The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-03-21
In nab,s Woods.

The Partridge family in Bab's woods
was going to move. Bab's woods were
beautiful woods, all pines and juniper,
dark-green and brown overhead, dark
green and brown underfoot. The lit
tie child cartridges thought theirs was
the prettiest home in the world, and
they were full of grief to hear their
mother say she must move away.
why must We move away, mother
dear?" asked the youngest Partridge
child, cuddling down in the nest.
There were fourteen of them, and she
had been the last one to come out of
the shell.
Listen said 3le mother partridge,
looking around on them all with her
sad eyes-the eyes of cartridges are
the most beautiful and sad of all eyes.
One day, before any of you were
Matched, the monster who roams in
these woods discovered my nest. AL
though flew off with my loudest whirr
it would not follow. 1t stopped down
and put its hand into the nest and
picked up one of my lovely buff eggs.
| waited. could scarcely breathe Oh,
how glad was when it laid back the
egg and went away!"
What kind monster!' cried the
child cartridges. Wasn't it kind
monster to put the egg back and go
away"
Kind" The partridge mother ruff
fled hnr
dren," she said, it meant to come back
when the egg would be bird! Hush!"
She bent her head to the ground;
then she gave sharp chirr of alarm.
Bah was little girl who was some
times good and sometimes bad, and was
called "Good-little-b ad-Bab."
1t was a fine day all around Bab's
home, much too pleasant to spend in
doors building block houses for little
Bob. A few days before, Bah had
found partridge's nest in her woods,
with thirteen lovely buff eggs in it,
and she wanted to go and ses If the
eggs were Matched.
Bah called the thick pine woods be-
hind the garden hers, because it was
not very far from the house and she
could go there at any time easily.
Fourteen children are too many for
any mother to bring up" Bah said to
herself. II should like little part
ridge for pet. Their stripes and
speckles are so pretty"
Bah turned her back on Bobby and
ran out Of the front hall door and
around the corner. and set off bare
headed for the woods, though she
could hear heralittle brother calling
her.
Inc nest was back in among the
pines, among some rocks, where there
were ferns and jumpers. Bah stepped
carefully, but suddenly a partridge
flew up at her very feet. "Oh," cried
Bah, the dear little things-there
they are, ali hatched!"
But Bah saw the little oyal-Dacked
birds just one second only, for the
partridge mother had spoken a word
as she flew, and every child had heard
1t and obeyed. Indeed, there is moth
ing prettier than the prompt obedience
of little cartridges to the mother bird
.
First under this bush they hid. then
under that! Down fiat to the ground
they lay, SO like the dead leaves that
no human eye could tell that they were
little birds!
Mother Partridge had we'll proved
that she could bring up her fourteen
children; and having looked in vain
for the young birds, Good-little-bad-
Bab3went thoughtfully home.
Bob was so pleased to see her again
that Bah Rugged him tight, and sat
down with him in the rocking chair.
Now" she said, "I'm going to
amuse you, Bobby. 1 will tell YOU q
pretty story about cartridges, and it
will teach you that little boys should
always promptly obey their mothers.'