The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-11-24
OUR CHURCH SWALLOWS.
A Beautiful Lesson OF Pluck and Courage
Taught by the Birds.

n
Taught by the Birds.
As vividly as il it were but ycstcr-
day. though it is an event of many
years ago, comes up the memory or
the experience of pair of barn swal-
lows, Hirundo horreorum. Tho 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 she went to see how the
brides were 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
| IL they worked. Now came the male,
who cmptied and spread his little hod-
/ ful of cement. Then came the female,
who added hers. And SO fast did one
succeed the other that it seemed like
! the boys in winter on tile pond, who
would slide by in rapid succession, tIl-
ing in each his place. and crying out,
keep the pot bolling!'
Thus it went on for three days, when
the mud-waIls were well up. Then be-
gan the work on the interior. the lin
ing with hair and fine dowpy feathers.
Now came the full gushing of the
child's delight. The wind had caught
up little feather from the barnyard
and whirled it into the air. The male
swallow saw it. There was Il little
twitter Doubtless in the bird lam
guacc it signitied, "Quite the thing!"
And the bird caught it just as easy as
her brother caught his ball. The child
took hint. Having collected some
feathers, she let them go 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 in. 1t
was followed by n beautiful Sabbath
morning, but one which almost broke
the little damscrs heart. Pray how
can people who work in mortar avoid
making dirtp These bird builders had
badly spotted the floor of the porch.
To his intense disgust the old sexton
beheld it all, and was not slow to guess
the cause. With n long pole he
knocked the nest down, then swept
the porch How that child did weeI
for this calamity to the brides! She
even gave vent TO some temper, ant
u
At breakfast the next morning the
child told us with evident JOY that tht
I brides had begun again To build thei
nest, and i'll the same spot, too. Nha
a q busy week it was for those swallows
: On Saturday evening the nest again
t seemed finished. But Sabbath morn
: ing brought the same disaster. Some
@ what pctulant, the sexton brought TIN
T. long pole into requisition once more
t The child was now painfully exercised
Y and it cost lis all considerable effort t.
o quiet her agitation.
:: The next day she astonished us b.
;, saving that the brides had begun /
It build again. 1t was true Wha
r splendid courage! What gcnuin
% pluck! How the dear little fellows di
O work to repair the disaster! 1t was
% real strain, for the iuducement had bC
n come extraordinary. They were tiv
Is pretty white eggs about which the
n were getting anxious. By Saturda
10 evening all was finished. The nest WI
Ii ready for occupancy. The sun wer
.c down beautifully as those tired lit
- workers went TO rest.
20 In the dusk of evening Il new worl
,e er came. Keeping her own counse
v the little maiden appeared rs noiseles
ly as possible with water, broom, au
5, scrubbing-brush. No one knew VIII
n. had become of the child. When 81
q came home she said that she guesst
4. she had the church steps SD clean tn
Il. the sexton could not see any dirt tn
si- time. So it was. And the sextc
70 quite forgot all about it, and the sws
II. lows raised their callow brood
es peace. took the child up to Il smG
It; opening over the porch, through whi,
V; she was able to see the pretty eggs al
tv afterward the little birds. Next ye
x daughters brides, as we called ther
nd came back and again built IN the san
or spot, and they again received the .
es tentlon OF their child protector.-L
ut Loc6tcooaS Hedatags ta Adt@TdE hsStof