The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-03-24
Which Introduces the Shepherd OF
the Birds.
CHAPTER ONE


The day that Henry Sink met and
embraced Gasoline Power and went
~ Main street hnnd IN hand with II is
not Yet forgotten. Their little Journey
produced mn effect on the nerves and
the remote future history Of Blngville.
They rushed NJ group Of citizens
who were watching them scattered II
hitler and thithcr. broke down a sec
tion uf Mrs. Risley's picket fence and
ran over small hoy At the end Of
their brief misalliAnce Gasoline Power
seemed ~ express It's opinion ~ Mr.
Sink by hurting him against tele.
graph pole and running Wild In the
park until II cooled lis passion In the
fountain pool. In the language ~ Ill
rum BlcuEiusop, the place was badly
"smiNed up Yet Mr. Sink was the
object ~ unmeritcd criticism. lie was
Ike uuny other men In that quiet vii
lagr- slow. deliberate harmless and
good-natur,-d. The action Of his In
tellect was not NJ all like that Of
gasoline engine. Between the swift
ness ~ IN" one and the slowness Of
the other there was wide zone full
Of possibilities. The engine had ac-
complishcd many things while Mr.
Sinks intellect was getting ready to
begin 10 act
In speaking of this adventure. III
ram BlrnkinsOp made wise remark:
MY married life learnt me one thing"
said he II you are thinkin' of hitchln'
up wild horse with tame one. be
careful hat the tame one Is the stout
est or II will do him no good"
The event had It's trngic side and
whatever Hiram Blcnkinsop and other
citizens NJ questionable taste may
have said 81 II. the historian has no
intention ~ treating II lightly. Mr..
Sink and his neighbors fence could
be repaired but not the small boy
Robert Emmrt Moran six years old
the son of the Widow Moran. who
took In washing lie was In the ma
ture 81 sacrifice 10 the new god lie
became beloved cripple. known rs
the shepherd ~ the Birds ana alto
gether the most cheerful person In the
IN the second floor ~ his mothers
cottage overlooking the big flower gar
den of Judge Cruoker-his father hay
Ing been the gardener and cuachmnn
Of the judge There were In this room
nm old pine bureau. "A fourpost bed
stead. an armchair by the window. II
small round nickel clock that sat on
the bureau. n rubber tree and very
tnlkative little old tin soldier Of the
name ~ Rloggs who stood erect on
shelf with a gun I'm his hand and was
always looking out uf the window. The
day ~ the tin soldiers arrival the boy
had named him Mr.. Bloggs and dis
covered his unusual qualities Of mind
aud heart lie was IA wise old soldier
Il would seem. for he had some sort
OF answer for each OF the many ques-
tluns of Bob Moran Indeed. ms Bob
knew. he had seen and suffered much
having travelled to Europe and back
with the judges family and been sunk
for year In a frog pond and been
dropped In jug Of molasses, but
through II all had kept his look Of
lncxtinguishahle courage The lonely
lad talked. now and then, with the
round nickel clock or the rubber tree
or the pine bureau, but mostly gave
HIS condolences 10 the wise and genial
Mr.. Rloggs when the spring ar
rived the garden, with its birds and
flowers. became n source Of JOY and
cnmpnu!ouShp for the little lad Sit
ting by the open window, he used 10
talk to PAT Crowley, who was getting
the ground ready for sowing. Later
the slow procession of the flowers
passed under the boys window and
greeted hun with its fragrance and
color.
But his most intimate friends were
the birds Robins. in the elm tree just
beyond the window woke him every
summer morning When he made his
way 10 the easement, with the aid Of
two ropes which spanned his room,
they came 10 him, lighting on his
wrists and hands and clamoring for
the seeds and crumbs which he was
wont To feed them, Indeed, little Bob
Moran soon lehTntu tnt Hitity ing"
OF every feathered tribe that camped
In the garden. lie could sound the
pan pipe of the robin, the fairy flute
Of the oriole, the noisy guitar OF the
bobolink and the little piccolo Of the
song sparrow. Many OF these dear
friends Of his came into the room and
explored the rubber tree and sang In
it's branches A colony OF barn swal-
lows lived under the caves OF the old
weathered shed on the far side OF the
garden. There were many windows.
each with saucy head looking out
OF Il. Suddenly half a dozen OF these
merry people would rush into the air
and MI Il with their frolic. They were
like a lot Of laughing schoolboys skat-
Ing over Invisible hills and hollows.
With a pair OF field glasses. which
Mrs. Croker had loaned TO him, Bob
Moran had learned the nest habits OF
the whole summer colony In that won
derfuI garden All day he sat by the