The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-03-06
1o2 CHURCH STREET.

watchful hunters heard hoarse, pier
cling cry.
At the first light of dawn, before the
sun had begun to color the soft clouds,
the eagle rose again, still in the same
place. Before the door of the cabin the
king saw the hunters son mailing seve-
raj strong Stats of board together.
A circle of children watched him.
Later in the morning they ran away,
and through the bars of his cage the
eagle saw his motherless little one.
who fought and struggled without
ceasing to get free.
The cage was left in the courtyard,
deserted and unmatched. The sun
grew hotter, and in the clear sky the
eagle scared in wide circles, though not
q single motion of its young escaped it.
The father birds shrill screams re-
sounded in the still air.
Noon passed. Hidden above the
clouds the eagle rested on his wings
He scented the presence Of danger. The
silence, the deserted courtyard and the
lifeless house seemed suspicious to
him; he redoubled his caution.
The shadows of the mountains grew
long and the valleys began to darken.
All through the day, the beautiful
sunshiny day, the abandoned cage in
the deserted courtyard had called to
him, drawing him with mighty at
traction, Inside the house the hunter
and his son, posted at two windows,
stood with their guns in their hands.
And all the time the eaglet in the cage
did not cease to beat and flap with its
strong young wings. a NJ
Y Now fthat the sun was sinking be-
hind the highest mountain tops the
games playing about the cage. Their
parents too went about their ordinary
business.
With her baby over her shoulder the
hunters wife came out into the yard
to spread some linen to bleach. Lay
ing the baby on the soft grass she
turned her back and was soon busily
at work among her clothes.
Suddenly a shadow, a swift shadow,
fell silently through the air. The still
ness was broken by a low cry, followed
by a mighty rush of wings.
The young woman turned quickly.
An enormous bird had alighted on the
ground for an instant and was already
mounting again to the sky.
The mother rose to her feet, frozen
with terror and still holding the wet
clothes in her hand. The greedy ami
NAL had seized her child and held it in
its talons. For one long, agonized mo-
ment the mother gazed after her baby.
Already the distance was becoming
great between them.
Then, desperate, her heart throbbing
with anguish, the mother had an inspi-
ration. Rushing to the cage she seized
the eaglet and with sobs and cries, held
it out above her head. She did not
even feel the furious blows of the
birds beak and talons which sent the
red blood streaming down her face and
arms. i. d" ~ - - e.
The king eagle paused for an instant
in his flight, and the mother, between
the baby eagles beating wings, could
see her child hanging in the air,
wrapped in one of the cloths.
To her yearning eyes it seemed as
though the eagle was coming nearer.
One child for the other. 1t was just!
The powerful bird came slowly near
err and nearer to the ground. The
mother let loose the eaglet, ran a few
steps forward, and fell fainting on the
grass beside her recovered baby.
But, just at the moment when the
bird deposited its prey and once more
rose high in the air, shot rang out
from the house. The king eagle how
cred a moment, weakly, then fell mo-
tionless, his wings wide spread, upon
the grass in the courtyard, while the
eaglet, once more free, flew joyful
above the housetop, beating his wings
in blessed freedom, until, lost to sight
in the heavens. he regained his faith
er's kingdom among the mountains,
now his own.-Norwegian 4
~