Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1886-02-23
MISCELLANEOUS.
Significant HummIng Birds.

Under the above title the Boston
Globe tells most interesting story,
from which we cut the following:
Mr.. Brooks never remembered
looking at ladies' bonnets before in
church, or out of it, to any extent,
but he looked at this one with con-
traction of brow that deepened into a
heavy frown. The dainty fabric had
undoubtedly cost enough to satisfy
any feminine soul, and Brooks would
not have disputed its perfection had
it not been for one of its ornaments
cluster of humming birds so skill
fully stuffed and arranged that the
tiny forms possessed life-like beauty.
Yet how much lovely, innocent, use
full life had been destroyed to obtain
that ornament Had she not thought
of this when combining and COM
bining?" No probably not. The
exquisite creatures which had once
darted from flower to flower like en-
bodied bits of a rainbow formed no
proof of deliberate cruelty against
the girl, but they started very disa-
greeable train of thoughts in Brooks
mind. He also did some combining,
and found that the choice of those
tiny children of nature, ruthlessly
slain for the sake of bonnet, harmo-
nized but too we'll with his sinister
impression of Miss Wentworth's char
acter. Perhaps she had not even
thought of the beautiful life which
had been taken, but he felt that the
woman whom he could love would
have thought of it with Indignation at
so cruel a caprice of fashion.
He gave a very distracted atten-
ton to the sermon, for in fancy he
saw the little birds fitting to and fro
where nature had designed them to
be. He saw them thrusting their
slender beaks into the honeysuckles,
and burying themselves in the funnel
shaped blossoms of the trumpet
creeper. Then he remembered the
tiny nests in which the mother birds
had brOoded and mourned the loss of
their mates. Perhaps both of the pa
rent birds had been captured, and
only wee skeletons of unfledged off
springs were now in some nests, and
his indignation grew strong that wo-
men would countenance a traffic
which might break up so many happy
little homes.
After the service was over he ac-
companied Miss Wentworth home
ward through shady lane. She did
not observe that he was undemonstra-
tive in his glances and manner, but
chatted on in her usual vivacity. At
last she exclaimed:
{. You remember my errand to the
city. Has it not resulted admirably" 2"
a. 1 admit that had not thought of
the errand-I mean the bonnet-un-
til i saw it in the church this morn
ing"
'' 'Fie! supposed that ladies only
looked at bonDets in church. Isn't
it a gem? 1 mean the bonnet, not
the church"
"I am very fond of humming
BIRDS" he replied, quietly. ''The
summer scarcely gives us anything
more beautiful They are so small,
yet so highly organized and perfect
in their lives, that one is inclined to
"OuNSt even LuOiS Ludu He duulIeo.
By the way, I have heard that those
employed as ornaments for ladies'
hats are often skinned alive in order
that the exquisite hues of the feather,
may be kept undimmed. The plum
age of your birds is so bright 1 think
the little creature must have beer
treated in this way" and he looked
at her with observant eyes.
care they so true to life?" she
asked, with a pleased look.
"Yes."
"Tm delighted that have salts.
! fed your fastidious taste, and shaE