Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1900-11-08

SlhSO e6Sg ca" HSA 44ASN'
over her work, intent and absorbed.
In the grass beside her lay the offend
ing hat.
Come" the president whispered
briefly, and the Society for the Pre-
vention of Feathers closed in about
her silently. All the little brown faces
whitened with dread, but were heroic
and firm.
"To one OF the least of these, Milly
said to herself.
Then the strange lady looked up.
"Why |" she said, and smiled. Her
face did not look cruel and wicked.
We've come about the-the feath-
ers. you know" began the president,
with a gasp, 1--WE had to. We're
the Society for the Prevention of Cru
city to Feathers. We've s'Posed
you hadn't had your attention called.
$50 we came" supplemented Pris-
ella, to help the president out.
The lady dropped her pen and let
her kind gray eyes follow round the
little circle of solemn faces. She did
not smile.
"Tell me about it." she said.
"Well"-Peggy drew long breath
and launched out. "You know it's
wicked to wear feathers on your hat
or maybe you didn't know" She
waited an instant and then went on.
"It's just as if you had lots of little
babies in a nest and you loved EN- and
flew away to get their breakfast, and
somebody shot you and put your dear
little soft wings in their hat. It's like
that-and the little babies cried and
cried when you didn't come home.
And you'd never sing any more and
swing on branches just as happy as
you could be. You'd be--dead" "
Peggy's voice had dropped to a
whisper. 1t trembled little as if she
was going to cry. Milly knelt down
in the grass and stroked the wings in
the strange lady's hat softly. The
whole Society for the Prevention of
Feathers was grave and still.
"Hark !" Priscilla cried, suddenly
lifting her faxen head. A bird was
singing jubilantly. They could not
see him, but his triumphant song float
ed clearly down to them from some
high tree top. No one moved until it
melted away. Then it was Milly who
spoke. She was still stroking the lit
tie wings.
"He might have been singing same
as that, she murmured, sorrowfully.
The strange lady suddenly held out
her arms and gathered the society in.
Afterward they discussed whether she
had been crying or laughing then.
at is wicked--I will never do it
again" the strange lady said; "you
have saved all my little birds lives.
I will let them sing and love their
babies and be happy. And, listen, lit
tie ones, she held up her pen and
turned it slowly in her fngers-"this
shall be little missionary and tell
people-a great many people-to be
good to the little birds and let them
keep their soft brown wings and white
wings and red-tipped wings to fly with
in the sun. Take it in your hands
every one of you, and say, Tell it loud,
little pen-say it so everybody can
hear T.
The strange lady was taken into the
Society for the Prevention of Feathers
and made an active member. When
she went away in the fall the other
members cried. They had learned to
love her dearly.
"She just needed her attention
called-she wasn't a bit cruel, the
gentle president said.
And the little pen sent east and
west its plea for mercy for the little
birds and many-very many-people
heard.