The citizen., 1915-04-22

BY HENRIETTA ELLRY CHILD

In an orchard somewhere in Ken
lucky, a pair Of birds by name Cock
Robin and Jennie Wren were raising
a family, and most devoted parents
they were. Jenny Wren stayed at
home and kept guard, whilst Cock
Robin was the busy providcr, flying
unwearcdly hilhcr and yon, in
search of It'd bit after It'd bit for the
open mouths that were never filled
But though in search OF food, his
bright eyes were open to all his sur
roundings and his ears quick to
catch all sounds.
Hard by, under n big apple tree,
Agroup Of children were listening
- a fairy story which an older girl
was reading 10 them, and as Cock
Robin fitted to and fro, or hoped
near by looking for worms. little
scraps of the story came TO his ears
single words or sentences only,
which he understood in his own
way. The children would not have
hcllved that he was listening TO the
reading. for though they saw him
cooking his head in their direction
II never occurred 10 them il was
anything but WEAKNESS that made
him do Il, or that he was not wholly
intent on his business Of food find
ing. The words that he heard were
Golden princess golden palace
golden goblets-royal purple, etc,
and even as he searched. he pond
cred over these words in his it'll,
black head There is golden prin
cess, he thought, somewhere in this
country, and she lives in golden
palace and sleeps in a golden bed
with golden bed covers and drinks
out II golden cup and eats from IA
golden plate. and all round her is
gold and beautiful bright colors
purple and crimson and pink and
blue and green, and no one comes
near her who is not richly dressed
She steps only on rich. bright car
pets. and she never cooks or sew'
ur spins. but is beautiful and happy
and bright, SO that IL is a JOY TO
look at her. OH II | could but have
seen her and known where her gold
On palace was, | would have bull;
uur nest on one or the golden pillars,
-r that our dear little bird babies
msht have been born in the house
uf princess. and then they would
have had something 10 be proud OF
always. Now am kept so busy
feeding them that | can not leave
my task long enough To go in search
ur her: but next year il shall not
ur So. Before | raise another brood
/ am determined TO find this prin-
cess.
So thought Cock Robin. and just
then he looked across 10 the neigh
boring yard and saw poor widow
coming out of her door with a pan
I'm her hand 10 feed her hens. Quick
a. a flash. over he flew To pick M
'ho crumbs that fell from the hen
table.
Poor woman. he thought, as he
picked mp a fine morscl how dingy
hrr dark cotton dress looks, how
thin and old she is, how little and
shabby her house. II is not even
. ainted, and il is no prcttier inside
.han II is out. Hopping on the win
dow sill. I could look in at the
window, and there was nothing hui
cracked stove, bed with dark
patchwork cover, and two or three
chairs. She never lived in golden
palace, slept under a golden bed
cover, or ate out Of a golden plate;
she never has even seen golden
princess, ! am sure, for surely a
princess would never come this
way, and she is too old TO go III
search Of her. Yet she looks cheer
ful. II must be because she has not
heard that there is a golden prln'
cess in the world so she does not
know what she is missing. How
hard she works, always busy about
something, sweeping, washing, or
sewing; how unlike the golden prin-
cess, who never works at all, and
yet is dressed so beautifully. The
widow is kind though for she scat
ters grain every day 10 those big
birds she keeps, who have not sense
enough to find their own food, sup