The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-05-17
Young Folks.
The story Of A Coat Of Arms.

A worthy bishop, who died ut Rats.
bon, had for his arms two feldfares,
with the motto, "Aro not two sparrows
sold for farthing ?'' This strange |
coat of arms had often excited attention,
and many persons had wished to know
its origin, as it was generally reported |
that the bishop had chosen 1t for him
self, and that it bore reference to some |
great event in his early life. One day
an intimate friend asked him its mean
ing, and the bishop replied by relating
the following story:
Fifty or sixty years ago, little boy
resided at little village near Dillen-
gen, on the banks of the Danube. His
parents were very poor, and almost as
soon as he could walk he was sent into
the woods to pick up sticks for fuel.
When he grew older, his father taught
him to pick the juniper berries, and
carry them to a neighboring distiller,
who wanted them for making hollands.
Day by day the poor boy went to his
| task, and on his road, he passed by the
open windows of the village school,
where he saw the school master teach
ing a number of boys about the same
age as himself. He looked at these
boys with feelings almost of envy, so
earnestly did he long to be among
them. He knew it was in vain to ask
his flther to send him to school, for he
knew that his parents had no money
to pay the school-master; and he often
passed the whole day thinking, while
he was gathering his juniper berries,
what he could possibly do to please the
schOol.mastcr, in the hope of getting
some lessons. One day, when he was
walkin sadly along, he saw two of the
boys belonging to the school trying to
set bird-trap, and he asked one what
it was for. The boy told him that the
school-master was very fond of field
fares, and that they were setting the
trap to catch some. This delighted the
poor boy, ior herecollected that he had
often seen a great number of these birds
in the juniper wood, where they came
to eat the berries, and no doubt but
he could catch some.
The next day the little boy borrowed
an old basket of his mother, and when
he went to the wood he had the good
luck to catch two fieldfares. He put
them in the basket, and, tying an old
handkerchief over it, he took them to
the school masters house. Justas he ar
rived at the door, he saw the two little
boys who had been seen setting the trap,
and with some alarm he asked them if
the had caught any birds. They
answered in the negative; and the boy,
his heart beating with Joy, gained ad-
mittance into the school-master' pres
ence. In a few words he told how he
had seen the boys setting the trap, and
how he had caught the birds, to bring
them as a present to the master.
ga present, my good boy!' cried
the school master; "you do not look
as if you could afford to make presents.
Tell me your price, and will pay it
to you, and thank you besides"
"I would rather give them to you,
sir, if you please" said the boy.
The school. l.master looked at the boy
as he stood before him, with bare head
and feet, and ragged trowsers that
reached only halfway down his naked
legs. "You are very singular boy"
said he; "but if you will not take
money you must tell me what can do
for you; as cannot accept your pres
ent without doing something for il in
return. Is there anything l can do for
you?"
"Oh yes!" said the boy, trembling
with delight; "you can do for me
what / should like better than anything
else."
"What is that?" asked the school.
maste, smiling"
"Teach me to read" cried the boy,
falling on his knees ;"oh, dear, kind sir,
teach me to read"
"The school-master complied. The
boy came to him at all his leisure hours,
and learned so rapidly that the school
master recommended him to noble
man who resided in the neighborhood.
This gentleman, who was as noble in
his mind as in birth, patrouized the
poor boy, and sent him to school al
, Ratisbon. The boy profited by his op
portunities and when he rose, as ht
, soon did, to wealth and honors, he
adopted two fieldfares as his arms.
"What do you mean?" cried the
f bishops friend.
, 81 mean," returned the bishop, with
, smile, "that the poor boy was myself