"We had to start quite early in the morn-
ing, and ride on the train all day -- then, just
about the time the sun commenced to creep down
back of the hill, the train stopped at Clearfield,
-- that's the name of the station -- and out we
popped, eyes wide open for the two big grays
that grandfather always drove.
ing, and ride on the train all day -- then, just
about the time the sun commenced to creep down
back of the hill, the train stopped at Clearfield,
-- that's the name of the station -- and out we
popped, eyes wide open for the two big grays
that grandfather always drove.
Childrens - Brownies
"VYe Wing "VYo could make his chop sticks
fly when all these dainties graced his table. But
above all things, "We "Wing Wo loved a cup of
good, strong tea. It seemed to drive away all
cares and troubles. Ho Che Lee always kept
some ready in a funny brown tea-pot.
We Wing Wo had never been to sea, and he
was siezed with a wild dt<<ir(C) to try a trip on the
briny deep. One day he called his faithful Ho
Che Lee to him, and telling him his wish, bade
him pack a hamper with eatables, hunt up a
boat, and prepare to take the journey with him.
Poor Ho Che Lee shook with fear at such a
prospect, but he dared not question his master's
order, and so went away to do his bidding.
When all was ready, Ho Che Lee suggested that
it might be better to take with them somebody
who knew a thirg or two about a boat. We
Wing Wo agreed to this; a fellow was found,
and the three set sail.
All went well at first, but by and by poor We
Wing Wo wished ho was on shore, for he was
growing sicker every minute.
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? 138
A Chinese Adventure.
'TLet's go home," said he. "Sailing is no pleas-
Tire at all. "^
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? The Eagle's Christmas. 139
It was easy enough to say, go home, but try
as they might, neither the sailor nor He Che Lee
could manage the boat.
"Throw out a line," said We Wing "Wo, "and
see how deep it is. " Out went the line, and out
went luckless Lee; not to drown, however, for
after much pidling he was landed safely in the
boat.
How all of them longed for shore, and how
very small their chances of getting there did
seem! But fate is sometimes kind, and so she
proved herself this time.
Some men had been watching the boat from
the shore, and had seen the poor fellows' sorry
plight; so they tied a rope round the waist of
one good-hearted Chinaman, and sent him to the
rescue. He swam out to them, fastened the rope
to the bow, and with many long, strong pulls
We Wing Wo was hauled to shore.
The Eagle's Christmas.
On the top of a high mountain a mother
eagle had built a nice, soft nest She did not
build where some eagles do, in the cleft of the
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? I40 The Eagle's Christmas.
rocks, but in top of a large tree. In the nest she
laid four eggs, and there, day after day, she sat
on the nest, keeping the eggs warm, until one
day she heard a gentle rap-rap against the shell.
The knocking grew louder and louder, and a bit
of the shell fell off the end of the egg, and slowly
a little head came out, and then a little body,
and in the course of a few hours the old Mother
Eagle found herself with four little ones to look
after. It kept her very busy indeed, supplying
all their wants, and she had to make a good many
trips to the valley to get them the food they
wanted.
All babies must have a name, and so the old
Mother Eagle put on her thinking cap, and tried
to find a name for each child; but, like all mam-
mas, none was good enough. At last she de-
cided to call them Tim, Sam, Chirp and Baldy.
They were a funny looking lot of creatures,
to be sure, with their big heads, and mouths al-
ways open, and we would not think them at all
pretty; but they seemed beautiful to their
mamma, and she was always trying to think up
ways of making them happy. 'No children ever
spent more happy days than these little eagles.
Strange to say, they never quarreled. If Sam
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? The Eagle's Christmas. 14I
felt cross, and was likely to scold, the other little
ones would creep awav, and leave him to himself
until he was good-natured once more. They
loved one another very dearly, and each one was
ready to do as the others wished. They never
said, "I won't play, if you do that," as some little
boys and girls do.
They were still quite young, so young that
they had not yet learned to fly, when the glad
Christmas time rolled around. The snow had
been falling for several days, and the mountain
tops were covered with a beautiful white blanket.
On the fir trees just near the eagle's nest, the
snow glistened like diamonds in the morning sun.
