The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-09-21
OUR BOYS AND GIRLS.
AHAGiC AND UNHAPPY FATE
OF THE SPARROW.
o"uer the Elms Down by the Brook
me Law for the Wolves-Dolls' hats
and How to Make Them A Cay
school-Bag-Andrew's Argument.
My Sparrows.

since it left it's mountain spring,
turned suddenly from the dividing
renee between two grassy fields
and left a bit of woodland in the
angle formed by the fence and an
other separating both fields from the
river. 1t was such an atom out of the
forest that it had never been elm
proved" and wild flowers and wild
birds made their homes there.
Two slender elms, all overrun with
a grape vine, stood guard over this
1alry nook, and this grapevine was so
ingenious, SO full of q desire to climb
that 1T won admiring observations.
A few inches from the soil it put forth
a branch as ambitious as itself. The
elm was a few feet away, but it dis
dained to travel oven the ground to
reach a support; the swaying branches
were above it, and in striving to reach
them it twisted itself into a loop and
grew longer and at last a strong wind
blew it against the bou@hs and it's
curling tendrils clung to them.
Meanwhile the parent stem thrust
itself through the depending loop that
the branch had formed and stretching
out vine arms to other branches
formed a pleasant swing.
In the shrubs behind the elms the
sparrows built their nest, not the ar
rogant English sparrows that are
driving our sweet singers farther and
farther away but the gentle native
birds. How friendly they grew as I
visited their home day by day, think
ing, no doubt, [ thought it a very mar
vel of a birds nest. And when, in
stead of four little white eggs there
were four young sparrows in the nest,
with what pride they perched on the
bushes nearl
Over the old rail fence, in a leafv
buckeye, was a red birds nest, but the
parents resented my prying into their
nursery and 1 let them alone, devot-
ing myself to the sparrows. I fed
them with crumbs, dropping one into
each little throat. which was always
open when they heard me coming.
Igrew forder of them every day and
as their feathers grew they were
really pretty.
But one morning my crumbs were
not needed; an empty nest and the
waiting of the parent. birds awaited
me. There had been no storm and
the little ones could not fly, but I
searched carefully, hoping to find
them where they had in some way
been brushed from the nest. 1t was
useless; they were gone; and then
sharp cries of distress from the red
birds nest drew my attention thither.
The birds were fiuttering above their
nest and there was something heart
piercing in their anguished notes. 1t
was the cry of the weak against the
strong, of the helpless against the
oppressor.
soon reached the leafy buckeye,
but looking up instead of down, near
ly trod upon the cause of their terror
before l saw it-a huge blacksnake
which, having begun its breakfast on
sparrows, was minded to finish it on
redbirds. The cunning, wicked eyes
of the reptile were fixed greedily on
the nest as it crawled slowly towards
the tree, and 1 wondered by what
cruel instinct it was, guided to the
spot, or did the joyous singing of the
birds reveal their treasure to their
mortal enemy
Putting this enemy out of the way
seemed the only plan to insure safety
to the young birds, and indignant at
the fate of my sparrow pets l pelted
this destroyer with stones till he
turned and glided swiftly towards the
river.
Closely following, 1 renewed the at
tack, while the snake coiled and
struck ~vlciously at the pebbles hat
fell thickly around him, the white
spots showing through his dusky hue
as they always do when a blacksnake
is angry.
Finally one of the missiles struck
him, and darting from his coil he shot
into the water, swimming with amaz-
ing celebrity. 1 never knew before
that a blacksnake could swim. With
head held high, the long. ~sinuous
body waving to and fro it gained the
middle of the stream and swan down
wards with the current.
AS soon as the birdlings could fly a
little, while they were yet of a dull
brownish hue, for their bright color is
not given them until later, the red
birds removed them to u different
dwelling and their nest, too, was
empty. -Philadelphia Times.
"a Gay school Bag"
A gay school bag can be made out
of ticking, if it is new and stiff. Cut
a piece large enough when folded to
hold your largest book and slate, the