But
solitude and reflection soon brought me to a better state of mind; and,
long before the day was over, I had confessed my fault and was forgiven.
But though I wanted very much to see a new water-wheel Charlie set up
that afternoon in the brook, I dared not go through the wood to get to
it, lest that small bird should still be calling, 'Naughty girl! Y-e-s.'
"Charlie grumbled the next morning when I wakened him out of a sound
sleep by shouting gayly from my little bed in the next room that his
weather-bird was calling, 'Pleasant day!' 'Why, what _should_ he call,'
he wanted to know, 'with the sun shining in at both windows?'
"I never told my brother how the bird had given voice to my accusing
conscience, nor has the lesson ever been repeated; for from that day to
this the Warbling Verio has made no more personal remarks to me."
"There's a bird down in Maine" said Ann Eliza Jones, "they call the
Yankee bird, 'cause he keeps saying, 'All day
whittling--whittling--whittling.'"
"Yes; and the quails there always tell the farmers when they must hurry
and get in their hay," said her sister. "When it's going to rain they
sing out: 'More wet! more wet!' and 'No more wet!' when it clears off."
"Aunt Ruth," said Mollie, "please tell us about the funny little bantam
rooster who used to call to his wife every morning: 'Do--come
out--n-o-w!'"
"Very well; but we are getting so much interested in this bird-talk that
we are making rather slow progress with our work.
Pages:
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129