The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-11-19

Papa Stork, Mamma Stork, and a lot
of little StOrks-Willie, Freddie, Jimmie.
Johnnie and all the rest all Just as
happy as could be, for there was no
one to modest them.
"One day there came through the
woods boy, who carried stone in his
hand, and when he saw the storks he
was glad-not because he loved the birds,
but because he wanted to test his skill
at throwing. The storks had never been
thrown at before, and so they did not
move as the boy came closer and closer.
suddenly the stone was thrown, and
it hit poor little Jimmie Stork on one of
his beautiful pink legs breaking the
bone. Jimmie cried and cried as he lay
on the ground, but the boy ran away
frightened at what he had done. Papa
and Mamma Stork did all they could
for the little birdie, but he did not get
better, and they We're sad. indeed.
when the leaves began to fall from
the trees and the squirrels began to lay
in their winter store of nuts the storks
were in distress, for it was time to go
South, away from the cold, cruel winter
and into bright, warm sunlight OF South
land, where no frost could come to hurt
them.
but how could they go and leave little
Jimmy all alone in the great big woods,
with no one to feed him and no one to
cuddle him up close when he felt bad?
Oh, these days were fearful ones for the
poor storks, and they We're in tears as
they thought of Jimmy. poor. broken
legged Jimmy, who certainly would die
without their tender care.
"'Well, I'll tell you what we will do,
finally said Papa Stork, after the nights
Ii
in their forest home any longer We
will fix up q nest for Jimmy in this
hollow log, after making it soft and warm
with feathers from our breasts: then
I'll see the rabbits and squirrels and
arrange with them to feed our Jimmy
until we come back in the spring.
"'Now, Jimmy, do you get into the
log and there stay until the days get
warmer; then you hop out onto the
ground very little while and look up into
the sky. When the sky looks just like
the feathers with which we have lined
your nest We'll be back again.
Poor wee Jimmy, after kissing his
papa and his mamma and all his little
brothers, crept into the log and sobbed
himself to sleep. He was not very
brave stork, you know, being such a
little fellow, and as he heard the fiutter
of wings as his loved ones flew away
to the South his heart almost broke
well, the days passed by and the cold
weather came. and little Jimmy stayed
in his nest. fed by the rabbits and the
squirrels. who We're good to him, be-
cause he was such a sweet baby stork
and did so little complaining. Once in
a while a fox would try to get into
the log. and then the stork's heart would
almost stop beating from fear, but the
fox could not get him.
"At last the rabbits and the souri,
rels forgot to take food to the baby
stork. and as he grew hungrier and
hungrier. and more lonesome he thought
he had been deserted and left to perish
miserably, alone in his hollow log. He
tried to sing little songs to himself,
but he could not-all he could do was
to cry and wish his papa and his man.
ma and his brothers would come back.
''At last. when the days grew warmer
and The snow began to go away. Jimmy
crept out onto the ground and looked