Under the eaves in an old tin pot,
Six little birds lie in a nest;
The mother bird broods them with her wings,
And her downy-feathered breast.
With "coos" and "chirps" she tells her love
As human mothers do,
Says "tootsy, wootsy, mammy's dove,
And papa's tootsy, too."
Pierre gazed after Bridget with a perplexed look.
"A-a-what?" he inquired: "I never heard that word before."
"Oh, you did'nt," returned Henry with a wise air, "if I'm not mistaken a
Hornithologist has reference to a Horned Owl. Has it not, Mama?"
"It might if there were such a word," she replied, with a laugh. "Bridget
meant an Ornithologist, the scientific name for students of birds and their
ways. But come, Mrs. Wren shows signs of uneasiness; we must not disturb
her again to-day."
"I'm truly glad they are gone," said Mrs. Wren, as her spouse flew over to
the tin pot. "It makes me very nervous when they all stand about and stare
at me so."
"Of course it does," sympathizingly replied Mr. Wren, "but now, let me get
another peep at the little darling. My, what a lovely little creature it
is?" and Mr. Wren whisked his tail and chirped to the baby in a truly
papa-like fashion.
"And to think that moon-faced Bridget said it was the 'skinniest, ugliest
little baste she iver saw'," indignantly returned Mrs. Wren, mimicking
Bridget's brogue to perfection. "The precious little thing?" turning the
birdling over with her bill, "why, he is the very image of his father."
"Do you think so?" a little doubtfully, "It seems to me that--that----"
"Oh, you will see when his hair, or rather feathers grow out and his lovely
black eyes open. Just look at his dear little tootsy-wootsy's," kissing the
long scrawny toes, "my, how glad I am that the eldest is a boy. Little
Dorothy will have a brother to protect her, you know."
"Don't count your chickens before they are hatched, my dear," warned Mr.
Wren, never forgetful of the many dangers surrounding a nest full of eggs,
or young birds. "Mr. Jay, or Mr. Owl, or Mr. Hawk, might yet pay us a visit
and----"
"Or a collector might come along," said Mrs. Wren, "and carry off eggs,
birdling, and all. Oh how that thought frightens me," and the poor little
mother cowered deeper down in the nest uttering a plaintive, shuddering
cry.
"There, there!" said Mr. Wren, caressing her with his bill, "time enough to
cross the stream when we come to it. Our landlord will protect his tenants,
I am sure, so sit here and croon a lullaby to the baby while I go to
market. I heard of a place yesterday where I can get some of those
delicious thousand legs of which you are so fond. Ta, ta, love," and away
he flew, fully alive to the fact of another mouth in the home-nest to feed.
Every day for six, a little yellow bill pecked its way out of the shell,
and every day a delighted and curious group of children peeked into the
tin-pot at the nervous Mrs. Wren and her family.
"Their eyes look so big, and so do their mouths," she lamented after one of
these visits. "I am always reminded of that story our landlady one
afternoon told the children."
"What story?" tenderly inquired Mr. Wren.
"Of the wolf and Little Red Riding Hood. Ugh! imagine anything eating up
our dear little Dorothy!" and Mrs. Wren stood on her feet, fluffed her
feathers in a pretty motherly way and gathered her brood more closely under
her.
Very little time, now, had Mr. Wren to spare for singing or flying about
with his neighbors, so occupied were he and Mrs. Wren in providing food for
their family.
"There is precious little fun in this sort of thing," growled he one day
when paying a brief visit to Mr. John and his spouse. "One can never go
near the nest but open fly six red mouths asking for food. Its peep, peep,
peep, from morning till night; hurry, hurry, hurry, eat and bring up again;
to cram, cram, cram down six long, red throats the whole day long. There
are some days," with a sigh, "when I really long to be a bachelor again."
"Oh, you do," said Mrs. John, with a meaning glance at her husband, "There
are other fathers of families, I dare say, Mr. Wren, who, if they _dared_
would say the same thing. But," smoothing her apron, "you have such a
shiftless creature for a wife that I don't much wonder. Jenny, I presume,
stays at home and lets you do all the fetching and carrying."
"Indeed," replied Mr. Wren, who wished he had not complained at all, "you
are very much mistaken, Mrs. John. Jenny can find more grubs, worms, and
beetles in one minute than I can in ten. She is always on the go, and
seldom complains, though I must admit she does a deal of scolding."
"She wouldn't be a member of _our_ family if she didn't," proudly said Mrs.
John, "my mother----" but Mr. Wren, who had heard that story a score of
times, suddenly remembered Mrs. Jenny would be expecting him at home, said
"good-by" and hastily flew away.
Pierre, the first born, was now old enough to fly, but timidly stayed in
the nest. Mrs. Wren noted with great anxiety that no sooner did she leave
the tin-pot but up popped six little heads, and out upon a curious world
gazed twelve little bead-like eyes.
"Do be good children while I am gone," she would entreat, when ready for
market, "do keep your heads inside of the house. Pierre, put your head down
in the nest instantly, do you hear me!" and little Mrs. Wren would stand on
the edge of the tin-pot and fussily cry _krup_, _up_, _up_, which in Wren
language means, you naughty, naughty, birds.
"I think I am big enough to get out of here," said Pierre one day as he
watched her fly away, "bugs and worms must taste a heap better fresh from
the ground. I'm tired of baby-food, I am."
"So am I," piped Emmett, "you try your wings first, Pierre, and if you can
fly I will come after."
"Well, here goes," said Pierre, poising himself on the rim of the pot as he
had seen his parents do, "watch me, boys, watch me fly."
"Well, we are watching you," they chorused, as he spread his wings and
flapped them a number of times, "why don't you go?"
"I--I--" stammered Pierre, "oh, there's a cat!" and into the pot he darted
and down they all huddled like so many frightened mice.
Presently Bobbie raised his head and peeped out.
"I don't see any cat," said he, "and I don't believe you did, either,
Pierre. You were only afraid to fly."
Pierre looked a little sheepish.
"If you fellows think it so easy, try it," was the mocking reply. "There is
nobody here to hinder you."
"Well, I will," said Bobbie stoutly, and out he crawled onto the edge of
the pot, spread his wings, and with one preparatory flap rose in the air
and down he came with a frightened "peep" to the ground.
Bridget at this moment, broom in hand, came out upon the porch to do her
daily sweeping.
"It's lucky for ye's, me darlint," said she, tenderly picking up the
helpless bird, "that we do be havin' no cats for tinents on these premises,
so it is. A purty soft thing ye's now are in your coat of feathers, and not
an ugly little baste, at all, at all."
"It's quare," she continued, stroking the bird with her big red fingers,
"what idees the innocent crather do be puttin' into me head for sure. Me
hand, for insthance, and the wings ov this little bird! Two wonderful
things, when wan comes to think of it, and very useful. It's sorra crathers
we'd both be without 'em, wudn't we, birdie? There now," placing it in the
pot, "take an owld woman's advice and don't ye's be so anxious after
leavin' the home nest. Its many a hard arned dollar, so it is, that Bridget
O'Flaherty wud give to get back to her own," and with visions before her
humid eyes, of Old Ireland and the tumble-down cottage in which she was
born, Bridget fell vigorously to sweeping.
(TO BE CONCLUDED.)
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