Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-07-09
A PLUM TREE ROMANCE.
The Love and Labor Of a Pair of
Goldf1nches.

1
romance. A pair of goldfnches, whose
pretty pastoral 1 hoped to watch, had
been robbed and driven away from
their home in maple tree. Grieving
| for their sorrow as well as for my loss,
l turned my steps toward the farm
house, intending to devote part of the
/ day to the baby crows, who were en-
| livening the pasture with their droll
| cries and droller actions. But the crow
family had the pasture to themselves
that morning, for in passing through
the orchard, looking, as always, for i'm
dications of feathered life, suddenly
saw new nest in the top of a plum
tree, and my spirits rose instantly
when 1 noticed that the busy little
architect, at that moment working
upon it, was a goldhnch.
| What an unfortunate place she had
I - ct Thought. A vouno
chosen! was my 49,. -, - J WIS
tree, a mere sapling, not moro than
! eight feet high, close beside the regu-
lar farm road, where men, and worse,
two nest-robbing boys, passed forty
times day. Would the trim little ma
tron, now so happy in her plans, have
any chance of bringing up a brood
there in plain sight, where, if the row.
ing eyes of those youngsters happened
to fall upon her nest, peace would take
its departure even If calamity did not
overtake her?
Looking all about, to make sure that
no one was in sight, seated myself to
make the acquaintance of my new
neighbor. My whole study of the life
in and around the plum tree, carried on
for the next two weeks, was of spas
modic order, for 1 had always to take
care that no spies were about before 1
dared even look toward the orchard,
One glimpse of me in the neighborhood
would have disclosed their secret to the
sharp boys who knew my ways.
The little dame was bewitching in
her manner, and her handsome young
spouse the most devoted consort ever
saw in feathers, or out of them, may
say. Although she alone built the
nest he was her constant attendant,
and they always made their appear
ance together. He dropped into taller
tree-an apple near by-while she,
with her beak full of materials, alighted
on the lowest branch of the plum, and
hoped gayly from twig to twig, as
though they were steps, up to the sky
parlor where she had established her
homestead. Then she went busily to
work to adjust the new matter, while
he waited patiently during the ten or
fifteen minutes she thus occupied.
Sometimes he seemed to wonder what
she could be about all this time. for he
came and alightcd beside her, staying
only an instant, and then flying with
the evident expectation that she would
follow. Usually, however, he re-
manned quietly on guard till she left
the nest with her joyful call, when he
joined her, and away they went to-
gether, crying, ''te-O-tum, te ter till
out of sight and hearing. There was a
ioyousness of manner in this pair that
gave a festive cir to even so prosaic a
performance rs going for food. The
source of supplies, as I soon discovered,
was bit of neglected ground between
a buckwheat patch and barn, where
grass and weeds of several sorts flour |
ished. Here each bird pulled down by |
its weight n stalk of meadow or other |
grass, and spent some time feasting up
on its seeds.
But madam was a timid little soul; |
she reminded me constantly of some
bigger folk have known. She wanted |
her gay cavalier always within call,
and he responded to her demands
nobly, becoming more domestic than
1ne would imagine possible for such
ight-hearted sprite. After
he young house-mistress settled her
self to her sitting, she often lifted her
head above the edge of her nest, and
uttered 4 strangely thrilling and ap-
oealing cry, which l think is only
heard in the nesting-time. He always
eplied instantly, in tenderest tones,
md came at once, sometimes from the
,ther side of the orchard, singing as he
lew, and perched in the apple tree. If
he wanted an escort to lunch, she |
oined him there, and after exchanging
. few low remarks, they departed to-
ether. t%,,""casionally, however, she
eemed to be merely nervous, perhaps
bout some other bird who she fancied
llRnJ DC ITOuDlcSDLlcs llOuS4lS IL 6C4-
raj. neither of the pair paid the slight
st attention to birds who came about, (
ven upon their own little tree. {
Often when the goldfnch came in an 1
Iver to this call of his love, he flew
round, at some height above the tree, {
i a circle of thirty or forty feet diane I
II, apparently to search out any
nemy who might be annoying her. If s
e saw bird, he drove him off, though /
a perfunctCry manner, as if it were '
one merely in Difference to his lady's ]
ishes, and not from any suspicion or 7
.alousy. On these occasions, too, ne (
lme quite near me. stood fearless and Z
I'm, and stuffed ne most sharply,
1ubtless to see if my intentions were
nocent OF course l looked as amia-
e and harmless as possible, and in q
oment he decided that was not dan t
,rous, made some quiet remark to his t
ssy little partner, and flew away. ,
Sometimes this conduct did not reas- e
IRE the uneasy bird and she called b
yain. Then he brought some tidbit O.
his beak, went to the edge Of the v
sst, and fed her. Then she was paci- is
ID; but do not mistake her, it was not fl
niger that prompted her actions; Ii
hen she was hungry she openly left
- mast and want for food II was saa