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

IT EENEY had never engaged in active business
Ill until she up inn under the cherry tree
at the far end of the country lawn; IT was
not of those fussy parior stores where they sell
sugar Jumps and fruit from the dining table, and one
is supposed to eat ones personal stock but iegiti-
mate hostery, with energetic customers that were as
regular in their visits As the sunshine
pertinent orole with scarlet breast ard jet wings He
fnent and took a ripe cherry; when that had disap
peared he few away with another in his beak, and
Mother came, Father or any of the people at the
cottage they always paid for cherries, either in pins
but s M Gos not IL
"P'raps the person that kept the inn before did al
lowed him to settle at the end of the month
There strange thing about her customers,
the cedar BIRDS and the yellow cvarb4ers and the bush
fits, and oh many different kinds of birdsZthey abso-
lutey refused to choose from the goods Teeney dis
played in the grass, and ravased the limb shelves of
the cherry tree just if Teeney had not carefully
picked stock that better than all the rest One
morning when the sky clearest and the bees bus
lest and the whole garden world filled with the mel
odes of nature, Teeney found string of anxious
freezing customers awaiting her Mother Kingbird
hav:7g other duties to perform had left her thee
voting children a limb of the cherry tree and it
cord lock right into three funny faces that gazed at
her with questioning curiosity.
'Wiat VIII you have tsis morning." asked the lit
lie GIL politely, as Sc bowed TO the three baby king
Tie b9res rs net net ripe now so that only 1y
E-5, t. are the bestest cherries you have eaten,
-
cc:ov dcc.!cd show her stock, thinking perhaps
ct might lie iaduceTnent. She held up nice fat
cc-y, whose sides glowcd ruddily and whose checks
c-e tie d. color Of wine. Little Kingbird No Two
hc,ed weakly at it with his small yellow beak. but
lie attempt was not entirely satisfactory The wind
l--cly whispered as it from across the meadows
nd tilted the branches and everything in the garden
rams task and birds and children to dreaming of
TIE strange tossing realm that lay beyond the hills
where the fcecy white clouds. which looked like the
so5test down, made pillow for them Before very
long, Teeney heard odd little twitterings among the
leaves; brides coming from every direction and
the cherry tree was garden choir lott from whose
shifting shadows poured forth all the pure melody
Of hundred bird throats. Mother Kingbird her head
bowed, came wnging across the meadows her teath-
which she had ventured ''rxe-twe-twe, Tecaey heard
the babies on the low branch call to her Even ts
from the guarded lane below the apple trees there
Re oa Gw s a e al MoBer Knsbd to
her brood Then from the light yellow and gray and
bat Teeney had ever Witnessed At least three
dozen Jet black crows were hitched to flower
upon It most beautiful lady, all in light lavender
robes with clusters of jasmine about her brow and
6an er T @re OF Fo sa the
chariot waEb n s S notes heRpng along Sc
ssfy y their heads . I9wed as M Tss
The chariot drew up directly in front of Teeney,
who sat with blinking eyes at the outer edge Of the
Srighty plurnaged orOle; he strutted up to Teeney
without hesitation.
Teeney nodded her head
I'VE accommodations for party con-
inued the oriole, who seemed to have more TO say
han any of the rest "Can you spread cherry ban
luet for all of us7 It is to be farewell greeting to
he Jasmine Lady; she must leave soon, and we
For a month she has perfuned the woodlands where
live with sweetest of jasmine odors, and her
white hands have tipped swinging nests with
Earlands-will it be quite convenient ??
Teeney Overpowcred by the magnitude OF the
interchangeable suddenly prevailed upon to act
hostess for very big party, and as yet no steps
had been taken to prepare any entertainment for them
but hosptable Cherry-Tree Inn had refused
anyone yet and Teeney nodded her curley head
n
On the tablecloth of grass she spread all the
cherries that she could reach, while spry lnnets and
willow goldfnches, especially detailed by the oriole
listed her by bringing down other fruit from the top
most limbs. In very short while banquet was
ready the lawn that would have done justice to
Mother Nature herself had she been there to par
hcipate.
They led the Jasmine Lady to throne of clover,
Uith her back the cherry tree, and all the small
birds sang about her she there, radiaty pretty
that the sunshine might sift through and gid her
locks with gold.
No one had ever heard the Jasmine Lady say any
thing She silence and mystery and shadowy
tentrnent. fitting through the deeper woodlands and
sometimes venturing up into gardens where trailed the
End sprites of the forest whispered that it be-
cause she could remain short time with all she
loved: the jasmine. know, fourshes only scant
E1onth and then is gone with its incense and its deli
ltescented flower
The yellow sparrows formed long line at
ily and then the hermit thrushes, reticent and