Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-12
THE CHERRY-TREE INN.
By w. Livingston Larned.


- EENEY had engaged in active business
" until she set up an inn under the cherry tree
not of those fussy parior stores where they sell
sugar Jumps and fruit from the dining table and one
is supposed to eat up ones personal stock but legit-
regular in their visits as the sunshine.
The first sale that Teeney made to very i'm
pertinent orioe with scarlet breast ard jet wings. He
deliberately entered the leafest part of the establish
Inent and took ripe cherry; when that had disap-
peared, he few away with another in his beak and
there mention of financial settlement When
Cottage hey always paid for Cherries either in pins
or pennies, but Mr. Orioie was not SO partlc3ui1r
"Pta6s the person that Kent the inn before did al
lowed him to settle at the end of the month
There was one strange thing ABOUT her customers
fits and oh many different kinds of birds-they abso
luely refused to choose from the goods Teeney dis
the cherry just if Teeney had not carefully
picked stock that better than all the One
lest and the whole garden world filed with the mel
odics of nature, Teeney found string of anxious,
hav:7g other duties to perform, had left her tl-ec
young children limb of the cherry tree and it
corld lock right three funny faces that gazed at
her wiz, questioning curiosity.
Wat viii you have tkis morning." asked the lit
lie GIL politely Sc bowed 70 the three baby king
IS nc bcIries as net FjRe now SO that only my
49, - are the bestcst cherries you have eaten,
ttct might Re an nduce1nent She held up nice fat
cc-ry whose sides glowcd ruddily and whose checks
,:s-c tie d. coor Of vine Little Kingbird No Two
+c,ed weakly at it with his small yellow beak, but
t-e attempt was not entirely satisfactory, Inc wno
L@-cly whispered came from across the meadows
5ld tilted the branches and everything in the garden
vas drowsy, for the sunshine had taken Mr. Sand
rams task and set birds and children to dreaming OF
TIE strange, tossing realm that lay beyond the hills
where the acecy white clouds which looked like the
long Teeney heard odd little twittcrings among the
leaves brides coming from every direction and
the cherry tree garden choir loft. from whose
Of hundred bird throats Mother Kngbird, her head
bowed came winging across the meadows, her feath-
which she had vcntured "Twe-twe-twe. Tecney heard
the babies the low branch call to her. Even little
girl could tell that something unusual transprng-
from the guarded lane below the apple there
qa iGw eias = Mother Knsbd to.
her brood Then from the light yellow and gray and
t that Teeney had ever witnessed At least three
dozen jet black crows were htched TO flower
upon n most SA seautfa lady al in light sSende
robes, with clusters of jasmine about her brow and
tangled confusion of other wild blossoms almost hid
chariot wa!blns in spbdued notes hopping along Sc
had been was a small army of birds.
The chariot drew up directly in front of Teeney,
who sat with blinking eyes at the outer edge OF the
Srightly pluraged orioe; he strutted up to Teeney
without hesitation
Teeney nodded her head.
1--WE want accommodations for party con-
inued the oriole, who seemed to have more to say
han any of the "Can you spread cherry ban
ue for all of us7 1t is TO be farewell greeting to
he Jasmine Lady; she must leave us soon, and we
want TO show appreciation of her past bounty.
For month she has perfuned the woodlands where
We live with sweetest of jasmine odors, and her
rhite hands have tipped swinging nests with
5arlands-wi it be quite convenient 2?
Teeney Overpowered by the magnitude of the
undertaling-she suddenly prevailed upon to act
hostess for very big party, and yet no steps
had been taken prepare any entertainment for them,
but hospitabIe Cherry-Tree Inn had refused
anyone yet. and Teeney nodded her curley head
n
On the tabecloth of grass she spread all the
cherries that she could reach while spry innets and
willow goldnches especially detailed by the orioe
sisted her by bringing down other fruit from the top
ready on the lawn that would have done justice to
Mother Nature herself had she been there to par
Gcipate
They led the Jasmine Lady to a throne of clover,
with her back to the cherry tree, and all the small
birds about her she sat there, radianty pretty
that the sunshine might sift through and gid her
locks with gold.
No one had heard the Jasmine Lady say any
thing. She silence and mystery and shadowy
tentnent fitting through the deeper woodlands and
sometimes venurng into gardens where trailed the
blossoms. There sad look in her violet eyes,
End sprites of the forest whispered that il be-
she could remain short time with all she
loved; the jasmine, you know hourishes only scant
E2outh, and then gone, with its incense and its deli
clte-scented flower.
The yellow sparrows formed long line at
one side of the table, their orange heads bobbing
My, and then the hermit thrushes, retcent and