Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1921-12-23
THE STORY THAT BETTY S
MOTHER TOLD

Betty had not been feeling well
for several days. She was not
really i'll, but she had no appe-
tite and slept very poorly.
Bonnie said he was afraid his
little sister had caught some
very dreadful ailmcnt from Susan
Jane, Anna Bell, or Fat Flora
the rag doll, and maybe they had
better send to town (the nearest
town was forty two miles away
for doctor, He knew how much
Betty had always feared a doctor,
She had never been i'll enough
to need any one but her own dear
mother to attend her and thought
II physician must be a dreadful
person. She loved to have moth
er nurse her and took the medi-
cines she gave without saying a
word, although they were often
very bitter and nasty to take.
Mother said the best medicine
in this case would be a fine run
in the fresh air, and that, just
as soon as the weather would
allow, out she should go. The
snow was very deep and the wind
had been blowing bitter cold for
a week so that Betty had been
shut in all that time and every
little girl knows now cross that
would make her feel.
One night Betty could not go
to sleep, though she tried ever
so hard. Mother heard her toss
ing about and came in. She sat
by Betty's side and began to tell
a story, knowing it would quiet
her little girl, and then perhaps
she would fall asleep.
And this is the story:
cone lovely June morning Mr..
and Mrs. Robin set out to find
1.-THE best place to build their nest,
After doing a great deal of look
ing about they finally decided on
the highest forks of an apple
tree which grew close to a little
white cottage. All about the
cottage were sweet scented flow
ers, and vines were climbing
about the porches.
1t was indeed pretty spot.
In little gable, Chat is the peak
of the roof where it is like the
letter V turned upside DOWN
there was a broad low window,
| it was the window in the room
Of the little girl who lived in the
house. She was much larger
than my little Betty, she went to
school every day and helped her
mother about the house at night
and on Saturdays. One bright
Saturday morning as the little
girl sat at her window mendlng
tiny hole in her stocking, she
discovered the nest that Mr.. and
Mrs. Robin had just finished.
For said she, Isn't it a darling
of nest, and 50 close to my win
dow, | shall keep it a secret. 1t
is the first nest that has ever
been built in that tree
GA few days later Alice-that
was the name of the little girl
was delighted to see a cunning
little blue egg in the nest, and
by the end of the next week,
there were four.
Vacation days had come and
Alice was to go with her mother
for a week at the beach, (for this
little girl lived near New York.
A week at the beach III her
aunt Rates summer cottage was
such a wonderful thing to Alice
that she forgot all about the rob
ms nest at home. There were
so many interesting things to fill
her days = maybe I'll tell you
about that some other time, said
Betty's mamma, "that Alice and
her mother stayed two weeks in
stead of one, and when they re
turned Alice thought of the secret
nest the moment they came in
sight of the cottage. She ran up
to her room to lay off her pretty
hat and hurried to the window to
take a peek, but could see moth
ing but Mrs. Robin sitting there
ever so quietly. But the next
morning Alice watched the nest
for some time and presently Mrs.
Robin flew away to get her break
fast and Alice was delighted to
see four tiny baby birds in the
nest.
"She could not keep the secret
any longer, but hurried down
stairs to find her mother so that
she too might see the babies be-
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