The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1901-05-10
9tood River Glacier
A Story for Boys.
FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1901.

Nicolai, Ore April 80, 1901 Editor
Glacier: viii you please print the in
closed article in your valuable paper?
/ know you are friend Of the birds, and
/ for one appreciate every kind word you
may speak for them would be pleased
10 have the Glacier print the little story.
Our men and boys need more such
stories. Mas. W. A. LoCKMAN.
Once there was q boy who was a good
marksmsn with a stone, or slingshot, or
q bow and arrow, or cross-bow, or an
air.gun, or anything he took aim with.
So he went hunting all day, aiming at
everything he came near. Even at his
meals he would think about good shots
at the clock, or the cat, or the flies OF
the wall, or anything he chanced to see.
Near where he dwelt there lived a little
bird that had nest and five young birds.
So many large mouths in small heads.
always open wide for food, kept her hard
at work. From dawn till dark she flew
here and there over fields aud woods and
roads, getting worms and flies and bugs
and seeds, such as were good for her
young birds. II was wonderful what Il
lot of food these five small things could eat
What she brought each day would have
filled that nest full, yet they ate it all
and asked for more before daylight next
morning Though it was such hard work
she was glad to do it and went on day
after day, always flying off with a gay
chirp, and back with some kind of food I;
and though she did not eat much her.
self, except what stuck to her bill after
she had fed them, yet she never let them
want, not even the smallest and weak
est Of them. The little fellow could not
ask as loudly as the others, yet she al
ways fed him first. One day, when she
had picked up worm and perched a
minute on the wall before flying to her
nest, the good marksman saw her, and
of course aimed at her and hit her in the
side. She was much hurt and in great
pain, yet she huttered and limped and
dragged herself to the foot OF the tree
where her nest was, but could not ny up
TO her nest, for her wing was broken
She chirped little and the young ones
heard her, and as they were hungry they
chirped back loudly, and she knew all
their voices even the weak note of the
smallest of all but she could not come
up to them, nor even tell them why she
did not come. And when she heard the
call OF the small one she tried again to
rise, but only one Of her wings would
move, and that just turned her over on
the side OF the broken wing. All the
rest Of the day the little mother lay there
and when she chirped her children an
swered, and when they chirped she an
swered-only when the good marksman
chanced to pass by then she kept quite
still. But her voice grew fainter and
weaker, and late in the day the young
ones could not hear it any more, but she
could hear them. Some time in the
night the mother bird died, and in the
morning she lay there quite cold and
stiff, with her dim eyes still turned up
to the nest where her young ones were
diving of hunger. But they did not die
so soon. All day long they slept, until
their hunger walked them up, and then
called until they were so tired they fell
asleep again. And the next night was
very cold and they missed their mothers
warm breast and before day-dawn they
all died. one after the other, excepting
the smallest, which was lowest down III
the nest, and in the morning he pushed
up his head and opened his yellow bill
to be fed but there was no one to feed
him, so he died too, at last, with his
mouth wide open and empty. And so
the good marksman had killed six birds
with one shot-the mother and five
young ones. Do you not think he must
be proud boy? Should you like to do
the same? BIRD LOVER.