Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-03-22
Michigan Robins.

/ :: !: 6 &: :: !:
I@.sssEIllR DlE-klN, Dlrole-kln,
KAYIySldon't fly away" said
lNksS0IAyU|Aunt Helen gently, as
lEE al2sAs she drew near to tiny
IEdsETlANafat birding that sat
HEgZSJYIperched on the porch
lEAllrailing one warm Sab
bath afternoon, its little
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 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, know. Please
let me sit still; I'm dreadfully tired.
SO Aunt Helen cooed over him
second or two, and then, as he didn't
seem bit afraid. quietly went back
into the house and called the twin
girls, saying:
"Come and see what found on the
back porch just now" And then, nod
ding over their heads to their father,
said: "You come along, too, Charlie
| want you to put 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 the
children: SOFTLY, softly" as the lit
tie feet battered and clattered on the
bare kitchen floor, and the little
tongues chartered and chartered as
only twin girlies' tongues can. Soft
ly, softly, or you will brighten the poor,
tired birdie"
But l 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 were getting sleepy, and
nestled into rounder ball than ever
as the little girlies "Ah-ed" and
"Oh-ed," and their father repeated:
mo 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
futter or try to get away, as the long,
strong fingers closed SO gently rounl
him.
SO they all went upstairs to Aun.
Hclen's room. First Aunt Helen, then
papa, with the birdie, and then the
little lassies.
Then Aunt Helen threw her window
open wide and showed papa the cute
little nest in 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 pair of Odds 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 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 little, short-armed
man.
Well, he put the little birdie in, and
the papa and mamma birds flew to the
nest, and the little twin girlies "Ah-ed !"
and "Ohed!"' again, and they all
thought what q happy little rd-fam-
ilv that now would be.
But by-and-by Aunt Helen heard no
end of a fuss outside of her window,
and when she looked out what do you
suppose she saw?
The two old birds flying about that
nest and chattering and chippering and
scolding and tapping their wings at a
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 be afraid
that she had gotten n 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 ana 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.