Sam and Tim, Baldy and Chirp were up early
that Christmas morning, for, like all little folks,
they wanted to see if Santa Claus had brought
them anything. All the week they had been
wild with excitement, for, although they had
never had a Christmas, their mamma had told
them all about it, and it seemed as if they could
never wait for the day to come. Each tiny eagle
had written do^^Ti just what he wanted, and
mamma had a long list when she started off that
morning to get the gifts and the Christmas
dinner. Santa Claus was so busy supplying the
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? 142 The Eagle's Christmas.
wants of the children down in the valley, that he
did not have time to visit the nest, but he met
the Mother Eagle one day as he was driving over
the mountain, and he had promised to leave a
lot of nice toys for the little ones hidden in the
hollow tree at the foot of the mountain, where
she could get them. Santa Claus has such a
good, kind heart that he could not bear to think
that even little eagles should be forgotten on this
glad day, when all of God's creatures should be
happy.
All day the little eagles sat on the branches of
the tree which was their home, craning their
long necks and straining their eyes to catch the
first sight of their mother as she flew homeward.
They did not even take time for tlieir mid-day
nap, and if they had not been so anxious to see
what their mamma would bring, I fear they
would have dropped asleep and perhaps would
have fallen out of the tree to the ground below.
It was nearly twilight when the mother came
home, and how joyfully the little ones greeted
her, and how delighted they were with her well-
filled basket. They chattered and chirped in
their own language until their poor mother
was almost wild with their noise, but she
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? The Eagle's Christmas. 143
was also very much pleased to see them all so
happy.
What a nice Christmas dinner they had. True,
their turkey was not roasted or garnished, as ours
is, but they liked it all the better. Tirst there
was the nicest, sweetest fish you ever saw, served
up in true eagle style. Then a nice rabbit, two
young pigeons and some fat ducks. When the
youngsters had finished their dinner, their
mamma brought out a bag of yellow com and a
lot of rosy cheeked apples, which she had stolen
from a farmer's wagon. My, how those little
eagles did eat It was a great wonder they did
not all die.
Wlien the feast was over, and the horns and
drums, the bright picture books, and the other
pretty toys were distributed, they all decided
that Christmas was the happiest time imaginable.
^Well, really," said little Baldy, "I wish Christ-
mas came oftener. " And all the others cried,
*^So do we. "
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? Tale of the Ostrich Hunter.
Did you ever hear of a bird tliat could not
fly? That seems odd, does it not? But a bird,
called the ostrich, belongs to this family. Its
wings are so tiny that they are of little use to
him, except that while running they spread out
and catch the air. If the ostrich has not the
power of flying, which other birds possess, he
is gifted with the ability to run at a wonderfully
swift pace. To help him in this direction, he is
provided with strong, long legs, that carry him
across the country as rapidly as the swiftest
horse. The long neck of this bird is covered
with soft, downy plumage, but its body is cov-
ered with the beautiful, graceful plumes that are
used for trimming our hats and bonnets.
The home of the ostrich is in the hot, sunny
desert land of Africa. It is a very tall bird,
measuring six feet, and sometimes eight. Its
lood is principally grass and grains, but it picks
up and devours sand and pieces of stone and
bone. It will also eat insects, small birds and
snakes. Large numbers of them wdll feed to-
gether; in fact, they live in flocks, often of great
size. The mother bird, before laying her eggs,
144
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? Tale of the Ostrich Hunter.
145
scratches a hole in the ground, thus making her
nest. She lays ten or twelve eggs in the same
place. In the daytime she allows the heat of the
sun to hatch them^ but at night she sits on them
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? 146 Tale of the Ostrich Hunter.
and keeps them warm. These eggs are said to
weigh three pounds apiece and to be good to eat.
The father ostrich sometimes grows weary of
the long term of hatching, and breaks the eggs
before the tiny bird is ready to come out.
The feathers of the ostrich are worth a great
deal of money. Sometimes the birds are hunted
by natives on horseback, and the horses are
trained for this long, tedious ride for a great
while -- the bird is not easily caught by its pur-
suer.
There are farms, called ostrich farms, where
the birds are raised in great numbers. The eggs
are set, and the baby ostriches hatched, watched
and cared for until they are old enough to jield
the beautiful plumage.
If the ostrich is taken away from its home and
put in a cage, it will in time become quite tame
and gentle toward those to whom it is used, but
it does not like a stranger, and if it gets a chance
will knock him down and trample on him.
Somebody told a funny story about an old fel-
low, who thought he would take his gun and go
hunting for ostriches, as he wanted to get a lot
of nice feathers and some of the birds to send
away to a museum. So he started out on the
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? Tale of the Ostrich Hunter.
