Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-01-24
Claud and the Little Birds.

would you like to see a birds nest o.
"Oh, yes y said Claud, jumping up
and down with delight "where is it p
80 will take you to see it, said his
mamma :" but l shall blindfold you"
What for, mamma? ?" asked Caud,
anxiously.
Because if you should go there Of
ten you would disturb the pretty little
mot6er-bird, and she would 60 away
and leave the eggs"
eagerly
"But she would feel bad to lose
them 80 / shall not let you see where it
is. If you want to go you must be blind
folded"
"Wil it hurt ?" Claud asked, hest
tating.
"No, of course not" laughed man.
ma, taking out clean white handker-
chief and folding it up cornerwise.
NOW let me tie this on.
Gland came up, had the bandage tied
on, took mamma hand, and they started
out.
"Now I'm blind man, like poor old
Roger in my book, and you're my dog
to lead me. Amt you a pretty big dog,
mammal
81 should think | was, said mamma
laughing.
When they were on the walk there be-
gan curious and mysterious perform
ance. First mamma led him Il little way
toward the barn; then she turned and
walked toward the chicken-house then
she went back past the house, down by
the fountain to the front gate ; and then
she led him over all the winding paths
of the yard. After that she turned him
around several times, so he would not
know which way he was going, and at
last she led him across the grass and up
to a little rose bush, not twenty feet
from the front gate. Holding her dress
around him, so that he couldn't look
out, she slipped up the bandage and let
him look.
There on the ground, away under the
bush, was a cunning little nest, and in it
were four pretty speckled eggs. Claud
could hardly believe his eyes. Such tiny
bits of eggs, and such Il cunning little
nest.
ooh, mamma y he cried, eagerly,
ON the piazza p
"No," said mamma; "you wouldn't
want to take away the poor little birds
house, would you? By and by four
tiny bits of birds will come out of them,
and then I'll bring you again to see
them"
cts ever n ever SO far from our
house, amt it?' asked Claud, inno-
Gently.
$50 far that think you'll never find
it, said mamma Then she blindfolded
him again, and by the same winding way
led him back to the house.
Every day after that Claud might be
seen wandering away off at the end
of the lawn. looking eagerly at the foot
of every bush, trying to find that nest.
Mamma kept her word, and in few
days she took him, in the same mysteri-
Gus way, to see four little wide mouthed
birds. A day or two after this Claud
was playing on the grass near the fence,
and he saw bird fly down into the grass
at the foot of that very rose-bush. Then
he heard loud peeping, and he ran up
to see what it was. The old bird flew
up as he came near, and there was the
nest full of brides. He stood looking
at them, never suspecting that it was
the same family that he had seen, when
big boy, who lived near, noticed him
through the fence.
"What you looking at ?" he asked.
Little birds" answered Claud, not
looking up, with big moufs, and not
any feathers
''Give me one" said the boy.
f""T amt mine, said Claud "b'long
to their mamma"
g Wall met br;no ono how, So, ,,,o 10
look at" said tho big boy; 81 want to
see what kind it is. COME, I'll give YOU
some candy if you will, he added, coax
ingly.
Candy was great temptation to
Claud; so, after Il moments hesita-
ton, he carefully took up one of the
droll-looking things, and carried it down
to the fence. The boy snatched it and
ran Off
Here y cried Claud, "where's the
candy? an you must MT take it away -
wait there till bring it," said the
boy with laugh, as he turned around
the corner
Claud waited long time, till his
mother came ont and called him. He
went up to the big tree where she was
sitting, and told her the whole story.
"Why, Claud," said she, "that is a
bad boy, and he just promised you the
candy to get you to bring him bird.
He did MT mean to give it back and
now the poor little mamma will feel
bad"
Claud began to cry.
~ told you not to talk to that boy, !"
said mamma.
" didn't, sobbed Claud "he talked
to me-"
Il think" said mamma. "that I'd
better tie up these little hands, SO that
they can't do any more mischief don't
you? ?"
Yes, said Claud, hesitatingly.
SO mamma laid his arms across each
otherand tied them with his handkerchief
And then she told him the whole story
of the birds-how the mamma and papa
birds came there in the spring, and
found that cozy little place under the
rose-bush, and how they went off and
brought horse hairs and other things,
and made nice little house, and then
the mamma bird laid four eggs, and sat
on them all the time, and hardly left
them minute till the little birds broke
open the shells and came out. And
then when she was gone out to hunt up
something for them to eat, a naughty
boy came and carried off one of her
dear little babies.
Gland hung his head and felt very
much ashamed, and very sorry, and