The Log School-House on the Columbia

d a high regard for his teacher, whose kindness was unfailing, and he showed a certain partiality for Gretchen; but he was as a rule silent, and there were da

, or to be aware of their presence or existence. He would pass through a group of boys as though the place was vacant, not

his face wore a kindly glow whenever his teacher went to his desk-if the split-log bench for a book-rest might be so call

ry stumps of limbs for a distance of nearly one hundred feet from the ground. At the top, or near the top, the green leaves or needl

the eagles had come back to it during th

l attention to this high nest. It was a cheerful sight at noon to see the eagles wheel

n shutter of the log school-house and caused the pupils to start. There w

oks, children; it

bird caused the scholars to watch and to listen. The cry was that of agony and affright, and it was so recognized by Benjamin, whos

sed hi

I go

he boy glided out of the doo

k! the nes

nd all in a few moments were standing wit

the nest that rested upon them. The eagle's nest was in ruins. It had fallen upon the lower boughs, and two young hal

e two birds was pathetic, and their cries cal

s it were, to the sun, or floated high in the air; but in their distress this afternoon

e old chief of the Umatillas came up the cool highw

e eagle descended as in a spasm of grief, and her wing swept his plume.

d the old chief

jamin, with a lo

She call-the God ov

his pine to a point where he could throw himself upon the smallest of the great trees and grasp the ladder of the lo

rcles as he ascended. He reached the young eagles a

tance of nearly two hundred feet. He then began to gather up the fallen sticks of the old nest, and to break of

be me. I was he once-it

ayed limbs, he rescued the two young eagles that were hanging with heads downward and op

e tried to drop into the top of the tall young pine below him, but, in his effort to get into position to do so, limb after

d his body lay for a ti

is arm and tried to raise him, but the effort brought no sign of life, and his body was lowered

nd over the boy's heart and held it there. There was a long silence. The old chief watch

his head at last, a

w how I feel! You do not know-t

the boy's breast

ill r

Boston

ill l

bo

es

it to his breast. The children attempted to brush the earth out of the

him! he

body. The teacher again pressed his hand on the hear

urmurs of winds in the trees, and they sent forth a resinous odor

s opened and gazed stea

as though nothing had passed. They were making narrowing circl

face slowly to

"They are happy.

tering a glad scream, wheeled in the sky and made his way through

then the old man turned a happy face on

verhead-he made the hearts of all;

eart and feeling of all conscious beings. The very eagles seemed to understand it;

o learn all this large life. I hope th

chool again for several days, and when he came back it seemed to be with a sense of h

s. He had one of the pupils read the Declaration of Independence on the occasion, and Gretchen played the President's

an flag, which he hung over the desk during the e

lag from a pole, or from t

s face br

he said; "I

" said one of the pupils. "Th

om the eagle's nest would be a patriotic episode of

f the rot

n the nest, while the eagles wheeled around him, screaming wildly. He descended safely, and made the incident

doing so, and had

mbia, well ar

n into the air and circled high, then with a swift, strong curve of the wings, came down t

blue heavens, and the flag st

ke a glory of crystallized light. The children cheered. The bird soared away in the blue heavens, and the flag st

miles

from the place and was not seen until the next d

orgot that fourth of