Mrs. Wren, in a very contented frame of mind, sat upon her nest, waiting
with an ever growing appetite for that delicious spider or nice fat canker
worm which her mate had promised to fetch her from the orchard.
"How happy I am," she mused, "and how thankful I ought to be for so loving
a mate and such a dear, little cozy home. Why, keeping house and raising a
family is just no trouble at all. Indeed--" but here Mrs. Wren's thoughts
were broken in upon by the arrival of Mrs. John, who announced, as she
perched upon the rim of the tin-pot and looked disdainfully around, that
she had but a very few minutes to stay.
"So this is the cozy nest your husband is so fond of talking about," she
said, her bill in the air. "My, my, whatever possessed you, my dear, to
begin housekeeping in such humble quarters. Everything in this world
depends upon appearances; the sooner you find that out, Jenny, the better.
From the very first I was determined to begin at the top. The highest pole
in the neighborhood, or none, I said to Mr. John when he was looking for a
site on which to build our house; and to do him justice Mr. Wren never
thought of anything lower himself. A tin-pot, indeed, under a porch. Dear,
dear!" and Mrs. John's bill turned up, and the corners of her mouth turned
down in a very haughty and disdainful manner.
"I--didn't--know, I'm--sure," faltered poor little Mrs. Jenny, her feathers
drooping at once. "I--thought our little house, or flat, was very nice and
comfortable. It is in an excellent neighborhood, and our landlord's family
is--"
"Oh, bother your landlord's family," interrupted Mrs. John impolitely. "All
your neighbors are tired and sick of hearing Mr. Wren talk about his
landlord's family. The way he repeats their sayings and doings is
nauseating, and as for naming your brood after them, why--" Mrs. John
shrugged her wings and laughed scornfully.
Mrs. Wren's head feathers rose at once, but experience had taught her the
folly of quarreling with her aunt, so she turned the subject by inquiring
solicitously after her ladyship's health.
"Oh, its only fair, fair to middlin'," returned Mrs. John, poking her bill
about the edge of the nest as though examining its lining. "I told Mr. John
this morning that I would be but a shadow of myself after fourteen days
brooding, if he was like the other gentlemen Wrens in the neighborhood.
Catch _me_ sitting the day through listening to him singing or showing off
for my benefit. No, indeed! He is on the nest now, keeping the eggs warm,
and I told him not to dare leave it till my return."
Mrs. Jenny said nothing, but she thought what her dear papa would have done
under like circumstances.
"All work and no play," continued Mrs. John, "makes dull women as well as
dull boys. That was what my mama said when she found out papa meant her to
do all the work while he did the playing and singing. Dear, dear, how many
times I have seen her box his ears and drive him onto the nest while she
went out visiting," and at the very recollection Mrs. John flirted her tail
over her back and laughed loudly.
"How many eggs are you sitting upon this season, Aunt?" inquired Mrs.
Jenny, timidly.
"Eight. Last year I hatched out nine; as pretty a brood as you would want
to see. If I had time, Jenny, I'd tell you all about it. How many eggs are
under you?"
"Six," meekly said Jenny, who had heard about that brood scores of times,
"we thought--we thought--"
"Well?" impatiently, "you thought what?"
"That six would be about as many as we could well take care of. I am sure
it will keep us both busy finding worms and insects for even that number of
mouths."
"I should think it would" chuckled Mrs. John, nodding her head wisely,
"but--" examining a feather which she had drawn out of the nest with her
bill, "what is this? A _chicken_ feather, as I live; a big, coarse, chicken
feather. And straw too, instead of hay. Ah! little did I think a niece of
mine would ever furnish her house in such a shabby manner," and Mrs. John,
whose nest was lined with horse-hair, and the downiest geese feathers which
her mate could procure, very nearly turned green with shame and
mortification.
Mrs. Jenny's head-feathers were bristling up again when she gladly espied
Mr. Wren flying homeward with a fine wriggling worm in his bill.
