The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-13
THE ART OF DOING GOOD
THINGS TO BE REMEMBERED IN
CONNECTION THEREwITH.
An Example Found I'm What Hap
pened to the Bfrds-Human Nature
ExempIihed In Animal Life.

1t was frosty but dull morning. The
fields were shrouded in mist and the gar
den looked dead and desolate. There was
not a breath of wind. not a leaf that
danced, not a bough that swayed.
Suddenly there was rafting and whirr-
ing in the ivy that half covered the house
and a dozen sparrows few out, knowing
that it was about time for breakfast. They
separated and sat on different trees that
commanded a view Of the windows and
kept lookout From time to time they
shifted their positions impatiently. but they
did nothing practical to accelerate that
breakfast. They left that to bird with
more initiatives bird with a beak and a
red breast.
The robin came with a dactylic fight
down on to the Duke of Connaught imme-
diately in front of the French windows of
the dining room, where he could be easily
seen by those within. He chose a spray
which would bend gracefully beneath his
weight and turned his red waistcoat to the
window. He looked a perfect Christmas
card on that standard rose, and he knew
from experience that this was effective.
The trick answered once more.
A white haired, genial old gentleman
opened the windows and came out. He had
a crown derby plate in his hands. and the
plate was filled high with crumbs. He
scattered the crumbs down the gravel walk.
and as he did so he said. "Chirrup." He
said it several times and the birds treated
IL with the contempt it deserved.
An old lady looked out of the window and
said in fat and warning voice, Your
hat, Charles. And the old gentleman, re-
minded that he had nothing on his head.
ho Pk into he in
Then the birds began on the crumbs. The
robin came first; he had no more occasion
to make play with his red breast; ii was
his other weapon, his beak, that came in
a sparrow alternately with great regular
ity. But he was outnumbered, and, finding
the general feeling of the meeting against
him, retired with the biggest crumb. After
all it was better to follow the gardener
about and keep near the potting shed dur
ing the dinner hour; gardeners understood
them to bread How would the old gentle
man have liked il If he had nothing but
bread given him for his breakfast?
The sparrows were quite contented. They
came In from all directions; they flew fear
lessly to the crumbs; they hoped cautious
~ TO them, jerking down the garden path
with light run and a quick stop. There
were plump sparrows that had been here,
bless you, longer than they would care TO
say, and had had crumbs all the time;
there were ragged, vagabond sparrows that
had dropped in out of nowhere, swearing
that they hadn't tasted food for a fort
night. They thieved without shame and
were robbed without resentment. One spar
row would select a morsel of bread and hop
off with it. The moment he put it down TO
get to work on 1T, another sparrow who
had followed him would snatch it up. "Got
him again." the thief remarked with salts
faction. Plenty more where that came
FROM, replied the philosopher, as he
hoped back to the heap of crumbs again
In and out among the brown sparrows
went what would have been called in Ken
sington shops "a pretty little article in art
shades" 1t was little tomtit, with his
cap on, making no secret of the fact that
he and the peacock both got their clothes
from the same place. Far down the path a
| fat and timid thrush watched the intrepid
and remunerative work of the little birds
with plaintive wonder.
The old gentleman surveyed the scene
| from the window for a moment. smiling
with pleasure; for he found pleasure in do
| ing good even in the humblest of ways
| And at the same time the cat stepped out
| of the back kitchen into the garden.
He was a big cat, white splashed with
| black, mighty hunter and a most notori-
| Gus evil liver. Better TO him the mouse or
| bird that he himself had killed than the
cream and chicken of insipid domesticity.
| He told himself that this weather was the
very devil. But for the crumbs and their
| consequences there would be nothing doing
| He preferred the summer, when there were
so many young birds and so much cover
| He had meant TO go to the front lawn and
| the adjoining paths TO see what sport could
be got there, and. therefore, being a cat
/ he started off in the opposite direction to-
ward the kitchen garden. This is part of
| the cat strategy He ambled patiently and
| humbly along, as If he had been a tame
| pony drawing load Of hymn books to
| oblige a missionary. He paused to look into
an empty frame, and found nothing there,
which was just what he expected, and then
| turned his attention to business. In two
minutes he was on the front lawn; but the
| birds did not see him, because he had hid
| den himself where the lowest bouyhs of
the big cedar touched the grass Three
/ noiseless hops brought the cat in flash
| TO the box-edging of the path where the
birds were feeding. He pressed himself
| close to ii, and lay motionless but for the
| extreme tip of his tail, which was rather
| excited. Then slowly he began oiIing and
| slithering UP toward the birds. Not one
/ hair of his sinful body was allowed TO APP
pear above the box-edging; not one sound
| did he make; he was as quiet as sudden
death
path; there was a rush of wings and a
| scream of terror. All the birds got away
| safely except one. The cat ambled off
| meekly, but rather hurriedly. with the
| tomtit in his mouth. i wish IL had been
one of the sparrows. 1 wish still more it
| had been that unholy fraud the robin. But
| that is how things happen
And the moral of this story is one that
| should impress the philanthropic. When
| you wish to do good shut the cat up first