New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-27
Princess HO1eySuckIeS
Bird.

! When tne little Princess Honeysuckle first came
| 10 live with her royal uncle and aunt in their big
palace she was homesck and sad She did not Ike
the court festivities. and her heavy, royal gowns
she did not like having ser small royal hand kissed
10y the courtrs and retainers whose duty II was 10
| wait upon her highness and she wept bitterly
when obliged TO ride in the royal carriage
/ on procession days.
But bv and by she came 10 be used To thefo
/ things and even to enjoy them. That is what she
was telling her little bird prisoner. he futtered
| against the gold bars Of his cage and begged TO
! De- set free
you won't be homesick awful long. dear teeney.
wc,nev, little bird she said, consolngly- You IL
get 'customed to it, l did ! 'spected I'd just die
at first but kept getting cureder an cureder' TIL
! was all wei again"
In reply the little bird only peeppeeped miserably.
! as il went on tearing and crumpling its feathers
against the bars. That troubled Princess Honey
suckle most OF all. II he would only stand still a
while. she thought.
Just a few days ago the tiny prisoner had been
at home in the great elm yonder with his beautiful
| oriole mother. Now he called and called and
called for her. At last. she came. She again
and again. and brought him juicy worms She
would sit on the outside Of the cage and talk lit
tie encouraging talks to him, only mothers can
talk.
one morning little Princess Honeysucke sat on
her sunny window seat studying her division Of
fractions She bit sleepy division OF frac-
lions always made her sleepy, it seemed. and
with half shut eyes she listened drowsly TO the
mother oriole and her baby bird.
Peep, Peep, Peep Why. no; gracious mel
That isn't what they saying. They were talk
ing in words just like other people. The princess
held her breath.
''Cheer-up. cheer-up. dear" sang the mother;
things will cleanup, cear-up, dear"
The princess listened harder than ever pushing
hack a golden curl
Never mind. mind" trilled the sweet
voice somebody will be kind Then the mother
kissed her baby goodby and few of. How strange
that birds should kiss each other. thought the
little princess. But hadn't she seen IL with her own
eyes. taiil she neafu the queer CnlrpN SMACK
From the garden below came the sound OF the
court cha mherlan's voice I'm cross surprise;
"BiddlbTidget.' he called to the nurse, who was
flirting with the gardener. don't you that
Princess HOneysucke is asleep up the window
seat? She might fan out and break her high
ueSss neck
Then the Httle princess stirred in the sunlight
. and opened her big blue eyes. So she had fallen
asleep Dear me, And the mother oTiOle hadn |
flown away at all. but still there by the gold
cage talking. Only she wasn't talking in real
words
"Che-ip. che-ipr' cried the tiny prisoner. stu
beating IT'S wings coaNngly. Che-ip. cheIipi me me
mother answered, reassurinsly. After all, II did
! sound like cheer up thought the princess.
She rested her chin in her hand for a long time
( and when the BiddihTidget came hastily I'm to
DC that she was busy thinking. and wanted to be
alone.
Z iu- song Of the mother oriole who had flown back
1 10 her other babies In the tree.
some Ody-v lll oe-klnd. uevermnd. kind. kind,
/ kind Oh yes. that II what she sang.
The little princess reached up her royal hand
l and. with smile, softly opened the door Of the
! golden cage. 'Somebody-will-b e-kind. be kind
/ shot through the clear. SunShiny air and flew di-
/ rectly toward the great elm.