[Illustration: 0090]
T was a dreary, rainy day, and Toots and his cousins were gathered in
the library, where a cheerful open fire made them forget the chilling
rain outside.
"Auntie," said May, "please tell me why you keep that pretty bird always
sitting above your desk?"
"Toots has something to do with that. It is his bird, and perhaps you
would like to hear about it; wait one moment until I get you a dish of
fruit, and I will tell you how the pretty bird came here:
"One summer when Toots was quite small and not very strong, our family
doctor said, 'Couldn't you go and camp out in the pine woods somewhere
for a few weeks?' At first it seemed quite impossible to take all the
family, but Button Blue was so active and helpful, and the cook said she
would like the fun of it, so at last we went, taking care to be near
a house where we could get pure water. We had two tents. One was our
parlor by day and the boys' bedroom by night; the other held my bed and
an easy camp cot for Toots. We were very cosey and happy. The birds sang
over our heads all day, and at night we could hear the whip-poor-will's
note only a few feet from our tent door."
"What did you do when it rained?" asked one of the boys.
"We drew the tent curtains close, made little ditches outside to carry
off the water, and read, played games, or told stories. One day a party
of gentlemen came to our camp. They were out hunting, and one of them
had in his game bag a pretty cuckoo he had just killed. Poor Toots felt
terribly when he saw it. Only the day before he had heard its pretty
note, 'Cuckoo! cuckoo!' and we had told him that its name was given it
because it made that peculiar song."
"I think he was wicked to shoot it," said Toots.
"We all felt very sorry," said his mother, "and I think the hunters did,
too, for they promised to keep away from our camp and avoid shooting any
of our pets. When they left us, they told Toots he would hear from them
again, but we forgot all about it until one day a small box was brought
to our house by the expressman. It was directed to Toots and marked
'with care.' On opening it we found our little friend the cuckoo
handsomely stuffed and mounted on a branch. Toots was very much
pleased and it has stood where it now is ever since it came."
"I wish he could fly once more, and say 'Cuckoo, cuckoo,' as he used to,"
said Toots.
[Illustration: 0092]