"Ah, here comes your hubby," remarked Mrs. John, "he's been to market, I
see. Well, ta, ta, dear. Run over soon to see us," and off Mrs. John flew
to discuss Mrs. Jenny's housekeeping arrangements with one of her
neighbors.
Mr. Wren's songs and antics failed, to draw a smile from his mate the
remainder of that day. Upon her nest she sat and brooded, not only her
eggs, but over the criticisms and taunts of Mrs. John. Straw,
chicken-feathers, and old tin pots occupied her thoughts to the exclusion
of everything else, and it was not without a feeling of shame she recalled
her morning's happiness and spirit of sweet content. The western sky was
still blushing under the fiery gaze of the sun, when Mrs. Jenny fell into a
doze and dreamed that she, the very next day, repaid Mrs. John Wren's call.
The wind was blowing a hurricane and the pole on which Mrs. John's fine
house stood, shook and shivered till Mrs. Jenny looked every minute for
pole and nest and eggs to go crashing to the ground.
"My home," thought she, trembling with fear, "though humble, is built upon
a sure foundation. Love makes her home there, too. Dear little tin-pot!
Chicken feathers or straw, what does it matter?" and home Mrs. Jenny
hastened, very thankful in her dream for the protecting walls, and
overhanging porch, as well as the feeling of security afforded by her
sympathetic human neighbors.
The fourteen days in truth did seem very long to Mrs. Wren, but cheered by
her mate's love songs and an occasional outing--all her persuasions could
not induce Mr. Wren to brood the eggs in her absence--it wasn't a man's
work, he said--the time at length passed, and the day came when a tiny
yellow beak thrust itself through the shell, and in a few hours, to the
parents delight, a little baby Wren was born.
Mr. Wren was so overcome with joy that off he flew to the nearest tree, and
with drooping tail and wings shaking at his side, announced, in a gush of
song, to the entire neighborhood the fact that he was a papa.
"A pa-pa, is it?" exclaimed Bridget, attracted by the bird's manner to
approach the nest. "From watchin' these little crathers it do same I'm
afther understandin' bird talk and bird-ways most like the misthress
herself," and with one big red finger she gently pushed the angry Mrs. Wren
aside and took a peep at the new born bird.
"Howly mither!" said she, retreating in deep disgust, "ov all the skinny,
ugly little bastes! Shure and its all head and no tail, with niver a
feather to kiver its nakedness. It's shamed I'd be, Mr. Wren, to father an
ugly crather loike that, so I would," and Bridget, who had an idea that
young birds came into the world prepared at once to fly, shook her head
sadly, and went into the house to inform the family of the event.
One by one the children peeped into the nest and all agreed with Bridget
that it was indeed a very ugly little birdling which lay there.
"Wish I could take it out, mama," said Dorothy, "and put some of my doll's
clothes on it. It is such a shivery looking little thing."
"Ugh!" exclaimed Walter, "what are those big balls covered with skin on
each side of its head; and when will it look like a bird, mama?"
"Those balls are its eyes," she laughingly replied, "which will open in
about five days. The third day you will perceive a slate-colored down or
fuzz upon its head. On the fourth its wing feathers will begin to show. On
the seventh the fuzz will become red-brown feathers on its back and white
upon its breast. The ninth day it will fly a little way, and on the twelfth
will leave its nest for good."
"An' its a foine scholard ye's are, to be shure, mum," said Bridget in
open-mouthed admiration. "Whoiver 'ud hev thought a mite ov a crather loike
that 'ud be afther makin' so interesthing a study. Foreninst next spring,
God willin," she added, "its meself, Bridget O'Flaherty, as will be one ov
them same."
"One of them same what?" inquired her mistress laughingly.
"Horn-ith-owl-ogists, mum," replied Bridget, not without much difficulty,
and with a flourish of her fine red arms and a triumphant smile upon her
round face, Bridget returned to her kitchen and work again.
[TO BE CONTINUED]
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