The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-04-05

tain youth, son of mighty chief, was
set apart for a twelve days fast, pre-
Daratory to the great feast whereat the
rites and privileges of manhood should
be accorded Lin. But hunger ovel-
powered him, and just as he was about
to expire his guardian spirit trans
| formed him into rcd-breast. The old
warrior and his followers, at the close
of the prescribed probation set out to
congratulate him, and. 10! remorse and
grief swept over the fathers heart on
seeing the lfelcss boly Of his son.
But as he gazaI, a red thrush overhead
babe him be of gool cheer, saying the
spirit of his son would ever dwell near
him, and the homes of men, though
never again could it assume human
shape. But he would never show sign
of reJret over his fate, neither sound
OF reproach; but Cheerful! and sprightly
his songs would welcome to his father 8
ears, every returning morn and pipe a
sweet good night, and for his sake, too,
his race would ever be harbingers Of
peace and joy for all mankind. And
so the Indian adds his exquisite tribute
of beauty and faith to the bird 8 inheri-
tance Of tradition and benefaction.
Everywhere we find his record the
same; the most intimate, respectfully
intimate of all the birds with man; bold
and fearless and selfconfident, and yet
never approaching the saucy indie
pendence of the sparrow. Sure of a
welcome is Robin, for:
The verest clown, beside his cart,
Turns from his song with many a smile
To see him from the hedgerow start.
To sing upon the stile."
HIS PET NAMES.
That dear familiarity which alone
permits pet name, too, is his, for in
Norway be is peter Bonsmed;' in
Germany, Thomas Guidet;' in Born
holm, Tome Liders," or, as Words
worth expresses the same:
Art thou the Peter of Norway Doors,
Their Thoma, in Finlanl
And Russia far inland?
The bird who, by some nam, or other,
All men who know thee call thee brother,
The darling of children and men,
Yet, though he never shows fear of
human friends, he is most shy with
fellow birds, exclusive in his social cir
Gle and model husband.
OUR NURSERY TALES.
What would we do without the
Babes in the Wood in our nurseries?
Here, again, the habits Of our little
friends who cover their nest, and even
their eggs, with leaves, when they sally
forth on a trip, have undoubtedly
helped to develop the story Of:
when they were dead,
The robins so red
Brought strawberry leaves
And over them SPREAD
How we listened and sympathized,
and at the Christmas pantomine saw
nothing ludicrous in the bulky, over
grown robins who, with most awkward
hops across the stage, acted out the
tragedy of that last sad verse, which
filled our minds and hearts in other
wise happy, childish delight of scene
and story:
''Thus wandered these poor innocents
Till death did end their grief.
In enc another's arms they died,
As wanting due relief.
No burial this pretty pair
OF any man receives,
Till robin redbreast piously
Did cover them with leaves"
Think, too. Of the wonderfully ex-
citing and never ending charm in "Who
Killed Cock Robn?' How childhood's
fancy loved to picture the procession
of the birds, and the queries and pro-
tests, and the bell, and the book, and
the spad,
In such did we revel in those far off
"Drcam Days ofsuch do we as Olym-
plans recall our "Golden Age"
THE POETS OFFERINGS.
From Chaucers "ruddock bonnie
and Spenser's "ruddock's 5 warble soft"
We pass down through long lines of
poetic tribltc; and in Celtic Cymb.lln
The ruddock would.
With char table bill, bring thee all this
Yea, and furrid M IS besides when flowers none
To winter ground thy corse.''
Impossible almost to pick and choose
where such wealth of allu son b,
wilders.
Drayton, Grahame, Cowley, Prior,
Collins, L"ydcn, Gay, Thomson, Rog-
ers, w ord swort!, in short every one
who sings of the woods and the home
and happy joyous life.
The spirit Of the old ballad, which
tells OF the robin and wren covering
"Tle friendless bodies of unmarried
IN n, is revived with great effect in
III srrlck : request to the Robin:
Laid OH; I dead, let thy last kindness be
With leaves and mosse-work k for to cover me;
And while TIE Wood MINI hs my cold corps inter.
S ng thou my Drge. sweet -warbling Chorister!
For Ep;graph i'll foliage, next write thi>:
Here, here the tomb of Robin Herrick is"
Pagan but most poetic Herrick.
The last and most fitting tribute one
can Offer to the memory of the Robins
Of the A 5es.-WA,1eIphu Le3Jer.
II .-Cissie. We heard it said that a
kiss without a mustache is like an egg
wit bnut G, If + that So2