Miss Elliot's Girls / Stories of Beasts, Birds, and Butterflies

ociety the next Wednesday afternoon

helper. Mollie and Susie have gone on an errand, and I am alone in t

atter?" said t

at distress, and the babies in the nest half-starved, and can't have their dinner because the old birds dare not leave poo

teps at two jumps, and was back

all I put him

ine, just over their heads; and when Florence had climbed in a chair, she ha

ir mouths wide open. No wonder this little fellow got pushed out. Here, you droll little s

e chair, Susie and Mollie and t

two doing?" Mo

papa and mamma Chippy get over their fright and look after the babies. Florence, I am greatly obliged to you. I should have

politely that she was

" said Mollie: "fine roots and fibers, an

irds while they were

e chirping sparrow for my bird'; and when we laughed at him and called for his reasons (because chippies are such insignificant things, you know, and no singers), he told us he lik

hey got up early and rang the rising-bell for all the other birds. That was such

ppies get up first in th

ht was over. One dear little fellow sang two or three strains before he succeeded in waking any body; then a robin joined in, in a sleepy kind of way; then two or three wrens, and then a cat-bird; an

of a weather-bi

nced what kind of day it would be. If clear he called out: 'Pleasant day!' three times over, with a pause between each sentence and a long-drawn-ou

to my grandmother, and had been so cross and impatient with baby Walter that mother had taken him from me, though she could ill spare th

with my own disagreeable thoughts, till it came to me all at once that he was not telling me it was a pleasant day, though the sun was shining gloriously and a lovely b

I thought I must have dreamed it. But no, there it was again, sweet,

se and up to my own room, where I cried with anger and shame. But solitude and reflection soon brought me to a better state of mind; and, long before the day was over, I had confessed my fault and was forgiven.

yly from my little bed in the next room that his weather-bird was calling, 'Pleasant day!

conscience, nor has the lesson ever been repeated; for from that da

nes, "they call the Yankee bird, 'cause he keeps

and get in their hay," said her sister. "When it's going to rain they

the funny little bantam rooster who used to call

alk that we are making rather slow progress with our work. Suppo

e-threaded her needle, Nellie Dimock hunted up her thimble, which

orked, Miss Ruth

IDOW

cause her mate-a fine plucky little bantam rooster-was one day slain wh

she walked in without ceremony; if closed, she flew to the window, tapped on the glass with her bill, flapped her wings, and gave us clearly to understand that she wished to be admitted. Once inside, she set up a shrill cackling till I attended to her wants, and s

take a ride on my shoulder, and walk the length of my arm to peck at a bit of cake in my hand, regarding me all the while with a queer sidelong glance, and croaking out her satisfaction and content. When she was r

foot was frozen, her feathers were all rough and dirty, her wings drooping, her bright comb changed to a dull red. How she escaped from th

ed her with bits of bread soaked in warm milk, and Charlie said, nursed and tended her as if she had been a sick baby. She was very gentle and patient, poor thing! and allowed

s she had grown weary of her solitary life, for she seemed delighted to rejoin her old comp

onounced him a fit companion to our favorite hen. They were evidently on the best of terms, croaking and cackling to each other, and exchanging sage opinions about us as we watched them from the open do

here was nothing to fear. He would not believe her nor budge one inch over the door-sill. She lost patience at last, and rated him soundly; but as neither coaxing nor scolding availed, and s

y had no mind to quarrel: but neither would he give up the point. He occasionally suspended the argument by a stroll into the garden, where, by vigorous scratching, he would produce a choice morsel, to which he called her attention by an insinuating 'Have a worm, dear?' She never failed to accept the offering, gulping it down with great satisfaction, but was too old a bird

several ways without further dispute. About sunset the Captain might be seen politely escorting his mate to her chosen lod

e never failed; and, when at last she flew down and joined him, a prouder, happier bantam rooster never strutted about the place. All day long he kept close at her side, providing her with the choicest tidbits the

lways coming alone, eating a hurried meal, and stealing away as quickly as possible; while

est, Florence, but wonderfully active and vigorous for their size. We named them Bob and Dick and Jenny, and, as they grew older, were never tired of watching their comical doings. Their mother, too, afforded us great amusement, while we found much in h

verse, which, if I can remember,

DICK THE

ch! sc

garde

od Moth

k! c

ck! Goo

and Dick

m! a

im sq

first to

k! q

ken

e chick to

p! p

you

legs hav

k-a

bea

wish you'd

k!

