That was such a funny reason for papa to give, for we all know he
dearly loves his morning nap."
"Really, now, do the chippies get up first in the morning?" said
Florence.
"With the first peep of day," Miss Ruth answered. "This morning I heard
their cheerful twitter before a ray of light had penetrated to my room;
and a welcome sound it was, for it told me the long night 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; and, last of all, my little
weather-bird, which, from the topmost branches of the elm-tree, warbled
out to me that it was a pleasant day. Oh, what a sweet concert they all
gave me before the sun rose!"
"I never heard of a weather-bird, Aunt Ruth."
"Your Uncle Charlie gave him that name, Susie, when we were children.
His true name is Warbling Verio; but we used to fancy the little fellow
announced 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-out Yes at the close; or, if it rained, he said 'Rainy day'
or 'Windy day,' describing the weather, whatever it might be, always
with an emphatic _Yes_.
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