Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-20
Mrs. Redbird's
Fright

Little Mrs. Redbird sat on ner louf
pretty greensh eggs in her snug lttie
nest in the tree top. She sat. and sat.
and waited Day after day she kept the
pretty eggs warm with the soft downy
feathers on her little warm body. and
day after day she listened to Mr.. Red
bird as he sat on branch and sang to
her to keep up her courage, for soon
there would be some tiny baby birds In
the nest.
How every handsome Mr.. Redbird
looks in his scarlet suit with the black
sleeves and black coat-tails,' mrs
Redbird thought; and, signing, she
looked at her own dull dress of gray
ish green. 49,.
wouldn't just love bright pretty
dress to match my husbands she SAID
YEARLY. while a-tear dropped on one or
the little eggs in the nest. I'll rig the
children up that way, anyhow, when
they hatch"
Poor tired little Mrs. Redbird settled
herself as comfortably as she could over
the eggs, and listened to the leaves
rustling around her. Mr.. Redbird had
stopped singing and flown away; she
felt very drowsy until suddenly she
heard the leaves saying
Why, how gayly you are dressed
Mrs. Redbird!"
She looked down at her feathers-to
her great establishment they were just
as bright and gay as those of her nus
band.
"why! why! she gasped How
quickly they changed"
A crowd of people came into the
woods and surrounded the tree.
ooh, look! There's a scarlet tanager
on its nest: let's climb up and take a
picture Of it," she heard a deep voice
say. THAT brilliant coloring would at
tract anybody's notice"
There was a great deal Of confusion,
and poor Mrs. Redbird trembled on the
nest as she felt the tree shaking, and
somebody poked biz box like thing
near her nest, it's great eye swapping in
her face. "
worse and worse" thought distract
ed Mrs. Redbird, as she was poked on
the nest to show the eggs that were
under her.
She flew around. fluttering and cry
ing, for what seemed a long, long time
before those noisy, bothering great peo-
pie climbed down the tree and walked
away.
Mrs. Redbird felt eyes upon her from
all directions. Big birds flying overhead
peeped at her through the leaves.
"Oh, dear" she sobbed. they did not
see me when l wore my dull green
dress Now their bright eyes see me
from everywhere. I'm afraid they'll hurt
my babies"
The next thing Mrs Redbird knew,
the egg shells were cracking and the
baby Redbirds were coming out. In
very short time their little bare bodies
were covered with red and black feath-
ers. to their mothers surprise.
"Oh, OH" she walled, when they be-
gan to try to fly, why aren't you
dressed like lest years babies in dull
green feathers?"
For no sooner did they tumble around
saw the vivid dresses they wore and
caught them.
Poor mother Redbird barely escaped
with her own life.
She uttered heart-rending cries or
distress, and woke-to find that it was
all dream and that she still wore the
same dull green clothes and sat on the
little eggs that would hatch out babies
which would wear a dull inconspicuous
dress like her own. -.
my poor. patient little Mrs. Red
bird" said Mr.. Redbird, suddenly ap-
pearing with dainty morsel for her
to eat.
"Oh, am so glad wear dull dress"
sighed Mrs. Redbird happily. eating
the delicious bit Mr.. Redbird had
brought her.
AS he flew away she watched his
flaming red suit, which could be seen
a long distance.
The leaves overhead still rustled, and
this time they seemed to say to her,
"Wise Mother Nature will hide you and
the little ones safely, while you need
protection and will give you greenish
clothes to wear among the green
leaves. Louise M. Haynes. In Sunday