Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-11-15
OUR CHURCH SWALLOWS.
A BEAUTIFUL Lesson Of Pluck and Courage (
Taught by the Birds.


Taught by the Birds
As wildly as If it were but yester-
day. though it is an event OF many
years ago, comes up the memory OF
the experience Of pair Of barn swal-
lows. Hirundo horreorum The two
had determined to build nest IN the
porch Of our church My little daugh-
ter was the first to detect the fact, and
every day sne went to see how the
brides we're getting along How the
child mind watched and wondered!
To her their ways were marvellous.
How they brought the mud, or more
properly, the bird-mortar! How rapid
iy they worked. Now came the male,
who empted and spread his little hod-
ful Of cement. Then came the female,
who added hers. Aud so fast did one
succeed the other that it seemed like
the bows in winter on the pond, who
would slide by in rapid succession, fill
ing in each his place, aud crying out,
"Keep the pot boiling!
Thus it went on for three days, when
the mud-walls were we'll up. Then be-
ran the work on the interior, the linz
inc with hair and fine dowry feathers.
Now came the full gushing Of the
childs delight The wind had caught
up a little feather from the barnyard
and whirled it into the air The male
swallow saw IT, There was a little
twitter. Doubtless in the bird lam
guage 10 siguihed, "Quite the thing!'
And the bird caught it just as easy as
her brother caught his ball. The child
took a hint. Having collected some
feathers she let them 90 one by one
out of the window, and, to her intense
delight, occasionally one would be
caught by the bird.
The nest was probably completed
when Saturday evening closed n. 1t
was followed by a beautiful Sabbath
morning, but one which almost broke
the little damseIs heart. Pray how
can people who work in mortar avoid
making dirt? These bird builders had
badly spotted the floor of the porch.
To his intense disgust the old sexton
behcld it all, and was not slowto guess
the cause. With "A long pole he
Knocked the nest down, then swept
the porch. How that child did weep
for this calamity TO the brides. She
even gave vent to some temper, and
called the sexton a naughty man.
At breakfast the next morning the
child told us with evident joy that the
brides had begun again to build their
nest, and in the same spot, too. What
n busy week is was for those swallows!
On Saturday evening the nest again
seemed finished. But Sabbath mora
ing brought the same disaster. Some
what petulaut, the sexton brought the
long pole into requistion once more.
The child was now painfully exercised,
and it cost rs all considerable effort to
quiet her agitation.
Tho next day she astonishcd us by
saving that the brides had begun to
build again. 1t was true. What
splendid courage What genuine
pluck How the dear little fellows did
work to repair the disaster! 1t was q
real strain, for the iuduccmeut had be-
come extraordinary. They were five
pretty white eggs about which they
were getting anxious. BY Saturday
evening all was finished. The nest was
ready for occupancy. The sun went
down beautifully MS those tired LITTLE
workers went to rest.
In the dusk of evening a now work
cr came. Keeping her own counsel,
the littlo maiden appeared as uoiseless.
ly rs possible with water, broom, aud
scrubbjug-brush. No one knew what
had become of the child When she
came home She said that she guessed
she had the church steps SO clean thai
the sexton could not see any dirt this