The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-05-08
For Boys Who Kill Rirls.

Once there was boy who was a
good marksman with stone or u
|slingshot, or bow and arrow, or an
air gun, or anything he took aim with
So he went about all day aiming at
everything he came near. Even at
his meals he would think about good
shots at the clock, or the cat, or the
flies on the wall, or anything he
chanced to see.
Near where he lived there lived a
little bird that had nest and five
young birds. So many large mouths
in small heads, always open wide for
food, kept her hard at work. From
dawn to dark she flew here and there,
over fields and wonds and roads, get.
ting worms and flies and bugs and
were good for her young birds. L,
was great wonder what lots of food
those five small things could eat
What she brought each day would
have filled that nest full up to the top
yet they ate it all and asked for more
before daylight next morning. Though
it was such hard work she was glad tC
do it, and went day after day, always
flying off with a gay chirp, and back
with a gay chirp, and with bit
of some kind of food and though
she did not eat much herself, except
what stuck to her bill after she had
fed them, yetshe never let them want
not even the smallest and weakest o
them. The little fellow could not ask
as loudly as the others, yet she alway.
fed him first. One day, when she hud
picked up a worm, and perched min
ute on the wall before flying to hel
nest, the good marksman saw her, anC
of course aimed 1T her, and hit her ir
the side. She was much hurt and il
great pain, yetshe tiutlered and limpeC
and dragged herself TO the foot of the
tree where her nest was, but she coulC
not fly up TO her nest, for her wing
was broken. She chirped little ant
The young ones heard her, and Us they
were hungry they chirped back loudly
and she knew all their voices, ever
the weak note of the smallest of all
but she could not come up to them
nor even tell them why she did no
come. And when she heard the cal
of the small one, she tried again t(
rise, but only one of her wings woult
move, and. that just turned her owe
on the side of the broken wing. Al
the rest of that day the little mother
lay there, and when she chirped hel
children answered, and when they
chirped she answered, only when thu
good marksman chanced to pass by
then she kept quite still. But heI
voice grew fainter and weaker, anC
late in the dsy the young ones could
not hear it any more. but she coulC
still hear them. Some time in the
night the mother-bird died, and in the
morning she lay there quite cold anc
stiff with her dim eyes still turned uE
to the nest where her young one.
were dying of hunger. But they die
not die 80 soon. All day long they
slept until their hunger walked then
up, and then they called until they
were so tired they fell asleep again
And the next night was very cold ant
they missed their mothers warn
breast, and before day-dawn they al
died, one after the other, except the
smallest, which was lowest down ir
the nest, and in the morning b.
pushed up his head and opened his
yellow bill to be fed !; but there wa:
no one to feed him, and so he died, too
at last, with his mouth wide open anC
empty. And so the good marksmar
had killed six birds with one shot
the mother and her five young ones:
Do you not think hemust be prouC
boy? Should you not like to do tht
same? If you know him, please reaC
this little tale to him. He may likt
to hear it-St. Nicolas.