the forest and opened
it. Bunny was free.
In the barn there were many swallows
nests. These the children could reach,
and every the swallows had visitors.
They did not fear them. BY and by the
eggs and then the young birds Wee in
the nests. Then oh what rejoicing -
Some boys would have taken the pretty
| eggs away, and strung them ike bead.
and hung them about the house. These
children would as soon have run strings
through each Others heads. They had
never heard Of anything so cruel. The
swallows were Il source Of great pleasure
and fun to these children. They were
never weary of watching them play with
and tease the cattle, the cat and the dog,
tor swolows are great wags, aud very
fond OF trolic,) or Of seeing them dart
about, over and into the river. Swallow.
love to play over water, and to strike
against it with their tiny breasts and
wings. The children learned to tell what
the weather was to be by the movements
Of these birds. At least they thought
us
One day two uncles from New York
city came 10 visit at the children's home.
They blouSht Il great elegant carriage,
/ which was the admiration of the neigh
bors, and fine horses, and long, ugly-look
| ing guns. These last the children did
not like to see. Hunters from New York
and Philadelphia often came up into that
region, and then the deer had to suffer -
But it was not the season for deer shoot
ing now. This the children knew
Yet those guns worried Them. AnC
there was reason. The uncles went here
and there, shooting numbers of Birds
This was bad enough The chldrei
could hardly en- ure the shooting OF pig
cons and such birds us were really needed
for food. TO destroy them for any other
purpose they considered Il real sin. Bu
of course tlsy would not say so TO theil
unclcs.
One Of them went fishing with In,
Uncle Lewis one day. Uncle Lewis tax
Ing his fish from the hook, threw then
on the bank. When he WAS ready to &C
TO the house he went to gather up hi,
fish There were none TO gather. i
might have known better than to throw
them SO near the water on tha: steer
bank, he said,
All that small, red haired imag,
standing motionless amid the grass, could
have cast truer light upon the subjec
of the disappearance of the poor wriggn,
little fishes But could and would are
very different things
All the men Of the family were Assem-
bed in and about the barn-yard. They
held their guns. The sun was near set
ting. The scene was pleasant. The all
was sweet and clear. Swallows withou
without number were flying and twitter
ing about. The children stood on guard
feeling prophetic fears,
Can you hit bird upon the wing
Henry
No, nor you.
Il can
Let's see you do it,
agreed I'll shoot swallow
None of the children had heard tn
last remark, but one of them saw the gul
lifted towards a bird.
'Oh, Uncle Lewis, don't. don't, don't,
was the shrill cry that fell upon tn
marksman's ear; but too late A Aswal
low fell, shot dead, and Uncle Lewis hea
ing a terrible screaming below among tn
children, as well as in the air among tn
birds, turned to find one of the childreI
rolling, convulsed with grief, upon tn