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the swallow party.
Wfi&f**' the spring-time two Barn
Swallows came into our
wood-shed. Their busy,
earnest twitterings led me
at once to suspect that
*1 they were looking out a building
fß| spot; but, as a carpenter’s bench
was under the window, and ham-
W mering, sawing, and planing were
frequently going on, I had little hope
they would choose a location under our
roof.
To my surprise, however, thc3 r soon be
gan to build in the crotch of a beam over
the open door-way. I was delighted, and
spent much time in watching them. It
was, in fact, a beautiful little drama of
domestic love; the mother-bird was so
busy and important, and her mate was so
attentive. lie scarcely ever loft the side
of the nest. There he was, all day
long, twittering in tones that were
most obviously the outpourings of
love.
Sometimes he would bring in a
straw or a hair to be interwoven
in the precious little fabric. One
day my attention was arrested by
a very unusual twittering, and I
saw him circling round with a
large downy feather in his bill,
lie bent over the unfinished nest,
and offered it to his mate with the
most graceful and loving air ima
ginable ; and when she put up her
mouth to take it, he poured forth
such a gush of gladsome sound ! It
seemed as if pride and affection
had swelled his heart till it was
almost too big for his little bosom.
During the process of incubation he
volunteered to perform his share of house
hold duty. Three or four times a he
would, with coaxing twitterings, persuade
his patient mate to fly abroad for food ;
and the moment she left the eggs, he
would take her place, and give a loud
alarm whenever cat or dog came about
the premises. When the young ones
came forth he shared in the mother’s toil,
and brought at least half the food for
his greedy little family.
When the young became old enough to
fly, the gravest philosopher would have
laughed to watch their manoeuvres. Such
chirping and twittering! such diving
down from the nest, and flying up again !
such wheeling round in circles, talking to
the young ones all the while ! such cling
ing to the sides of the shed with their
sharp claws, to show the timid little
fledgelings that there was no need oi
falling!
BURKE’S WEEKLY.
For three days all this was carried on
with increasing activity. It was obvious
ly an infant flying-school. But all the
talking and twittering were of no avail.
The little downy things looked down, and
then looked up, and, alarmed at the wide
space around them, sank down into the
nest again.
At length the parents grew impatient,
and summoned their neighbors. As I was
picking up chips one day I found my head
encircled by a swarm of swallows. They
flow up to the nest, and chattered away
to the young ones; they clung to the
walls, looking back to tell how the thing
was done; they dived, and wheeled, and
balanced, and floated in a manner per
fectly beautiful to behold.
The pupils were evidently much exci
ted. They jumped up on the edge of the
nest, and twittered, and shook their feath-
ers, and waved their wings, and then
hopped back again, as if they would have
said, “It is pretty sport, but we cannot
do it,”
Three times the neighbors came in and
repeated their graceful lessons. The
third time two of the young birds gave a
sudden plunge downward, and then flut
tered, and hopped, till they alighted on
a small log. And O, such praises as were
warbled by the whole troop! The air
was filled with their joy! Some flew
round, swift as a ray of light: others
perched on the hoe handle and the teeth
of the rake ; multitudes clung to the wall,
and two were singing in the most grace
ful style on a pendent hoop. IS ever, while
memory lasts, shall I forget that swal
low party.
The whole family continued to be our
playmates until the falling leaves gave
token of approaching winter. For some
time the little ones came home regularly
to their nest at night. Their familiarity
was wonderful. If I hung my gown on
a nail, I found a little swallow perched
on the sleeve. If I took a nap in the
afternoon, my waking eyes were greeted
by a swallow on the bed-post; in the
summer twilight they flew about the sit
ting-room in search of flies, and sometimes
lighted on chairs and tables. But at last
they flew away to more genial skies, with
a whole troop of relations and neighbors.
It was painful to me to think that I should
never know them from other swallows,
and that they would have no recollection
of me. Mrs. Child.
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
“Rather go to Heaven.”
Lizzie is a dear little child of four
years old, but, like most other little ones,
she sometimes does very provoking
things. One day she seriously annoyed
her mother, who was busily enga
ged, by balancing herself across
the window-sill. At last, patience
was exhausted, and her mother,
not very wisely, exclaimed:
“ Lizzie, if you do fall out of that
window, I will whip you.”
The little girl came with
thoughtful mien and stood by her
mother’s side:
“Mamma,” she asked, “if I fell
out the window and broke 1113" neck,
would I go to Heaven ?”
“Yes,” answered mamma.
“ Well,” rejoined Lizzie, “ I’d
wuther go to Heaven ’ll to get a
whippin’.”
She evidently meant that if she
had fallen she would willingly have
broken her neck to escape the threatened
punishment. H- F. L.
Sound. —The moderate speed of sound
in air is the cause of a number of curious
facts which ignorant people might take
for contradictions. For instance, if a row
of soldiers form a circle and discharge
their pieces all at the same time, the
sound will be heard as a single discharge
by a person occupying the center of the
circle. But if the men form a straight
row, the simultaneous discharge of the
men’s pieces will be prolonged to a kind
of roar. A company of soldiers march
ing to music along a road, cannot march
to time together, for the notes do not
reach those in front and those behind
simultaneously.
Never, under any circumstances,
assume a responsibility' that you can avoid
consistently with your duty to yourself
and others.
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