The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-25


to work off their spirits and while they
We're tapping heavily around Curtiss went
home.
/ Next day after school he went around
to the Perkins house, where the mock
ing bird was spending the winter. 1t be-
! longed to some summer people who spent
each summer in Norfolk but who did not
care to bother with bird in the city in
the winter
This mocking bird was called Bryan be
cause he had a silver tongue and he could
initiate a bobolink, a gold finch, a robin,
a thrush, canary, song sparrow and
half score of foreign birds whose songs
are never heard in these parts, for the
| city people had once taken him on a voy-
aSe around the world and he had caught
a new air with each changing breeze
Curtiss asked him what he would charge
| for teaching the crows how to sing melo-
diously He burst out laughing, 'Why I'd
as soon expect TO teach a pig to squeai
IN tune as to teach a crow to sing They
| have absolutely no ear at an
still, you are so very clever" said Cur
tiss that maybe you could teach them
! some of the simplest tunes and I'm sure
it would make a difference with the farm
ers because l know that il is mad1ening
after your corn has all been pulled up.
| to hear a crow cawing as if he was laugh
| ing at you instead of singing, II merely
!
trim. Come along with me and Wen
talk it over with old Greyquil. Hes a
| very decent sort of chap and he knows a
lot and has been everywhere"
The hooking bird, although uncagod,
| was not in the habit of leaving Inc Per
! kins farm and he welcomed a little
change,so he readily consented to accom-
pany Curtiss after he had preended his
| feathers a littie-for birds are almost rs.
| vain as human beings-and he wanted 10
look his best.
Then with Bryan on his shoulder Curtiss
started off on dog trot over to the sand
lot. Long before they reached there, they
heard the crows chattering as hard as II
they were building the tower of Babel.
But as soon as they saw the pair they
stopped.
Greyquill flew forward and offered bug
TO Bryan, who accepted It with a pretty
turn of his mead and a little trill like that
in the middle of a canarys song.
"Well, I suppose Curtiss has told you
what we want. Can't you give us a lit lie
concert, so that we may judge just what
sort of music we wish to learn" said
Greyquill with much of an cir as if
he were a great authority on music, when
the fact was he did not know the differ
ence between the song of robin and that
of a bulfnch.
The hooking bird was not unwilling 10
show his powers and he sang one song
after another. The crows sat on the
branch around him and said, after eacn
song, How sweet. What a dainty little
thing" That's sweetly pretty" That's
classical but I understand it"
Curtiss could hardly keep his face
straight. He had attended a musicale In
New York the winter before when he had
visited his cousin and the crows acted
for all the world like the musical people
there.
Greyquil IF you will teach US half doz-
IN Of your best songs wen give you a
years supply of corn. "a
This arrangement was very satisfactory
to Bryan and he Immediately formed a
class in singing. Naturally they wanted
10 learn a regular song before they had
learned to run the scale, and of all the
songs in the bird repertory they chose that
of that Patti of the birds the bobo.ink.
VERY well. if you think You can do il"
said Bryan with a wise smile. "BOb-o-
link, bob-o-link, ting kertang kertnk."
The mocklng bird sang it as sweetly as
any Robert of Lincoln ever did it.
"Cahh, cahh, cahh," grated the crows
mo, no, bob-o-link, bob-o-link, ting
kertang kertink," repeated the mocking
bird.
"Cawer, cawer, cawer," rasped the
crows.
sweetly and patiently the hooking bird
sang once TilOIe. BOU-C-ltk, DOD-O-iltlk
ting kertang kertink'
Cub, cub, cub" scraped the crows in
despair.
And then the little hooking bird shook
his head and said: It's no use my dear
friends. You're not a bill musical, and its
simply waste Of time to try to teach
music to an unmusical bird. Your old
cav is better than these fearsome at
tempts at the bob-o-link's song, and If
you band together and avoid quarrels
among yourselves most of you will escape
the farmers shotgun. But as for singing
I'd as soon expect to teach Curtiss how
to fly. l can fly and l can sing, but he
can't fly and you can't sing. I'll sing
among you and when the farmer comes
around you fly and Wen all be better
off"
Then the crows all fell to talking at
once and under cover of the confusion
Curtiss and the hooking bird came away,
laughing so hard that the mocking bird
rasped his throat and couldn't sing any
thing more difficult than phoebe BIRDS
song all next day.