Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-04-29
Correspondence.
Spring in Utah.
0uDE>, UTAH April II, 1903.

| n.y. BNtalNFs SuNuliEs Hhu NlAhdt
| lovable Spring HIS come down into t l.
beautiful valley once more, and all the
! hills rejoice. The hired man this morn
| ing moved the lawn for the frs, tinie this
season. While industriously pushing tue
mach ne, duty called him beneat a shade
tree, and out of 1t, with a sca ed flute
ana half timid cry of alarm, a robin few
from her incomplete rustic home where
ehe and her mate were Just going to
house keeping on the Eur pean plan.
My wife was walk ing in the yeranda at
the time, a. d called out to the mower to
take heed and not frigbten our pets. The
kind hearted servant promised to be mure
careful.
Ii rs nearly a montb,now since our rob
ms came hack to US. for we'll remem Der
the day. 1t was the Sabbath morning G.
My wife had cen standing at be window
| looking out upon tie ~ ow, white and
| pure a. the love OF a lit child, snow tn t
had fallen in the mig bit. Suddenly she
saw the bough CULVER bit, Dough of a
cork wood tree in front of the window
| Instantly she clapped her hands with JOY
| and cried &c me: 40, do come quick
Se' Our robins have come home again F"
And sure enough th,re they were, the
selfssme robins that had gone away when
the leaves grew brown and trembled in
be pItmoDitoIy tIesib Of winter, A. d
when close to earth the clouds, dark and
foreboding, had sailed across the sky.
For days after this our home had b en- a
bit sorrowfui because our sweet little
friends had moved away, though we knew
If nothing happened TO them they would
return after little.
Isay that the house was little more SOM
bre, and in the cham bers where the sun,
declining toward his winter solstice, did
not penetrate, the shadows seemed deeper
and gloomier. My wife and did not men
ton these things, but each knew what the
other was thinking about the afternoon
when the robins went away. They Lad
done this before for many years; they, In
the fall when he winds began to threaten
and ulster, few away toward the south
land, but when the crocuses began to reep
above the sod, and the soft winds patted
the cheek and asked forgiveness for rude
ness month before, then these robins
never failed to come back and take pos
session OF their old home, and we never
failed, my wife and /, to thank the good
God that be had brought our little friends
safely back home.
We treat all the dumb animals around
US in a kindly way, ami are thrice paid
each day by their half pitiful attempts to
make manifest with their dumb mouths
their appreciation. Every animal around |
US, from the horse drive T. the kitty that
purs on the rug, is either a full blood or |
thoroug h bred, for it is a waste OF time to |
| we a scrub, he 1t man or BEST. No one /
ever calls US sentamentalist~ or cranks for |
be care e bestow on the dumb animals I
depending on us for comfort. /
Mercy on us; started in to tell about |
trat Sabbath morning when the robins |
came home, and see where l have wan
dered tol Well, it was pretty chilly that |
morning when our robin, came home. for
snow covered the ground and the fences,
and built fantastic figures " herever was
found point OF vantage, and the little |
world bound by our horizon reminded |
one of Whittier's Snow Bound", only !
there was not so much snow. That first |
morning be robins did not offer to sing,
but sat huddled close together with Their
feathered breasts covering tn" little cold |
red feet, and they seemed very weary, and !
their plumage much disheveled, as IL they |
had had long and tempestuous voyage |
back to their old home.
We scattered some crumbs and grain |
under the tree, but they seemed too tired |
to eat. In a few days, however, the snow |
was gone, and they were themselves again. |
A ID how they did sing! Each song was
te deum, rhapsody, thrill of joy. ! am
sure | understood every bar and every line |
OF their song, for it is easy to translate the |
thoughts Of those we love, whether we
know the idiom or not.
The burden of every song was thanks
giving hat they two, devoted souls, in
their voyage to the sunny South and re-
turn had escaped the owl and the cayote,
and the fox that prowls by Night, and the
hawk that attacks by day, and the robin
haters that skulk by night or day, and
that they were safe back in the shelter Of
home.
Say, why doesn't someone rope that
South Hancock robin hater, and break
him to harness SO he will be OF some ser
vice to somebody? Break him to harness,
or break his neck, though it is plain to be
seen by the way he has been going on for
some time past in He AMERICAN that il
he is given rope enough he is sure to hang
himself, without help from any one.
A. s. CONDOR.
Tho pahin nnas+f-a