Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-03-18
Ilomth' q Column.
A Walk.

"Mamma, will you go to walk with
us this afternoon?' asked Charlie.
''Oh, please do, mamma, with an
appealing tone.
"Oh, yes, yes; do go with us
mamma. It's such a splendid day, .
chimed in Will.
Now mamma is very glad that her
boys think nothing nicer than walk
with her, so, although she had been
hard at work all the morning preserv-
ing peaches, and now after dinner she
had hoped for little time to read,
she gives up her own pleasure and
says brightly. eyes, children, l will
60"
Then the hats went up in the air
with hip, hip, hurrah which would
have greatly disturbed nervous per-
son, and two happier boys could not
have been found.
"But why couldn't they go alone?"
some of you are asking. s'And what
is there so nice in a walk p
Let us see.
Mrs. Campbell put on her shade
hat, and they all started out through
the garden toward the meadow.
''Hark Sh-," said Will, in
whisper, holding up his finger warn
ingly. ''Just see that squirrel.
They all stopped, for on one of the
tall sunfowers was pretty little red
squirrel, eating the seeds as fast as
he could. When his bright eyes show
ed him that he was discovered, he
| looked at our friends a second, and
then with skip and jump he was off.
He ran up on the barn, from the
top of which he looked down, as if
chuckling to himself and saying ''I'm
safe up here
81 didn't know that squirrels would
eat sunfower seeds, said Charlie. 81
wish he d come down and eat some
more"
81 think he will, if we wait here
quietly minute" said Mrs. Camp
bell. And sure enough, after gazing
at them little time, Mr.. Squirrel
seemed to decide that they would not
hurt him, and began cautiously to de-
scend, turning his head often with a
wise look around. till he again reach
ed the top of the sunfower.
On the edge of the great head he
sat, and with his pretty paws pulled
out the seeds, put them in his mouth
and snapped them down his throat
before one could say Jack Robinson.
AS they watched him, up came a
flock of English sparrows, one of
which lighted on a smaller head of the
same sunfower, and began eating the
seeds as fast as the squirrel did.
Then another bird came, and this
was not a sparrow, but pretty bird
with golden brown feathers and a
dull yellow neck and breast. 1t had
taken only one peck at the seeds when
a big robin flew over, scolding loudly.
The other birds had not disturbed
the squirrel in the least; but, at the
first approach of this noisy robin, he
gave a frightened start and scamper-
ed off out of sight.
As Mrs. Campbell and the boys
walked on through the beautiful mead
ow, Will said, ''What was that yell
lowish bird, mammal
GA thistle bird or goldfnch," said
his mother. 81 thought you knew
them
ooh, but, mamma, don't you know,
the thistle bird is bright yellow, with
a black cap and black on his wings
and tail and this isn't a bit like it.
Perhaps it's a mother bird, though.
You know you told us they weren't
as bright as the fathers. Is that it 20
"Your description of the goldfnch
is very good, my boy" said his moth
er, ''only it is meant for summer
not September. In this month the
males take off their black and yellow
suits and became as modest and plain
as their wives, so that it is difficult to
tell them apart. You know the bob
olinks change, too. Early in the sea-
son Mr.. Robert wears fine black
and white suit, and sings constantly
but, as the summer grows old, he
changes, too, and by August you can
not tell him from his brown mate.
The beautiful scarlet tanager, and
several other birds, get ready for au
tumn in the same way. But you
seem surprised, Charlie, to see the
squirrel eating sunfower seeds. Have
you been under the sweet apple-tree
lately?"
"Why, yes, mamma, L go there
every day. Why?''
"Haven't you noticed the queer
way in which some of the apples have
been eaten?''
ado you mean those that have
hole gnawed in them right to the
core?''
eyes. Now what do you suppose
ate them in that way?"
''Worms or bugs" said Charlie.
"Grasshoppers," said Will.
"But didn't you see the print of
teeth in them ?" asked mamma
eyes" Will remembered that he
had.
"Whose little teeth? Can't you
think % asked Mrs. Campbell.
'sThe SQUIRRELS" said Will, some
what doubtfully.