Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-09-13


quite ~ beautiful as their elders. eyei
/ II IN many cases they lacked thel
brilliant pluTnnge. There were chnbb.
! little groundhogs scuddIng along tn
trail. There were cunning baby cooni
and opossums peeping from hollow
logs and trees. Young muskrats fol
lowed their parents across the lagoons
IL you could come upon family OF
foxes that had not yet disbanded anc
see the young playing with wild
ducks carcass that their mother had
brought and note the pride and sat
isfaction In her eyes as she lay at one
side guarding them 1t would be a
picture not to be forgotten. Freckles
never tired Of studying the devotion
OF fox mother TO her babies
The angel WIS Wild about the baby
rabbits and squirrels. Earlier In the
season. when the young were still
very small. It had SO happened that
at times FreckIes could give into her
hands one OF these little ones. Then
1t was pure JOY TO stand back and
watch her hea wing breast. flushed
cheek and shining eyes. Hers we're
such lovely eyes They were forever
changing. Now sparkling and dark
ling with wit. now humid with SYM
pathy. now burning with the fire OF
courage, now taking on strength OF
color With ambition. now flashing In
dignantly MT the abuse OF any creature.
She had carried several OF the squirrel
and bunny babies home and had the
Uttered with them. her
care of them was perfect.
Brown butterfly time had come. The
outer edge OF the swale was filed with
milkweed and other plants beloved of
them. and the air was golden with the
nsshing satin wings Of the monarch.
vfceroy and argynnis. They outnum-
bered those OF any other color three
TO one.
Among the birds 1t really seemed as |
4 the little yellow fellows were in the
At least they were
Until the red winged blackbirds and
,obolinks that had nested on the up
and came swarming by hundreds for
hese last few weeks before migration.
Never was there a finer feast spread
or the birds. The grasses were filed
With seeds: so. TOO. were weeds of
very variety. Fab berries were ripe.
Wild grapes and black haws were
eady.
They seemed TO feel the new reign of
eace and fullness most of all. AS for
uniting. they didn't even have to hunt
or themselves these days. for the
ounty now being spread before Little
hicken every day was more than he [
ouid master, and he was glad to have |
Is parents come down and feast with (
i'm. 1
He was fine, overgrown fellow. and
Is wings, with quilts of jetty black.
canning with bronze. were so strong !
ley almost lifted his body. The funny q
tile hops. springs and sidewise
FUNDS he gave set Freckles and the a.
lgel, hidden out in the swamp watch b
g him, into smothered chuckles OF
light. y
he fell TO coquetting with h
mself, and that was the funniest
ing of all. for be turned his head u
wn, from side to side. and drew Ia a
5 chin with prinky little jerks and
is. He would stretch his neck. Is
row up his head. turn it to one side
d enthusiastically smirk. the most S,
mplacent and self satisfied smirk L
ut any one ever saw on the face of a
d. 1t was so comIcal that Freckles %,
the angel told the Bird Woman OF ca
one day.
When she finished her work on Little ID
lcken she left them the camera all We
dy for use. telling them they might 70
e back In the bushes and watch. On
Little Chicken came out and truly on
Irked and they could squeeze the
b at just the proper moment to an
p him she would be more than de- an
lted he
rockies and the angel quietly curl IA
down beside a log and with eager re:
5 and softeSt breathing patiently die
ted. They were becoming anxious, th,
the light would soon be gone and so
? had so wanted TO try for the far
ure At last Little Chicken lifted me
head. opened his beak and CAPPED wa
ely He dozed a minute or two S
e. The angel said that was his tw
lty sleep. Then he lazily gaped the
In and stood up. stretching and the
ming. He ambled leisurely down Low
ard the gateway. and the angel me
Now. we may have a chance. cha
,st." Il
do hope so. shivered Freckles. Of
it'll. one accord they rose to their yer
IS and trained their eyes on the cut
tn OF the log. The light was full spa
strong. Little Chicken prospected qua
D with no results lie dressed his a b.
,age. polished bis beak. and when ster
cit ine and In full toilet he began rrol
irt with himself F'reckleS eyes eac
ped ana his breath sucked be the
n his clenched teeth lost
e's going to do &C." whispered the
tie Chicken nodded daintily and
d his feathers. He gave his head 49,
~ little sidewiSe Jerks and ran. III