Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-08-15
How We Saved the Cherries.
HOW WE SAVED THE CHERRIE


Fold map of the United States in
1.-The middle. fold again crosswise, open
it, and in the centre is the place
where am listening to catbird scold
because our Maltese cat, Ginger, has
left the barn and is coming slowly
across the yard toward the house for
her dinner.
Ginger is very busy house-mother
just now. She has to care for and
train her three kittens, black Aguinal-
do, black-ani-white Hobson. and the
perfect Maltese, Fred Funston. Gin
ger is coming to tell her mistress it
is dinner time.
The catbird dislikes Ginger. Ginger
dislikes the catbird today She was
punished yesterday for killing and eat
ing one. She walks straight ahead to
the sill of the window where l am sit
ting.
The catbird mocks the kittens:
"Mew! new! mew!"
Ginger takes no notice
All catbirds dislike cats as much as
they do snakes. Last year we thought
we would make us of this knowledge
and save our cherries. which the
birds were stealing, so we put a
stuffed cat in the cherry-tree.
Did we save our cherries? Yes. but
not in the way we expected.
When the stuffed cat was discov-
cred in the tree, a bird flew around
and told all it's relatives. You see,
h;,.l {nla
line.
One of their number could not
leave. She was sitting on a round
nest made of weeds and grass and
leaves, in which were six spotless,
grenish blue eggs; but all the others
came to see the cat. They perched
on the yellow rose-tree, on the bridal
wreath" on the lilac shrubs, up on
the plum-tree. and. still higher. on a
swaying branch of the young walnut
They looked at, they ridiculed, and
they laughed at that cat, but it did
not move. They cried. New" in
every tone of voice the won lerful
mimics could invent. but that stuffed
cat did not wink an eye. They started
a concert, mocking the notes of other
birds, until it sounded as if the forest
across the river had been transplant
ed, with all it's blue jays, redbirds,
orioles, sparrows and even meadow.
larks, right into our back dooryard.
But it was no use: that stuffed cat
could not be charmed or frightened.
Then they held council. The fam
lily, from the kitchen windows,
watched the result.
Those catbirds belong to the thrush
family, and oh, how they do sing
morning and evening! The children
have little books and write down
their songs, so we know they can
sing. But what horrible discords they
did make when their council ended;
They did not like the idea of having
that cat up in their cherry-tree, We
knew by the tones of their voices,
and by the way they jerked their tails
from side to side; and they made up
their minds that, cat or no cat, they
would have the cherries.
The bird from the walnut flew tc
the top of the cherry tree, and went
back with a mouthful of cherry. The
bird from the rose bush went to the
tree lower down and took bite. Then
several birds went taking snip from
e luscious cherry above, below and
all around the cat. At last-what do
you think?-a beautiful large catbiri
flew right at the stuffed thing in the
tree and cried in most derisive tones,
"Mew! new"
How did we save our cherries? Oh,
we had to pick them before they
were ripe.-Youth's Companion.