The sun., 1895-03-03
BLESSINGS ON WINGS.
Stories Of birds That Seemed to Have Been
Sent as Hencfnctors.

Stories of Birds That Seemed to Have Bee.
Sent as Hencfnctors.
From the PLiiad,lphfa Time.
Edgar the youngest son of Jameo Keencr OF
Claiborne Parish, La. had been very i'll for sew
erul weeks, So Ill. In fact that the little fellows
life was dcspaired Of. when a singular occur
renee, in which qupil played a conspicuous
part. turned the tide in his favor. The boy had
made brave struggle with death. but the slow,
wasting fever had almost exhausted his powers
of endurance and even his appetite had left him.
The mother and father used every means in
their possesslon to temp; him to eat but in vain.
and the only nourishment he received had to be
fOrce1 upon him.
Finally. one morning when. to the grief
Edgar asked If he might have a brocd par.
triGgc: Quail are very plentiful in Louisiana.
and Mr.. Kecner set out gladly with his gun.
never doubling that lie would kill one for his
son. He searched he fields aud adjoining woods
eneeriy, bnt in vain AZ last he stopped all the
tion. securing the whole gnborhoud, yet not
u bird was started.
Late in the afternoon, leaving the men still
hunting. he went home sorrowfui. fearing his
child might have grown worse from 'sappoint-
him softly. and ioiowns her s into D the 'sri Sick
room, what was his anazement to see sitting on
the fo2tboara of Edgars bed round, plump
espnre the BIRD. and Edgar % was '% soon mi9ss smask
ing hls feeble lips over the broiled brown breast
moment. and still lives to tell the story of the
bird that. as he says. saved his life"
Mary. the small daughter of l.. G. Hewett. n
cattle dealer of Bell county. Tex. having gone
with her parents and n party OF friends on q
plGnie 6 to one % of the meghborpg
herself, being the only child in the, crowd. Mrs.
Mewstt being fi, Gnsiy "ngsged with her friends.
own sweet Will. and ere long the unsuspecting
child had climbed with her nimble young feet
the outcroppngs of the region this peak is com
posed OF the rocks and fossils belonging TO the
left in the shaiy soil. Besides, the mountain is
literally enwrapt by dense growth of scrubby,
iow-ErowinE cedHrs, making an almost inpene;
trable thicket. When httls Mary discovered
that she was alone on the mountain top she did
justwhat any child would do under the circum-
But strong west wind carried her voice away.
and no answer came from below.
Meanwhile she had set about trying to find
the way by which she had come up and when
not trace OF her little footsteps was to be seen
Sunday school girl and as she sat there desolate
and atone on the mountain she remembered
some of the sweet truths she had heard OF ono
who is ever ready to help those that are lost,
what did she de but put up PRAYER in ner little
baby way that lie might help her. As she
prayed she wondered in her innocence how any
thing big could mako It's way through all those
sprawlng, scraggy cedars. so she asked that
The words had scarcely LETT her lips when she
saw plover Hi itting about in tho cedar below
once began to scramble down. the bird Leading s
the way over rocks and cedar brush. II was a
long and toilsome descent. with her little feet
but the bird fitted hack and forth before
her. and she did not despair.
ever Mary heard voices and presently caught
sight OF her friends who had just become
telling of the bird that had brought her down
the mountain, ana as they looked they saw a
pi9ver mount IN air, wingtngits way eastward.
slstance Is thus related by Miss Alice Moreland
of Tennessee. who, for the benefit OF her health,
Tex. Miss Moreland says: Toward niehtfsli
of an exceedingly sultry April day fierce wind
what is termed In Texas n wet norther.' The
wind wind whistled and shrieked and howled, shak-
ing the house with It's force, and the rain came
49,. ~ was IN my room alone, trying to write some
in next mornings mail but was constantly in
terrupted 5y horrid little ,caterpillars which
came winoS craving under under my door or between tho
joined. These disgusting little pests had made
my life misery TO me ever since spring opened,
ana really began 10 feel that the whole great
state of Texas was alive with them.
"Thoy seemed to be in the heavens above as
down upon you il you passed under a Tree and
crawled up your skirts from the grass. There
them, green ones and yellow ones, black ones
and variegated ones. OF course. was afraid OF
them Mhst ,, self, ,respegtinG woman isn't afraid
- Do you wonder then. that J. relished seeing
ono OF these bristly fellows porched atop of my
paper weight or crawling up the leg of my table?
ion mny imagine that. with the storm raging
without and the. caterpilars within. my nerves
were In very shaky condition. 10 say the least,
so was not little startled in the midst OF il ali
10 heara quick tapping on the transom above
my door. look ed tn behold darkness there, and
nothing more Again the tapping, and this time
a flash OF lightning showed mo u bird huttering
against the pane and tapping with his beak.
Come in, poor storm-to little one
said, opening the door, and there flew in n bird,
one or the great spArrow family, who perched
himself upon the broad picture moulding which
ran around my room. He seemed quite content
to remain there and as the storm had lulled
somewhat and the caterpillers were. apparently,
put to rout by my frequent and frantic attacks
upon them vii q broom, felt more com forta-
bic myself, and soon finished my writing
w hen was ready to retire, and Just As
was about 10 blow out the light preparatory TO
getting into bed. my little feathered guest began
TO fit around overhead, and by-and by dipped
down before my very face and caught IN his bill
great yellow, hairy caterpillar, which was
quietly reposing on, the pillow, where In a mo-
ment later would have placed my head only 10
feel his innnmerable bristles sting their way
into my flesh; | exhausted every effort TO dis,
cover II perhaps another lay In some unsus
pected ambush, but In vain; the little bird had
proven an efficient protector"