147
desert to hunt his prej. Pretty soon he came
upon an ostrich that was resting in the sun, and
raising his gun to his shoulder, he fired. He
wounded the bird so that it could not walk very
fast, and thinking that he would be able to cap-
ture it, if he could wound it in such a manner as
to stop its walking, he crept carefully toward it,
and stooping down, attempted to cut off its leg
with his sharp, strong sword. He felt quite sure
of his prize now, but had not counted on what
was going to happen. The ostrich is a very wise
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? 148 Vacation at Grandfather's.
bird, and this fellow knew that he had the hunter
just where he wanted him -- completely in his
power. What do you think that ostrich did?
He dropped right down on top of the poor
hunter, completely hiding him from view. That
poor hunter wished he had not been so foolish
as to get so near the huge bird, at least we sup-
pose he wished so ; but we shall never know just
how he did feel, for vv^hen the ostrich at last
arose, there lay the poor hunter just as flat as
a pancake, looking very much as if he had been
under a heavy rolling machine. The ostrich
hurried away as fast as he could go, leaving the
poor hunter to his fate. "We see what a powerful
bird this is and how careful the poor hunter has
to be.
Vacation at Grandfather's.
Vacation had come, and Dick and I were two
of the happiest boys you could find after a good
long search. Vacation did not simply mean to
us that examinations were over, that, now books
and slates could be put away, and study hour
given over to play, l^o, indeed! Vacation
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? Vacation at Grandfather's. 149
meant lots more to us, it meant Grandfather^s.
If and boy lias a grandfather who lives on a big
farm, with lots of horses and cews, and whose
place is just filled with trees that grow in exactly
the right style for climbing, and if he has a
grandmother who knows how to make the best
pies and puddings and ginger cake men that no
baker could possibly make half as good, then he
has some idea of what vacation meant to Dick
and me.
Grandfather's place was many miles from our
home.
"We had to start quite early in the morn-
ing, and ride on the train all day -- then, just
about the time the sun commenced to creep down
back of the hill, the train stopped at Clearfield,
-- that's the name of the station -- and out we
popped, eyes wide open for the two big grays
that grandfather always drove. They never
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? I50
Vacation at Grandfather's.
failed us, and after getting a good big hug from
grandfather, we always rubbed their soft noses,
and patted their sleek, fat necks.
Grandmother knew the appetites of her two
healthy grand-
sons, and made
ample prepara-
tions. Such piles
of bread and
butter as she cut
for us, and how
good it tasted,
spread mth
grandmother's
lovely butter
and the golden
honey that the
busy bees made.
"Early to bed, and early to rise," was grand-
father's motto; so Ave boys must wait until
breakfast time to tell all the home news,
and to ask after Towser, the watch-dog, and
Bess, the old donkey, and to hear about the
cunning gray kittens in the bam, and the little
fluffy ducklings only two days old, and the baby
lambs.
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? Vacation at Grandfather's. 151
The sun was not up long, when grandfather
called, "Dick ! Rob ! It's time you were a stirrin'.
Don't let the outside world enjoy all the morn-
ing's loveliness; get up, and enjoy yourselves. "
How we did love the well-cured ham that
grandmother had for breakfast, and the new-laid
eggs that were fried just right. Everything
tasted wonderfully good to us boys, for hunger
is a good sauce, you know.
Breakfast over, we started for the stables. It
was such fun to hear the horses whinning for
their share of the apples we carried to Bess, and
to see the little baby colts trot coyly away as
we attempted to rub their cunning faces. Our
next visit was made to the calves. I^othing could
be prettier than these timid little creatures. We
had hard work coaxing them to be friends, but
the salt held out to them was too great a tempta-
tion, and we won at last.
Aaron, the man, was milking. The milk rose
in a snowy foam as it poured into the shining
tin pail. We boys were great friends with
Aaron, and his round red face beamed like the
sun as we watched him with undisguised admira-
tion.
"Mew! Mew! " sounded from some far away
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? Vacation at Grandfather's. 153
corner. Dick went off to search for the cause,
and there in an empty stall lay Malty and her
four Malty babies. Aaron gave us a saucer of
milk for her, and she purred gently, as though
she were trying to express her thanks. The old
gobbler strutted around the barnyard, seeming
to suggest that he, too, was a subject for ad-
miration.
The boy, Dan, had gone to the corn field to
pull out the weeds that had gathered between the
rows. Dick and I started off to join him, but
what a laugh we had when we reached the top
of the hill. There stood the funniest looking
thing you ever saw. It was a scare-crow rigged.
up in an old suit of Dan's, with one of grand-
father's hats on its head, a wooden gun in its
hand, and a powder flask swung under its arm.
