The Irish standard., 1912-01-27

He climbed on the locust post ana,
balancing himself by the wire. held
finger in the line of the moths advance
up the twig. It unhesitatingly climbed
on, and he stepped back to the path,
it up to the light and examin-
ing it closely. Then he held it in the
shade and turned it, gloating over its
and beautiful coloring. When
he held the moth back to the limb it
on, still waving those magnifi-
cent wings.
-'My, but I'd like to be staying with
your he said. "But If was to stay
here all day you couldn't get any pref
tier than you are right now and l
wouldn't get smart enough to tell what
you are. I suppose there's some one
that knows. OF course there is. Mr..
Mclean said there were people that
knew every leaf, bird and flower In the
Limberlost. Oh. lord, how wish you'd
be telling me Just this one thingw
The goldfinch had ventured back to
the wire, for there was his mate only
a few inches above the man creatures
head, and, indeed, he simply must not
be allowed to look up just them, so the
brave little fellow rocked on the wire
and piped up, just as he had done ev-
cry day for q week, ''See me; see met"
"See you! OF course I see you,"
growled Freckles. II see you day aft.
er day, and what good is it doing me?
I might see you every morning for a
year and then not be able to be telling
any one about it. Seen a bird-little
and yellow as any canary, with black
silk Wings That's as far as I'd get.
What you doing here anyway? Have
you mate? What's your name? See
you? reckon see you. but might
as well be blind for any good it's doing
met"
Freckles impatiently struck the wire.
With screech Of fear the goldf1nch
fled precipitately. His mate tore from
of the nest with a whirr. Freckles
looked up and saw it.
"O-ho!' he cried. $50 that's what
you are doing here! You have a wife"
Freckles climbed up to examine the
neat, tiny cradle and it's contents. The
hen darted at him in frenzy. Nov,
where do you come int" he demanded
when he saw that she was not like
the goldfinch.
"You be clearing out of here! This
Is none of your fry. This is the nest
of me little yellow friend Of the wire,
and you shan't be touching it. Don't
blame you for wanting to see though.
My, but it's fine nest and beauties Of
eggs. Will you be keeping away or
will fire this stick at your
Freckles dropped back to the trail.
The hen darted to the nest and settled
on it with a tender, coddling move
ment. He of the yellow coat few to
the edge to make sure that everything
was right.
"Weu, I'll be switchedw muttered
Freckles. eff that amt both their
nest! And he's yellow and she's green,
or she's yellow and he's green. OF
course I don't know, and I haven't
any way to find out, but it's plain as
the nose on your face that they are
both ready to be fighting for that nest,
so Of course they belong. Don't that
beat you? Say, that's what's been
sticking me for all of these two weeks
on that grass nest in the thorn tree
down the line. One day a bluebird
is setting, and l think it is hers. The
next day a brown bird is on, and I
chase it off because the nest is blues.
Next day the brown bird is on again,
and let her be because I think it
must be hers. Next day, be golly,
blues on again, and of sent her be-
cause it's browns, and now I bet my
hat it's both their nest, and I've only
been bothering them and making big
fool of meself."
Freckles plodded on down the trail,
scowling blackly and viciously spang-
ing the wire. At the finches' nest he
left the line and peered into the thorn
tree. There was no bird brooding. He
pressed closer to take peep at the
snowy, spotless little eggs he had
found so beautiful, and at the slight
noise up Jared four tiny baby heads
with wide open mouths and hunger
cries. Freckles stepped back. The
brown bird lit on the edge and closed
one cavity with a wiggling green
worm, and not two minutes later the
blue filed another with something
white. That settled it. The blue and
brown were mates. Once again
Freckles repeated his Glow I wish !
knew!"
About the bridge spanning Sleepy
Snake creek the swale spread wide,
the timber largely dropped away, and
willows, rushes, marsh grass and
splendid wild flowers grew abundant.
~. Lazy big black water snakes, for
which the creek was named, summed on
the bushes, wild ducks and grebe chat.
tered, cranes and herons fished, and
01o~,,ol kl,o howl, ~, n,1oar