Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-08

meddlesOme bird might see my tail in the
star-bright sky and tell the king. He'd
be sure to send the nightingale along be-
fore I've learned all the beautiful songs.
I'll walk
Then his right claw pompously set in
the moss. left claw next, carefully toeing
in he stole across. But a sense of i'm
portance filled his soul, and with every
step his weight came full on those two
toes in front and the two behind.
The grass grew tall at the lilies edge.
The very thing for a nest." the parrot
cried, his straight, strong beak busily
roofing and twisting and weaving.
Haste" he observed, as he settled down
in the grassy hollow. Indicates weakness
of purpose. 1 shall sleep before I go to
the tree"
Below. as the parrot flew, slim black
coils, silver-ringed, had followed swiftly
through meadow and wood But the SER
pent paused at the moss spread glade.
Where is that crimson tail?" he Kissed.
Alone 1 shall never find the tree. 1 came
too late to the nightingale's nest to hear
where 1t grows"
His great head reared, thoughtfully sway
ing. The moon shining down, lighted
path of curious tracks in the moss.
"Ho. ho!'' laughed the serpent. and glfded
! across. A CLEAN of red in the grass stayed
his haste.
THE parrotr' he Missed. ''Pn hide till he
| wakes among those ferns beyond the ILL
les"
Just as he passed their fragrant growth
wonderful melody stirred the night
breeze
THAT must be the singing tree" thought
the serpent. only the nightingale knows
| such trills. Ho. no! III silence the song
that delights the king"
In the rose-gray dawn the parrot awoke
and searched the sky with his goggled
eyes,
I'd better be going. There's no telling how
soon the nightingale may come, and l still
have the tree to find"
He strutted through the lilies and iris
blossoms TO the ferns beyond where he
paused claw with his head on the
side. The wonderful singing filed the
early morn with It's melody.
my ear has been trained to distinguish
the meaning of sounds" the parrot wisely
commented: "the tree is found"
Led by the trills he set OF briskly for
the tree. AS he came close a little gray
squirrel hiding among the ferns beckoned
with his bushy tall.
"Hushv whispered the squirrel "Sir Ser
pent came in the night. We will feed his
hunger this morning. 1 fear. II he finds we
are here
The parrot crept in beside the squirrel.
then cautiously peeped from under the
leaves. The tree grew tall with great
gnarled roots twisting free from the earth.
Above, where the branches spread, the SER
pent's head poised ready to strike with his
slim coils circling the trunk half way down
to the ground.
II certainly cannot fly down to the gum
and Just see what I'll have to crawl over
IL I climb up. Let me think" the parrot
reflected. and thoughtfully scratched his
head with one sharp claw till he made the
down fly
~One of the roots reaches almost I'D to
the hollow, perhaps you could Jump over
from there the squirrel suggested ",rhen
you'd be safe, for where he Is now the ser
pent can only strike you as. you fly past
him down into the gum
Hes not obliged to stay there, scorn
fully replied the parrot. IF he sees me.
branch?"
IF you could only eat of the serpent's
fat you'd know what TO do" sighed tbe
squirrel. I've heard 1t said that il any
one dared he would always possess the Sc
cret of tongues-and this guile as WE'LL
The very thingi' the parrot exclaimed:
that root just comes to his middle and
he's coileG that to reach either the
ground OF the hollow he must drag his
great length over the rough barki And he
executed a solemn dance. stopping at every
third step to stand on his head and laugh
1t helps the flow of IDEAS" he kindly ex-
planned to the squirrel. as he backed from
under the ferns with his crimson tail care
fully turned toward the tree
DO come back and keep quiet" implored
the terrified squirrel.
Faint heart never won amber gum
bath. sagely retorted the parrot
the serpent stirred lazily, CHANGING down.
Ho no., he laughed. Friend Parrots
turned tail. He's afraid" And Thought
no more or that crimson tail that was
steadily coming nearer
win MS tail going first the parrot eau
1ousiy climbed the great gnarled root the
squirrel had pointed out. Then like light
ming Hash. he whirled around plunging his
strong straight beak deep into those black
polished coils
Inc serpent struggled to free himself but
the parrots claws were firmly gripped
round the root. He could not move. and
that straight strong beak biting deeper and
deeper. was the sharpest thing he had ever
felt.
Stop pinching." Kissed the serpent, .Tn
let you go free"
But the parrot never budged. The SER