Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-19
SANDMAN STORY.
BY Mrs. r. A. Walker.
Copyright. 1918. by Mcclure NcOs S~pev
Syndicate. New York City.

THE CATBIRD.
Once upon A time the birds were talk.
ing about the dangers Of the woods and
how hard il was for them to bring ur
their families when 80 many hunters came
along with guns and bad boys sometimes
stole their eggs.
al am going out of the woods to live, .
said a little thrush III will live right in
the wards where the houses are and that
mny help me, for who would think OF look
ing for n nest right near where folks liver
"You are very silly TO take s'Fh a
chance" said the other birds. "Arti be-
sides getting your nest robbed there Is
puss she will catch you.
II don't care. ! am going awav from
here and try it" said the little thrush. ut
cannot be any worse than here and, be-
sides. shall have all the crumbs ] want
and more worms, and / know there will
he plenty of bugs around the garden OF
Mr.. Man house"
So of flew the little thrush and left
the woods TO seek n home nearer where MIR.
Man lived He built nest right IN the
big bush in yard and took his wife with
him, and one morning there were tive
little ones in the nest.
There WAS a Kitty Cat living in the
house in the same yard, and MIR. Thrush
had his eye on Kitty Cat from the very
first; so one morning, when he saw her
looking right up at his nest, he told his
wife To keep quite still and not leave the
baby birds, no matter how near to the
nest the Kitty Cat came.
Mr.. Thrush had been watching Puss
and he had been listening to her voice as
we'll Every dav he had tried to make a
Ix.,h haI
This morning he hid behind some leaves
on n branch and watched Puss rs she
came under the bush and looked up at his
nest, and when she was near enough 30
she could hear him he began 10 call
"Mi-ow, m,-eu, mi-ow, mi
Puss stopped and looked arund. There
is another cat in the yard, she said, Il
won't stand that No cat can come IN
here and share my home Now where
can she bc. wondcr7"
puss stood still and looked all srond,
but she could not see the cat she had heard,
THAT is funny" thought Puss, u was
sure | heard cat call"
MIR Thrush hopped around 10 the
nest and told his wife h wv he had fooled
TsIss. and then he taught her TO make
the same noise, so that after while
Kitty Cat did not know what 70 make
Of it, hearing so many cat calls and
rev = finding a cat
One morning. however. che was de-
termined to get at the nest for she was
surr the birds were ready 10 fy nd
would be gone before she had what
she thought was her share, 40 she came
rnder the bush and began to climb
toward the nest. when up from the
nest flew Mr. and Mrs Thrush and
their Young ones, all calling "Mi-ow,
Ini-eu mi-Ow, mi-eu, mi-ow. mi-eu
P,rss tumblcd off the bush with sur
prise and sroo staring after the birds
that rwcre mocking her You little
wretches." she said, 81 dare you 10
come here again II cat every one Of
YOU if | catch you
put the birds only auRhed back at
her, 'ml-ou, mi-cu. and of they
went 10 the woods 10 visit their cous-
ins and tell them how they had fooled
puss and escaped from her too.
And that is how the American thrush.
who is really q cousin of the mocking
bird got it's name Of cat-hird. for all
the birds call them cathirds after
that and they never lived in the woods
again. but always build their nests near
where Mir Man and Mistress Prss
live without fear
They are very bold. too, for they
build a large nest Of dry twigs and wood
and never try TO conceal IL. but choose
bush or tree where il can readily be
seen. and If there is one bird that puss
likes 10 bother moro than the another
il is the bird who mocks her by calling
"Mi-ow. mi-eu." but they are all good
fighters and Puss seldom gets one.
| am glad TO say.