The bee., 1884-01-26
KlffYIa Tramn.

bessie Chandler, in st. Nicholas.
Kitty's Tramp.
One cold day in January Kitty Blake
bad dined with grandma and was on her
ray home through the Belds. Perhaps
you wonder why Kitty should walk IN
the fields when the snow was so deep
But there was hard crust on the
snow and she could skip along over 1t
without breaking through. 1t was
great fun.
Suddenly she stopped, for there in a
slight hollow in the snow lay tiny
bird.
Poor little birdie! 1t must have
frozen to DEATH said Kitty softly, and
tear stood in her eye, for she had
tender heart for all little creatures.
Then she said ooh" and gave start
that sent the tears tumbling over her
muff, for just that instant one of the
birds legs twitched and the tears
would not stay back.
"P'r'aps it's alive, after ALL" she
thought, and she picked it up and
tucked it into her muff. Her mulf was
lined with fur.
She reached home quite breathless,
and when she took out the bird and
laid it on mammals lap, it gave one
"Pop" stool on its legs, and then
flew up into the ivy that ran all about
the south bay window,
"What made it make b'lieve dead?'
asked Kitty.
"It didn't make believe" said MANI
ma. 81 think it was dizzy. Birds
sometimes are dizzy. But if you had
not found it, it would soCn have frozen
to DEATH"
Kitty named him "The Tramp"
and he lived in the bay window with
mammals plants. This bay window
was shut off from the rest of the room
by glass doors. 1t was sunny and
fragrant home for the little chickadee,
AMI lucky bird it was just then.
For on the first day of february it
began to snow and showed three days,
and when it cleared there were pileE
and piles Of snow.
Great focks of birds then came about
the house searching for food.
1--WE must feed them or they will
die" said mamma. "The snow is So
deep they cannot find food.''
So Kitty scattered meal and hemp
seed on the snow and tied meaty bones
OH the lilac and rose bushes, aud there
wasn't moment of the day when some
blue jay, or snow bird, or chickadee, OF
robin, was not picking up grain, or
pecking at the bones.
THAT is the way to have birds in
winterl" said Kitty.
The Tramp did not seem to care
fig about his relations till one day in
March, when flock OF chickadeeS flew
past, and he fiuttered against the win
dows and begged to be let out.
Mamma opened the window and off
he flew! Kitty sighed, and said THAT
is the last of him, suppose" But it
wasn't.
One sunny May day Charley was sit
ting up in bed Charley is Kitty's
brother. He had been sick, and the
window was open so he could breathe
the soft spring air. Suddenly bird
dropped on the window-sill and began
to whistle "Chick-a-dee-d deel" so blithe-
ly and cock his head at Charley.
"It's the TrampI" said Charley; and
sure enough it was. After that he
came almost every day. If the window
was shut they opened it for him.
Charley used to hide hemp seed and
sugar under the edge of the pillows for
the Tramp to find. He always found
it. Sometimes lie would tie sugar up
in paper and the Tramp would peck
at it until he got it out.
He would perch on Charley's
shoulder and eat seeds from his mouth.
lie wanted to build a nest in an old
letter-box nailed up against a wall.
Ever so many birds-blue birds, wrens
and sparrows, wanted to build in that
box, too
The Tramp was brave little fellow,
and good fighter, but he never would
have driven the birds off if Kitty had
not helped him.
81 love all the Birds" said Kitty,
''but the Tramp is my very own bird"
So he and his mate built a nest and
raised a family of birds in peace, and
now Kitty and Charley call the old
letter-box "The Tramp's Homer'