But the funniest sight of all was to see a crow
perched on the top of the hat, no more scared,
than Dick and I were.
Days went so fast that vacation was over be-
fore we realized it, and the time had come for
ns to go home. It was hard work to leave so
much fun, but we had to make the best of it,
and look forward to another summer and more
happy days at Grandfather's.
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? Ted's Birthday Gift.
It was Ted's birthday. Eight years ago,
grandma told him as she wished him many happy
returns of the day, and gave him a great, big
hug and a kiss -- he was just the tiniest mite of a
thing, but now she considers him quite a good
size boy for his age. Ted liked to be told he was
big, and he held up his head and threw back his
shoulders, just to make himself as tall as ever
he could.
154
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? Ted's Birtliday Girt. 155
Now papa had a birthday kiss for Ted, too,
but he had something besides that. Right along-
side of Ted's chair at the table was the loveliest
red wheel-barrow, all finished off in black and
gold. You should have seen. Ted's eyee when
they spied the treasure. They grew bigger and
bigger, until you might almost think they would
drop out of his head. He had wanted a wheel-
barrow for ever so long, and now that his wish
was to be fulfilled he- was too pleased to say one
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? 156 Ted's Birthday Gift.
word. Papa looked almost as pleased as Ted,
he did so like to make his boy happy.
Ted's birthday came in the spring. He thought
it was a beautiful time to have a birthday -- the
whole outside world seemed to put on its pret-
tiest dress in honor of the day, and as Ted sat at
the table trying to eat his breakfast, but too full
of delight over his wheel-barrow to care very
much, the breezes, heavy ladened with the per-
fume of the blossoms, stole softly in at the half
opened windows.
Little Bess was Ted's three year old sister, and
she was also his pet and plaything. Ted was an
idol to Bess, and to share in his play was her
greatest happiness. Bess thought the new wheel-
barrow the most beautiful thing she had ever
seen.
"Go put your bonnet on, and I'll take you for
a ride," said Ted.
"What fun they had, and how frightened Bess
grew when Ted trunneled her so swiftly around
the comers. Ted laughed at her fear, and went
all the faster.
But Ted's fearlessness led to sad trouble. Just
as they started at full speed down the hill, off
came the wheel, out went Bess, and the pretty
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? Ted's Birthday Gift. 157
red wheel-barrow fell all to pieces. ]^o bones
were broken, but two broken-hearted little chil-
dren picked up the pieces, and went into the
house to mother. Mother Hssed and petted them
both, and comforted Ted with the promise that
father would mend it and make it as good as
new.
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? The Little Indian Boy.
Did you ever think, when night comes and
you see mother undress the baby and tuck him
snugly in his snowy w^hite bed, that perhaps
there are some babies who have different cradles
from his, and very different treatment, too?
The little Indian baby who lives in the north-
western part of America has a very different
cradle. His is only a piece of wood, sometimes
birch bark, which is hollowed out. The baby is
laid on the board, and his mother laces him in,
passing the cord from side to side. A small piece
of wood, covered with bark, is used for his pil-
low. When the baby's mother goes for a walk,
she carries the cradle and baby on her back, the
little Indian's head just peeping over his
mother's shoulder. If she is busy, she hangs the
cradle and baby on a tree, and the mnd swings
the cradle gently to and fro, often sending the
little one to "Shut-eye-town. " Sometimes there
are tiny bells fastened to the cradle, and their
tinkle, tinkle, when the wind swings it, makes
very sweet music.
As soon as the little Indian boy is old enough,
his father takes him with him to learn hunting
158
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? The Little Indian Boy. 159
and fishing. He holds the lighted torch while
the old Indian spears the fish at night, and he
helps him also with the canoe or boat. He soon
learns to use the bow and arrow, and to bring
down the birds as they fly through the air. It is
the fate, at times, of some unlucky animal to
stop the arrow as it comes dashing towards the
ground, for of course every arrow does not pierce
the object toward which it is directed.
The Indian children do not wear dainty
clothes, like you little people. Sometimes they
have only a piece of cloth around them serving
for a skirt. The father and mother Indians
wrap themselves in blankets, and the brighter
the colors, the better they like them. Their hair
is long and straight and black, and they love to
dress it with tall, stiff feathers. Their shoes are
not made like ours, but are pieces of skin, often
beautifully trimmed with beads and worked with
fancy silks. These shoes are called moccasins.
