Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-26
TIE coy sPARRoW.
How a Wnlfui Chap was Taught to be
Confronted.

of children and knew q great many pfetIy
stories to tell her little friends. The old
lady gave Pinuy hearty welcome, and
said she would tell him "a story about a
goblin who lived up in a sieeple'
ssRnt II 7 tell Won story you must take
This needle and thread and cloth and
sew said the Old lady. "ior cannot
bear to see your little myers iale'
Vbis did not suit Plnny at all, for while
he wanted TO hear the story he did not
want TO sew.
No" sand the dear old lady, iii you
willnot sew ] will not tell You the story,
for I cannot encourage idleness."
Tben-oh, how wicked the little boy
was-piuny became very angry and
scOwled SO terribly that his kind old lady
friend felt deeply hurt, and she went out
OF the room leaving Piuny there alone.
SO Pinny stood at the window watching
the sparrows in the back y ara and feeling
very unhappy.
~ have a very hard time" thought ne
20 himself, "for I cannot have my own
way about anything. Everybody is cross
10 me and takes away my playthlngs and
makes me seW-iust as if J was girl. /
am very tired Of being a little boy. Why
was ] not one OF those sparrOws? What
q pleasant, easy, merry time they have,
with nothing to do but fly about all day
and play IN the sunshine. How l wish 1
was asparrOW.'
pinny mad no sooner uttered this wish
than he felt very curious feeling steal
over him; ne seemed TO be freezing to
death; he tried to cry out but could not;
then be grew suddenly blind, and the next
thing he knew he was transformed from
little boy into a sparrow and found him
self down in the back yard with the other
sparrOWs! How small and trim he was,
and how nimbly he could run and fly
about
snow am happy" thought he, "for at
last l am sparrow and can do as l
please all the day long"
"Twit- twit-twltter," chirped another
sparrow, hopping to Pinny5 side and
1iuttering his wings briskly.
ado not crowd me 50, or ! will beat
you," said Pinny, for with his transfer
NATION be had acquired the sparrow talk.
ssHOity-tOity! what is this?' cried the
other sparrow, and forthwith he fell upon
Pinny and belabored him so cruelty about
the head and wings That Pinny thought he
must surely die.
The punishment taught him a lesson.
He discovered that he was a sparrow now
and no longer a boy, and must therefore
he very careful how he opened his mouth
and spoke his mind.
''Now go and hunt your breakfast"
said the other sparrow with a parting
peck.
Yes, Pinny was very hungry; he would
set himself at once to searching for food
So he few to the porch where he knew
the children threw crumbs to the birds
every day. He alighted on the clothes
line and saw quantity Of choice mOrsels
on the porch, but there in the midst of
them sat mOnstrOus cat that eyed Pinny
wistfully, as if she would give kingdom
10 feast on his tender flesh.
"MeOw-nOw," said the cat, and then
she began TO purr dece1tfully.
Pinny was not to be caj0led. With a
frightened ''twit-twit-twitter' he flew
down into the yard again and perched on
soap box ard wondered where he had
better go for his breakfast. Presently a
dog rushed into the yard and he was
Obliged 10 seek shelter under the caves
''What an unteeling dOgu exclaimed
Pinny. 81 wonder il he thinks we spar
rows have no rights that should be re-
epectedW
Here, here, you lazy fellow, get out Of
my nestp cried lady sparrow, crowding
him from the caves; what do you mean
by pOking around where you don't be-
lOng?
Then Pinny flew to the roof, feeling
very hungry and discOnsOlate. The
smoke aud cinders from the chimney
nearly sufocated him, and finally he was
driven from the roof by a flock of pigeons
He saw number OF sparrOWs feeding in
the cutters OF the street, so he Joined
them, and by wading in the mud and
slime he c0utrlved TO fish out a few NOR
sells OF refuse that served for breakf
But there was such a hustle OF passing
wagons that poor Pinny had many mar
row escape from being crushed to death,
aud his breakfast was constantly inter-
fupted. Finally he flew up into tree
near the sidewalk and attempted to re-
arrange his plumage, which had been
sadly ruined by nasty melon rind which
some careless man had tossed into the
street. and which had struck Pinnv.
knocking HIM nearly senseless. While
.8e Was rearranging his pium8ge along
came number Of cruel boys, each with
q SING Shot. aud forthwith they began
peppering Iiuny with PEBBLES. More
dead than alive he flew over "A housetop
and allghted on the ash-barrel in back
yard, and there he sat for "a long time, the
picture Of misery, with one little leg
drawn up under him and his thr0bbing
head mournfully cooked to one side, ach
ing as If it would split. Then there came
up sudden thunder shower and the rain
Tell in torrents. PinnS tried to get in
with the other sparIows under the caves,
but they buheted INN and called him a
lazy interlOper, and be was compelled TO
so out into the storm. He saw children's
faces at the window OF the house. and
among them he recognized his brother
Mennn. sTaightway he flew TO the
window and futtered against the class
panes and twittered piteously.
''Iweet-twit, / am Pnny! Don't Won
recognize me? Let me in, tweet-
1witter.' But no, they did not know
him, and, OF course, they could not under
stand his sparrow talk. 10 was yerv.
very sad, and Pinny's little sugrrov2
heart was almost broken.
81 will fly 10 the greenwood" SAID he.
's'there at least l shall not De tormeuted
by these quarrelsome, halfstarved SPAR
aows."
So he few 10 the greenwood. but fboro
me led miserable life. For one moment
1T was snake, aud the next a bird oil
prey he had 20 beware OF. He was
perched on the bough OF an oak tree. me
fully brOOding over his misfortunos
when he suddenly behcld a fer0clous Fita
glaring at him from a linden hard nv
on, how terrible the kite looked: how
fierce were his eyes and his hooked bcal
and his sharp talonsl Pinnys heart
stopped beating and he chirped a feeble.
piteOus wall.
"Hock-hock-hock, screamed the
ferOcious kite, 81 viii eat you, little
sparrow ! will seize YOU with my claws
and rend your limbs apart
And with these threats the hideouR
bird sWOoped down on pinny. AsnimbIv