Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1913-08-01
lUCkYDAY: WAS MS

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 mick
name" 1t was distinct disadvan-
tage in the world. It 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 xrens
outside The back door. He promptly
left off chirping-he could not leave
off wheeling stared. And the
more he stared the more surprise
took hold of him.
A fieldfare-onc of those big, very
pretty thrushes that have an odd,
laughing cry, and because they only
come to see us III winter are asso-
ciated in our minds with frost and
snow-driven to desperation by hun
ger. flew down to 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 feldfars was
dead-slain by the paw and jaw of
the S'ginger" cat, who always hid in
that laurel when the birds were being
fed. and was none the richer, az
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 ssginger'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 meal
for half a day or more.
Then he sat on low bough. just
above trap, and set up that pecul-
lar low and wicked chirping you may
hear when a sparrow curses you. or
the next door neighbours cat. o--- J.
Now the swearing of the sparrow
is very monstrous and annoying
sound. 1t annoyed the cock-robin
who owned that particular corner of
the garden, and with the robins
usual dashing intolerance, he few
straight at NVheezy, nearly knocking
that bird off his perch, and sending
him to the top of another tree near
by. After which the robin perchcd
on the bough so bravely won and
sang his song of victory, as Is 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.
Wheczy sat on in his tree top and
chirped.
The gardener, however, sworc.
Also, he scratched his head, and in
his temper scattered the bricks of the
trap. His master and mistress, YOU
see, loyed robins and hated sparrows.
and things might 60 badly with him
If he were caught Staying robins. So
he went away to hide his victim
somewhere-in a rats hole, think
and when he came back a fat little
cock sparrow coolly flew up from
among the remnants of the trap and
departed. Wheeling. There were no
raisins left. and it was clear that
poor cock-robin had had no time to
eat them before he died.
That night Wheezy roasted in the
thick old ivy which chung to the
southwest side Of the house. He did
so because the wind was northeast (;
had it been west he would have
roasted on the east side. Gradually
the house grew quiet as the hours
slipped on, and one by one the lights
went out. 1t was still showing
slightly and was very still.