Once there was a little Indian boy, who lived
not far from the railroad. It happened one day
that the train stopped for some reason or other,
and this little fellow, thinking he might coax
some goodies from the passengers, sat down and
cried as though his heart would break, sobbing
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? l6o The lyittle Indian Boy.
out from time to time how hungry he was. As
he sat there on the edge of the platform, the
people in the train felt very sorry for him, think-
ing he had in some way become lost, and possibly
might be starving; so, not knowing this was a
trick, pitied the poor little fellow, opened their
baskets, and generously shared their lunch with
him, giving him the very best they had. They
did not know that the father and mother were
hiding in the bushes, and that this was a scheme
of theirs to get their living. When the train
moved on, he gathered up his treasures, carried
them to his father and mother, and they had the
grandest kind of a feast. There was dainty
white bread, chicken, cakes and pies, good things
of all sorts. We should not blame the little fel-
low, for of course he thought it was all right, if
mother said so, just as our little boys and girls
think what their fathers and mothers say is just
right and the proper thing to do. Now this was
a very naughty trick for the little Indian boy to
play, but we must remember that he had no one
to teach him how wrong it is to deceive people,
for his father and mother had never been taught
either. It is we, who know how, who must try
to be good.
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? The First Pair of Trousers.
The rain was falling thick and fast in the dim
old forest. At first it had been nothing but a
gentle shower, but now the great drops came
dashing through the trees, twisting and turn-
ing the leaves, and even bending the swaying
branches. The clouds were so thick and black
that old Sol was hidden completely out of sight.
Little Cubby Bruin heard the sound of the
falling rain when he opened his eyes in the hol-
low of the great tree in which he lived. "Oh
deary, deary," muttered Cubby. "Now all my
fun is spoiled. This is the day of Cousin Wolfs
party, and mother will never let me go while the
rain pours do^vn in this style. "
He crawled to the opening in the tree, and
poked out his little head to see if there was any
show of its clearing off, but the clouds hung
heavy, and the rain poured do"s\Ti unceasingly.
Cubby crawled back again, and curled himself
up for another nap. He slept once more, and
dreamed of the games of catch and toss, and of
the frolics of every kind that he and Cousin
"Wolf would enjoy together. Pretty soon he
i6i
? ?
fly when all these dainties graced his table. But
above all things, "We "Wing Wo loved a cup of
good, strong tea. It seemed to drive away all
cares and troubles. Ho Che Lee always kept
some ready in a funny brown tea-pot.
We Wing Wo had never been to sea, and he
was siezed with a wild dt<<ir(C) to try a trip on the
briny deep. One day he called his faithful Ho
Che Lee to him, and telling him his wish, bade
him pack a hamper with eatables, hunt up a
boat, and prepare to take the journey with him.
Poor Ho Che Lee shook with fear at such a
prospect, but he dared not question his master's
order, and so went away to do his bidding.
When all was ready, Ho Che Lee suggested that
it might be better to take with them somebody
who knew a thirg or two about a boat. We
Wing Wo agreed to this; a fellow was found,
and the three set sail.
All went well at first, but by and by poor We
Wing Wo wished ho was on shore, for he was
growing sicker every minute.
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? 138
A Chinese Adventure.
'TLet's go home," said he. "Sailing is no pleas-
Tire at all. "^
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? The Eagle's Christmas. 139
It was easy enough to say, go home, but try
as they might, neither the sailor nor He Che Lee
could manage the boat.
"Throw out a line," said We Wing "Wo, "and
see how deep it is. " Out went the line, and out
went luckless Lee; not to drown, however, for
after much pidling he was landed safely in the
boat.
How all of them longed for shore, and how
very small their chances of getting there did
seem! But fate is sometimes kind, and so she
proved herself this time.
Some men had been watching the boat from
the shore, and had seen the poor fellows' sorry
plight; so they tied a rope round the waist of
one good-hearted Chinaman, and sent him to the
rescue. He swam out to them, fastened the rope
to the bow, and with many long, strong pulls
We Wing Wo was hauled to shore.
The Eagle's Christmas.
On the top of a high mountain a mother
eagle had built a nice, soft nest She did not
build where some eagles do, in the cleft of the
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? I40 The Eagle's Christmas.
rocks, but in top of a large tree. In the nest she
laid four eggs, and there, day after day, she sat
on the nest, keeping the eggs warm, until one
day she heard a gentle rap-rap against the shell.
