Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-05-21

st.s scar q r. yssns Is; i fss,s{ IS
In ! certain Wild but beautiful ooun-.
Try place, far from this great city, stood
4 little white cottage al ~ itseA, there
|being no other houss tor ton g tuelye
miles. over which, in summer time, tie
Wild rose vines clamhe until they
reached the very chimney, who're, cling
IND to the red bricks, they lung out Il,
merry triumph slender Tower. den
branches like pennons On the breeze.
Under the cottage caves some swallows
built their nesh every spring. md 70 tho
garden came, Is soon o tho yellow and
White hopeysuGkles and blue larkspuss
and many-colored four clocks bloomed.
myriads Of humming- birds, looking Ike
rubiss, and diamonds, and opals, and
emers1ds, and topazes, and sapphres,
that had taken to themselves wings; and
flown from al parts Of the world to visit
tho living gems in this 3loyely spot. In
the autumn. when tho leaves, dressed in
their gayest dress, were bidding farewell
to the sunshine and the, wind and each
other, hundreds Of robin-red- breasts-
Goods birds hoped Ike little
flames shout the ground, and in . hollow
tree near the cottsge door ! pretty red
brown wren and his mate had found
shelter for q long time, and reared sev-
eral broods. Al for tho Gaucy, chatter.
ing, busy, fearless sparows, they had
feather-lined nests Wherever 4 sparrows
nest could DO placed, and that Is almost
everywhere -on tho pump, behind the
wood pile, in the barn, among the trees
and these nests they never forsook all
tho year round. What wonder that the
cottage was called Bird House, and the
dear wee girl, whose home 1t was, an
swered to tho name Of Birdie 2.os No
brothers or sisters had the innocent blue
eyed child, and, save the birds, no little
friends. But they loved her dearly, and
were always near her; 90 she never grew
lonely, but WIS happy and oontented
from morning until night. At early
dawn, when q soft light in tho eastern
sky told that the sun was coming, they
tapped on her window-panes to Waken
her and, when sho appeared at the cot
tage door, they flew to meet her, light
ing on her fair head, her shoulders, her
outstretched hands, with: loud, sweet,
twittering welcomes. Even strange
birds just passing that way would join
tho merry throng, and joyfully and
gratefully partake of the crumbs the
dear one scattered for her friends. And
often at night, when Birdie awoke from
. pleasant dream, and found her room
filed with the silver Of the moon, she
would hear the sparrows and swallows
say-sti!l dreaming Ire they" Birdie,
She had learned their language when
she was but . babe, and knew when they
were glad or sad; when they praised or
scolded; when they gave warning that
the spirits of the storm were abroad;
when they sid to their young, >"Cour-
age, little ones; it is time to try your
wings;" when they softly chirped, s'To
sleep, to Sleep" and when they sang
songs of love or farewell. + A<7 -. = -
And go it happened that she under
stood every word Of the song that the
wren sang to her that winter afternoon.
The snow had been falling, and tho sun
shine was Just coming back, when she
went out in the garden, in her Little Red
Riding hood cloak, to share her bread
with the sparrows and snow-birds.
Around her they flew, uttering cries of
joy, when suddenly the wren, forgetting
his shyness, appeared among them; and
this Ia the song he sau0:-~~-.,~~---