The Irish standard., 1912-01-27

slowly" in q hurry It was rreckles rnar
When at last he reached the
space he had cleared out and fitted up
around his case his heart swelled with
the pride of possessing even so much
that he could call his own.
He had made a large room with the
door Of the case set even with one side
Of 1t. On three sides fine big bushes
of wild rose climbed to the lower
branches Of the trees. Part Of his
walls were mallow, part alder, thorn.
willow and dogwood. Below there
filled in solid mass Of pale pink sheep
laurel and yellow st. Johns wort.
while the amber threads of the dodder
interlaced everywhere. At one side
the swamp came close and cattails
grew in profusion. In front Of them
he had planted row Of water hya-
cinths without disturbing in the least
the state Of their azure bloom, and
where the ground rose higher for his
door a row Of foxnre that would soon
be open.
To the left he had discovered q queer
natural arrangement Of the trees that
grew to giant size and were set In a
gradually narrowing space SO that
long, open vista stretched away until
lost in the dim recesses of the swamp.
A little trimming back Of underbush
rolling out Of dead logs, leveling Of
floor and carpeting Of moss, made It
easy to understand why Freckles had
named this the Cathedral" yet he had
never been taught that 1.-THE groves
were Gods first temples
On either side Of the trees that con-
stituted the first arch Of this dim vista
Of the swamp he planted ferns that
grew waist high this early in the sea-
son. and 90 skillfully had the work
been done that not frond dropped
because Of the change. Opposite he
cleared a space and made aowerbed.
Every day saw the addition Of new
specimens.
On the line side he left the bushes
thick for concealment and entered by
q narrow path he and Duncan had
cleared In setting up the case He
called this the front door, though hs
used every precaution to hide it. He
built rustic seats between several Of
the trees, leveled the floor and thickly
carpeted It with rank. heavy woolly dog
moss. About the case he planted wild
clematis. bittersweet and wild grape
vines and trained them over it until
It was almost covered.
This morning Freckles walked
straight to his case. unlocked It and
set his apparatus and dinner inside.
He took out the birdbook. turned to
the section headed "V." Past ''veery"
and "vireo" he went, on down the line
until his finger, trembling with eager
ness, stopped at "vulture."
"'Great black California vulture,'"
he read.
"Humphl This side the Rockies will
do for u.s."
"'Common turkey buz1ard.'"
"Well. We amt hunting common tur-
keys. Mclean said chickens. and
what he says goes"
"'Black vulture Of the SOUTH"
"Here we are arrived Mt once"
Freckles' finger followed the line.
and he read scraps aloud.
"'Common in the south. Sometimes
called Jim Crow. Nearest equivalent
to C.a-t-h.a-r-t.e-s A-t-r-a-t-a.'
49, the Pharaoh's chickens Of Euro
pean species. Sometimes stray north
a. far az Virginia and Kentucky
"And sometimes farther" 1nterpo-
lated Treckles. Zoos got them right
here in Indiana 80 like these pictures
can Just see me big chicken bobbinE
up to get his ears boxed. HeyT
"'Light blue eggs'"-
"Golly. l got to be seeing them!'
90 - big as a common turkeys. but
shaped like hens, heavily splotched
with chocolate -
''Caramels, suppose. And
EN- hollow logs or stumps.'
~'Oh, hagginy! Wasn't barking up
the wrong tree though? Ought to been
looking near the ground all this time.
Now it's all to do over, and suspect
the sooner l start the sooner III be
likely to find them"
Freckles ate and drank bis last drop
of water. He sat resting little and
watching the sky to see II his big
chicken was hanging up there. But
he came to the earth abruptly, for
there were steps coming down tho
trail that were neither McLean's nor
Duncan's, and there never had been
others. Freckles' heart leaped holly.
He ran a quick hand over his belt to
feel IL bis revolver and Ratchet were
there, caught up his cudgel and laid
1t across his knees, then sat quietly
waiting. Was it Black Jack, or some
one even worse7 Forced to do some
thing to brace his nerves, he puckered
hin s&iAeoninn. linz md hauan Suhisflin0