The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-02-21

AOOAH " 4ApV40
round head, tucked into the plump,
thickly feathered body, making it look
as if it had no neck at all.
But birdie did not seem to want to
fly away ; he only turned his head a little
so as to see her better, and looked at
Aunt Helen with his bright round
eyes as if he would say:
"You Won't hurt me, I know. Please
let me sit still; I'm dreadfully tired
So Aunt Helen cooed over him a
second or two, and then, as he didn't
seem a bit afraid, quietly went back
into the house and called the twin
girls, saying:
"Come and see what I found ON the
back porch just now" And then, nod
ding over their heads to their father,
said: "You come along, too, Charlie.
1 want you to put q little bird back in
to its nest for me-"
mo use," said their father, shaking
his head. It'll fly away as soon as we
attempt TO touch it; they always do.
I've tried it too often"
"Please try again." said Aunt Helen,
coaxingly; II am afraid the cats will
catch it if We don't" Then to tho
children: "Softly, SOFTLY" as the lit
tie feet battered and clattered OH the
bare kitchen floor, and the little
tongues chartered and chartered as
only twin girlics' tongues can. Soft
ly, softly, or you will brighten the poor,
tired birdie"
But 1 guess he was too tired to be
afraid of anything, for he only winked
and winked the gray lids of his round
eyes, as if he We're getting sleepy, and
nestled into u rounder ball than ever
US the little girlies "Ah-ed" and
"Oh-cd," and their father repeated: J
"No use: he'll fly away as soon as
1 attempt to touch him. They always
do" =.
But this bird didn't; he didn't even
flutter or try to get away, as the long,
strong fingers closed so gently round
him. /.
So they all went upstairs to Aunt
Helen's room. First Aunt Helen, then
papa, with the birdie, and then the
little l~assies.
Then Aunt Helen threw her window
open wide and showed papa the cute
little nest i'll the berry basket fastened
close under the caves, out of which,
she felt quite sure, birdie must either
have flown or fallen, as all summer
long she had had n pair of olds birds
there and fed them crumbs and seeds
on her windowsill, and in the spring
time given hair and threads to rebuild
their nest-to make it soft and nice
for the little newcomers.
1t was a good thing papa was so
tall and had such nice, long arms, for
he couldn't have reached. the nest at
all if he had been q little, short-armed
q
Well, he put the little birdie in, and.
the papa and mamma birds flew to the
nest, and the little twin girlies "Ah-cd!"
and "Oh-ed!" again, and they all
thought what a happy little bird-fam-
lily that now would he,
But by-and-by Aunt Helen heard no
end of a fuss outside of her window,
and when she looked out what do O
suppose she saw?
The two old birds flying about that
nest and chattering and chippering and
scolding and Tapping their wings at o
great rate.
She tried to find out what it all
meant, but she couldn't understand
bird-talk, and the brides couldn't talk
English. But she began to he afraid
that she had gotten q strange bird
baby into that nest, and that the papa
and mamma birds had found out that
it wasn't their child at all.
Pretty soon night fell and all grew
quiet in eaves-land. But the next
morning when she wanted to give the
brides their breakfast the nest was
quite empty: the birds had all flown.
and she never knew why or where
Chicago Ledger.