Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1913-05-30
.luCkYDAY WAS HIS

Wheezy was cock sparrow, very
big and strong and more than ordi-
narily cunning specimen of that
cunning tribe, and he was rather
proud of himself, from his light
waistcoat and high black cravat to
the beautiful browns of his back and
the bigness Of his heavy, thick beak,
but he was not proud of the wheeze
which had given him his "nick-
name" 1t was distinct disadvan-
tage in the world. 1t drew the at
tention of his enemies too much to
him; made him too conspicuous.
He discovered that some one was
feeding the tits and robins and wrens
outside the back door. He promptly
left off chirping-he could not leave
off wheeling -and stared. And the
more he stared the more surprise
took hold of him.
A fieldfare-one of those big, very
pretty thrushes that have an odd,
laughing cry, and because they only
come to see us in winter are asso-
ciated in our minds with frost and
snow-driven to desperation by hum
ger, flew down to a very big piece
of bread that had fallen near GER
tain laurel bush. That was the sur
prise. Any of the puffed-out birds
assembled there in that white and
bitter scene could have told him what
would happen if he settled near that
bush when the birds were being fed.
Next instant that feldfare was
dead-slain by the paw and jaw OF
the "ginger" cat, who always hid in
that laurel when the birds were being
fed, and was none the richer, as a
rule, since the birds kept carefully
out of his reach.
Then did Wheezy move. He
dropped instantly like a star, with al
most completely closed wings, in that
extraordinary, sudden way which
sparrows have and seem to share with
no other birds, and landed upon the
bread, to snatch up which under the
dreaded 'ginger's' very whiskers and
remove at top speed for the orchard.
The piece of bread was big one, a
beautiful lump of crumb, a little
larger than a walnut. 1t was a meal
for half day or more.
Then he sat on low bough. just
above a trap, and set up that pecul-
lar low and wicked khirping you may
hear when sparrow curses you, OF
tn next door neighbours cat
Now the swearing of the sparrow
is very monstrous and annoying
sound. It annoyed the cock-robin
who owned that particular corner Of
the garden, and with the robins
usual dashing intolerance, he few
straight at Wheezy, nearly knocking
that bird off his perch, and sending
him to the top Of another tree near
by. After which the robin perched
on the bough so bravely won and
sang his song of victory, as il the
robins custom.
But in the middle of it he stepped
short. His full, clear eye had fallen
upon the raislns within the trap, and
he liked raisings, and really knew
nothing at all about traps, for rob-
ms are trusting birds. Next mo-
ment he few down and hoped in
side, and-well, the top brick came
down, and the next time poor robin
came out of the trap was when the
gardener came round ten minutes
later to lock up his sheds for the
night. and then the robin was dead
Wheezy sat on in his tree top and
chirped.
The gardener, however. swore
Also, he scratched his head, and in
his temper scattered the bricks of the
trap. His master and mistress, you
see, loved robins and hated sparrows
and things might 60 badly with hin
if he were caught Staying robins. Sc
he went away to hide his victim
somewhere a rats hole, l thinl
and when he came back a fat littl(
cock sparrow coolly flew up from
among the remnants of the trap and
departed, wheeling. There were nc
raisins left, and it was clear that
poor cock-robin had had no time te
cat them before he died.
That night Wheezy roasted in the
thick old ivy which chung to thu
southwest side of the house. He die
so because the wind was northeast
had II haon vest he would hort