Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-12-26
The Beaker's Baby
Ry FREDERICIk MALL
A ToGGLE5 STORY.


Grandpa had said there nearly al
ways was one, and more than once
Toggles had looked for him, but he
never found him until the day little
cousin Margaret visited the farm.
Then they met him in strange way.
Margaret, you must know, was
afraid to play anywhere near the bee
hives. Toggles told her that good
bees, like grandpa's, never stung un-
less somebody bothered them, but
she was afraid. just the same, and
so they went away down into the
orchard where all over the fence grow
the nasturtiums.
Toggles remembered that girls u.s.
ually like to play house, and he had
gone to get some stones to make one,
the old-fashioned way, when he heard
Margaret scream, and, dropping his
stones, ran back to her as fast as he
could. He found her with her face
close against the bark of one of the
old apple trees and her eyes tightly
covered with both hands, just as If
she were standing" for hide-and-
seek; but SO far as he could see there
was nothing at all to frighten her.
What made you cry?" he asked.
Margaret cautiously uncovered one
eye, then the other, and then looked
around.
1T was beaker," she said.
What's beaker?" asked Toggles,
not knowing that "beaker" was a
word Margaret had just made up, all
by herself, for Margaret could do
that.
II think" she answered. II think
it's bird"
"A big bird-from the barn?"
Toggles remembered that when he
first came to the farm geese and
turkeys had frightened even him.
"No, 1t was little, but 1t was very
cross, and l don't like things to be
cross at me-"
Toggles could Of course understand
that, but he had no sort of idea what
the "beaker" might be, and he Just
opened his mouth to ask another
question when Margaret screamed,
There he comes again"
Toggles swung around to look, and
there, poised in the air, not six feet
away, the sharp little bill pointed
straight at his face, was tiny hum
mingbird, looking so very angry and
spiteful that Toggles laughed aloud;
and then 1t few away, Really, though
at the time Toggles did not think of
it, laugh of the right sort is one
of the best ways in the world to drive
Off angry, spiteful things.
At dinner time they told grandpa
about it.
And thought perhaps what made
him so angry" said Toggles, was
that he had nest there, and of
course he didn't know about this
whole farm being City of Refuge for
the birds, and SO he was afraid that
we might hurt his babies"
Maybe" said, grandpa, "but l
hardly think: so. To tell the truth,
brave as the 'beaker' is, he has a
really dreadful temper, and gets all
out Of patience at very little things.
He make very pretty little nest, but
1t Is hard to find. All my life have
never seen but one Of them"
After that Toggles was of course
more anxious than ever to find the
sbeaker's" nest, and many an hour
did he spend. looking for It with
mammals field glass, but he never
could trace the "beaker" to it. When
he finally did find it, it was quite by
accident, and not when he was look
ing for it at all.
He had climbed up into the hay
NOV of the horse barn, and was look.
ing out the door at which the man
put in the hay, when, as the wind
stirred the leaves of the great elm
tree, he caught glimpse Of a little
gray-green something, hardly larger
than a walnut, sticking up like knot
on one of the branches. He looked
again but the leaves were in the way;
then once more, as the wind blew
and there 1t was still. He never
thought, even then, OF its being 9
nest, but he wondered about 1t until
finally he went for the field glasses
Then he knew; and his heart beat
high with excitement when, in the
bottom OF the nest, which was SC
small It made him think of lichen'
covered, down-lined thimble, he saw
two wee eggs, hardly larger thar
white beans.
When he looked next day there wal
only one. What became Of the Other
they never learned, but It made then
anxious about tho one that was left