oolish

ng lost y

hile

let

ed it up-t

! B

wrong

ly littl

n the

ht and

at one

obby

e the

n, though yo

odes

ide mu

s lose thei

had of crowing on all occasions proved very useful to him. He grew to be a

zen hens, was confined, and all flew for refuge to the roof of the neighboring pig-pen. But the incoming flood soon washed away the supports of the frail building, and it floated slowly out into the current to join company with the wreck

e of waters came his shrill 'Cock-a-doodle-doo!' All the cocks along the shore answered his call; all the turkeys gobbled, and the geese cackled. His vessel struck the heavy timber of a broken bridge, and lurched and dipped, threatening every momen

ce, went to the rescue, and, taking this strange craft in tow, brought the little company

about Dick, for it is five o'clo

n at the next meeting of the Society, "except th

m do they do?"

l noise in the morning that nobody on that side of the house could sleep. And they drive away all the other birds. We used to have robins hopping over our lawn, and dear little yellow-birds used to build their nests in the pear-trees; but

dining-room window every morning, and waited for their breakfast; and

ens," said Mollie, "digging up gr

ly, "but that you can find something good to say about

time to tell you a story about an Englis

ND THE

pen while he was out of his cage, and suddenly found himself, for the first time in his life, in the open air.

as he poked it about with his bill, and tucked first one little foot, and then the other, under him to keep it warm. Presently he heard an odd little noise below him, and, looking down, saw on the trunk of the

a friendly and social disposition, and w

crisp and shorthand not so much as l

ty called out: 'Peep! peep!' and the woodpecker-but

n there?' said Tufty, co

eakfast,' said

ne a long time

e was to bring Mr. Longbill's morning meal; but he was afraid t

way to the swamp, and he was trying to hurry up his mate, that always would lag behind in that corn-field where there wasn't so much as a grain left; but Tufty, which by this time you must

ow him were two snow-white pigeons. One was walking about in a very consequential way, his tail-feathers spread in the shape of a fan, and turning his graceful neck from side to side in quite a bewitching fashion. Just as Tufty alighted, the pretty dove began to call: 'Come, dear, come! Do, dear, do!' in such a sweet, soft, plaintive voice, as if his heart would certainly break if his dear didn't come, that Tufty, who in his silly little pate never once doubted that it was h

e they had alighted he heard their loud voices in angry dispute; and they made such an uproar, and see

him. She was a young thing-quite f

g close to him and looking him al

said Tufty, as br

sparrow. 'I never saw a yellow-bird like you before. How pretty the feat

nce, but he answered her politely, told her his name, and that he came

common name in our family. It's pleasant out-of-doors, isn't it? Oh, never mind the fuss over there!'-for Tufty's attention was con

e fuss about

r bird should claim it, and she wants to build in the crotch of the evergreen, and the neighbors are all there taking sides. She has the right of it-the tree is much the prettier place; but dear me! she

do any thing,' sai

ind was blowing, and the house-bird, accust

' said Brownie; 't

hungry,' p

set out every day for all the birds that will come-bread-crumbs, seeds,

eeably and pleasantly, that before they reached their journey's end Tufty had quite fallen in love with her. Then, too, the sun was sh

on the roof of this piazza that a feast for the birds was every day sp

before. That red curtain, that flower-stand in the window, that-Oh! oh! there'

cage and calling loudly on her little bird to return. But he was high up in the elm-tree watching the woodpecker, and, if he heard her call, p

id. 'I saw him flying straight for the swamp, and he never can

her brother Jack called to he

ittie,' he said, 'if I wil

im? Where? where?' cried the little gi

the garden, and there, sure enough, was Tufty on a lilac-bush. Brownie was there too. She was hopping about and talking in a most earnest and excited manner. It was easy to see that sh

d pepper-grass best), and, standing in the open door-way, called: 'Tufty! Tufty!' He gave a start, a little flutter of his wings, and then, with o

quarrelsome things, and said I should get nicely paid next summer when they drove away all the pretty song-birds that come about the house. And now, don't you see, mamma, one of the sparrows I hav

ked. "I almost hoped Tufty would stay out wi

th them, apparently in good spirits. But Tufty moped for a day or two, and, as long as he lived, showed great excitement at the sight of a flock of sparrows; and i

ustin, and the two little girls, who were fast becoming

and birds!" said Florence; "she seems almo

ver since she has been ill, she has spent a great deal of time watchin

ppy-birds, because then she knew the long night was over; and she looked so white, and couldn't get down those thre

Today is one of her poor days; but she used to be so ill that she was hardly ever free from pain. You

here's doctors in town, you know, who

hook he

hen seriously-"I think if Jesus were here he wo