American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-05-09
NO. 10.
Om Rous and Girk.
THE WRONG BIRD.

| lived one OF the happIeSt boys III tn
, world. His name was Isham Kicks; hi
father and mother were two colored pc
sons; his home was n very small an
; rather dilapidated log cabin his week-da
clothes consisted of one shirt one pair {
trowsers and one suspender; and on Sat
urday night his mother generally washed
the trowsers and shirt for Sunday.
In the establishment of the Kicks FAM
ly meal time came very irregularly.
was often quite impossible, judging mere
ly by the time of day, to tell whether
meal was breakfast, dinner or supper; ant
as one meal was generally very mucl
like another there was often no other way
of finding out.
Still it made but little difference to thu
Kicks family. When his mother calleC
him to come and eat, Isham was Away.
ready. He didn't care whether it was
dinner or supper. You might have called
it dejeuner Ia fourchette, if you liked
and it would have been ali the same to
him, if you only gave him plenty of ba
con gravy.
There were but two things that caused
Isham sorrow. One of these was to have
| his mother come to the door of the cabin
and call out You Ishamn' Then he
| knew she wanted him to do something
| to go after water, to cut wood, or some
| thing of that kind. When she called out,
"Oh, Isham!'' then he ran gladly, for he
knew it meant corn bread and bacon fat.
Now, as Isham's nature did not crave
| work, he very much disliked the sound
of " You IshamI"
Another thing that sometimes troubled
this generally jolly little black boy was
hot water and soap.
But we will not enlarge upon this topic
now. Isham was almost always free to
do as he pleased, and he was fat and
happy.
He fished in the creek, he set traps for
hares, and he climbed trees for bird
flor which he would have been whipped
had his father been the right kind of a
man, On the whole, bird-nesting was
Isham's greatest delight. He could climb
the tallest trees and go out on branches
where il would make you tremble to see
even an opOssum venture. He had brought
home eggs of nearly every kind of bird
that could be found on the Putan River,
and the whole ones were strung on
string and hung up over the fireplace at
home. If he had had anything but his
pockets to carry his eggs in his string
would have been longer, but great many
eggs were broken, of course, before they
reached the cabin; and Isham's mother
sometimes remarked. late of Saturday
evening, that she washed more egg out
er dat boys brooches pockets ebry week
if dey'd been turkey eggs, and had been
KEEP in de SHELF
One day in spring, when Isham's
mother had looked all the morning as If
she were on the point of singing out " You |
Ishami" the boy was glad to get an invi- |
tation from Uncle Andrew Barnes to go |
with him to the mountain to get tan-bark. |
Uncle Andrew had a pair of old mules
and a wagon, and he wanted lsham to |
mind the team while he collected the |
bark.
The mountain" was four or five miles |
away, and was covered by forest, and |
it was always rare treat to Isham to go
there.
About noon the old mules stopped be-
meath big tree near the foot of the noun
tain, and after a snack of ashcake and
potatoes Uncle Andrew went to work
cutting and stripping oak bark from the
trunks of trees he had cut down on a
previous visit, and Isham set about
the team.
This he did by unbuckling one of the
lines and tying the mules fast to black
gum tree, waiting, however, until Uncle
Andrew had commenced work at little
distance.
Oar now" said Isham. "Ef dey
pull dat tree up by de roots dey's smarter
mules dan l takes 'em fur"
So off he went bird-nesting.
He did not find his search very encour-
lging, for he rambled long distance
without discovering any signs of birds
lest. But at last he was rewarded by ,
eeing a large bird fly from the top of a
all tree that stood by itself in some
What open place in the forest.
Isham instantly ran to the tree and .
,eering up through the branches his
Iuick eve perceived great mass of sticks
md twigs that he knew must be nest. t
But what a whopper! 1t seemed big s
nough to hold him and his father and t
mother besides. :
"Dat dar big bird must a been tur- {
,ey," laid Isham "What a pow'rful ;
Iumb Turkey dat ar is to bill she nes' up q !
rec Laws a massy 'Spose she's done :
zone and laid it full o. eggs!"
This thought had no sooner darted f
trough his brain than Isham began to {
limb the tree. He went up rapidly; bare {
Dotted and active, he elm bed like Il young {
monkey.
When he had nearly reached the top '
sham noticed in a big crotch IN the 6
pparently that of a sheep or a pig; and i
$ he looked up, he saw other bones pro-
Getting out from the edge of the nest.
"Whewi" said Isham. "'Taint a nest, I
nay be? P'raps it's muffin but pigs ber |
YIN groun'! No, faint. Dey couldn't c
it up so high" v
At this instant there was rush and a |
,hir in the air, and right at 1sham came v
n enormous eagle. @
With wings Outspread, eyes flashing, t
nd great talons and beak ready to tear i
i'm to pieces, the eagle dashed at him; t
ut, quick as flash, 1sham entrenched
imself behind a large limb. For mo- Il
lent he was too much frightened to open Il
is mouth; but as the eagle made lunge O
fter lunge at him, which he avoided only d
V slipping around the limb, he cried: O
$50 way dar! Uncle Andreeo! Oh Van 2
'e And! Stop that! Git Quit Uncle i
i
The eagle did not seem to mind this Il
houting, but continued his attack, with u
ut, however, gaining any advantage, lsh- n
m being so very nimble. h
Then the eagle offered little truce, and h
ew up to his nest to see if anything there Il
ad been disturbed. o
Now Isham thought his chance had e
ONE, and he began to slide quietly from h
ehind the limb. Il
But as soon as he moved down came the IL
agile, and Isham was glad to take his a
,rmer position of safety. Ii
The eagle soon left him again, but the
cor boy was afraid to move.
He knew now that il wasn't a turkey 5;
lat had attacked him, nor even buZ- $;
ard He didn't think about eagles, but o
adj an idea that it was some kind of an 5
ephantine chicken-hawk. But he did -
OF puzzle his brain about what it was. 81
lie was only anxious about what 1t was IL
Ding to do, and he was very much afraid 81
lat his bones would be added to those in .