The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-10-07
h ococccc1 'oocncocceacec
Il. LEONARD.

A pretty little sparrow made hl3
home with an old. childSss couple in
the village. The MIN thousa, the world
OF him. but the ", man MAS stingy aad
Ill tempered, and grudeel their guest
the potting and the food.
One day when Sc was busy With mo
washing, the sp .rrow thoughtlcssy
pccked at her boy, OF starch, Instant
ly the old hag rust a at him, seized the
poor frightened cie. ure by the neck
and cut off his tongLe.
Then she threw him i to TIE washtub
and screamed.
Take a taste OF thai water II you
are hungry, you greedy Old Bird"
The sparrow fluttered fro... the water
and flew to the woods with ne blood
dropping from his bill.
When the old man return home
and his wife told him what She had
done, his heart was almost broLel. He
searched the woods, calling the spar
row. but months passed away, aNd no
despaired OF ever seeing 1t again. aen
one day he heard familiar note, and
there was his long lost friend, advance
ing to meet him and bowling lotf at
every hop.
The sparrow led the way TO nee
little house hidden among the busArs.
and took his former master into tho
dearest and tiniest garden you ever
saw. Soon his wife came out carrying
a tray In her bill, and one OF the
daughters followed with the teapot,
and a delicious meal was placed before
the old man. The dainty little teacur
seemed to hold more than his old
cracked mug at home.
They begged him to stay with them
few days and the time passed pleasant
Iy In conversation. feasting and games
AT last he dared remain away from
home no longer, and the sparrow
brought in two large rattan baskets
and prayed him to accept parting
gift
He lifted first one and then the OBJ
er, and finding that there was great
deal of difference in their weight, Sc
lected the lighter one, because he did
not want too much.
The old man was overcome with
gratitude But his mean old wife want
ed a basket of her very own, and then
Ill hide 1t way she said to herself,
"and no one shall have a single thing
but myself
So the next day she put on her straw
sandals and set off for the sparrow
house.
At a turn in the path she came upon
the little house and pushed roughly at
the tiny door, grumbling when she
found il locked
II was soon opened BY the sparrow
himself She crowded past him into
the parlor and sat down heavily In the
most comfortable chair, where she be-
gan tattering the bird and limited that
she was hungry and thirsty and would
be glad of some refreshment.
The sparrow bowed, and, going to the
door, ordered cup OF tea for her, but
nothing else was brought in. nor did
the wife and daughters make their APP
pearance.
After while she began to grow inn
patient for her present, and, as the
sparrow said nothing about one, she
asked outright for it.
At this her little host left the room
and returned with two baskets and set
them before her Without a moments
hesitation she took the heavier one,
and, never saying word OF thanks.
hurried home as fast as she could.
When she reached the hut 1t was
getting late, and she saw her husbands
figure in the distance Tired as she
was. she FASTENED to open the basket
before he arrived.
The instant she lifted the cover sew
eral horrible and ferocious monsters
Ieaped out. and an enormous serpent.
covered With long, red hairs. coiling it.
self around her, strangled her In two
minutesl
The old man gave his wife fine
burial and tried hard TO be sorry for
her fate; but the sparrow soon sent
him WORD of handsome boy who had
no one to care for him, so the old man
adopted the child, who grew up to re-
pay his foster father amply for all his
kindness.