The knocking grew louder and louder, and a bit
of the shell fell off the end of the egg, and slowly
a little head came out, and then a little body,
and in the course of a few hours the old Mother
Eagle found herself with four little ones to look
after. It kept her very busy indeed, supplying
all their wants, and she had to make a good many
trips to the valley to get them the food they
wanted.
All babies must have a name, and so the old
Mother Eagle put on her thinking cap, and tried
to find a name for each child; but, like all mam-
mas, none was good enough. At last she de-
cided to call them Tim, Sam, Chirp and Baldy.
They were a funny looking lot of creatures,
to be sure, with their big heads, and mouths al-
ways open, and we would not think them at all
pretty; but they seemed beautiful to their
mamma, and she was always trying to think up
ways of making them happy. 'No children ever
spent more happy days than these little eagles.
Strange to say, they never quarreled. If Sam
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? The Eagle's Christmas. 14I
felt cross, and was likely to scold, the other little
ones would creep awav, and leave him to himself
until he was good-natured once more. They
loved one another very dearly, and each one was
ready to do as the others wished. They never
said, "I won't play, if you do that," as some little
boys and girls do.
They were still quite young, so young that
they had not yet learned to fly, when the glad
Christmas time rolled around. The snow had
been falling for several days, and the mountain
tops were covered with a beautiful white blanket.
On the fir trees just near the eagle's nest, the
snow glistened like diamonds in the morning sun.
Sam and Tim, Baldy and Chirp were up early
that Christmas morning, for, like all little folks,
they wanted to see if Santa Claus had brought
them anything. All the week they had been
wild with excitement, for, although they had
never had a Christmas, their mamma had told
them all about it, and it seemed as if they could
never wait for the day to come. Each tiny eagle
had written do^^Ti just what he wanted, and
mamma had a long list when she started off that
morning to get the gifts and the Christmas
dinner. Santa Claus was so busy supplying the
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? 142 The Eagle's Christmas.
wants of the children down in the valley, that he
did not have time to visit the nest, but he met
the Mother Eagle one day as he was driving over
the mountain, and he had promised to leave a
lot of nice toys for the little ones hidden in the
hollow tree at the foot of the mountain, where
she could get them. Santa Claus has such a
good, kind heart that he could not bear to think
that even little eagles should be forgotten on this
glad day, when all of God's creatures should be
happy.
All day the little eagles sat on the branches of
the tree which was their home, craning their
long necks and straining their eyes to catch the
first sight of their mother as she flew homeward.
They did not even take time for tlieir mid-day
nap, and if they had not been so anxious to see
what their mamma would bring, I fear they
would have dropped asleep and perhaps would
have fallen out of the tree to the ground below.
It was nearly twilight when the mother came
home, and how joyfully the little ones greeted
her, and how delighted they were with her well-
filled basket. They chattered and chirped in
their own language until their poor mother
was almost wild with their noise, but she
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? The Eagle's Christmas. 143
was also very much pleased to see them all so
happy.
What a nice Christmas dinner they had. True,
their turkey was not roasted or garnished, as ours
is, but they liked it all the better. Tirst there
was the nicest, sweetest fish you ever saw, served
up in true eagle style. Then a nice rabbit, two
young pigeons and some fat ducks. When the
youngsters had finished their dinner, their
mamma brought out a bag of yellow com and a
lot of rosy cheeked apples, which she had stolen
from a farmer's wagon. My, how those little
eagles did eat It was a great wonder they did
not all die.
Wlien the feast was over, and the horns and
drums, the bright picture books, and the other
pretty toys were distributed, they all decided
that Christmas was the happiest time imaginable.
^Well, really," said little Baldy, "I wish Christ-
mas came oftener. " And all the others cried,
*^So do we. "
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? Tale of the Ostrich Hunter.
Did you ever hear of a bird tliat could not
fly? That seems odd, does it not? But a bird,
called the ostrich, belongs to this family. Its
wings are so tiny that they are of little use to
him, except that while running they spread out
and catch the air. If the ostrich has not the
power of flying, which other birds possess, he
is gifted with the ability to run at a wonderfully
swift pace. To help him in this direction, he is
provided with strong, long legs, that carry him
across the country as rapidly as the swiftest
horse. The long neck of this bird is covered
with soft, downy plumage, but its body is cov-
ered with the beautiful, graceful plumes that are
used for trimming our hats and bonnets.
The home of the ostrich is in the hot, sunny
desert land of Africa. It is a very tall bird,
measuring six feet, and sometimes eight. Its
lood is principally grass and grains, but it picks
up and devours sand and pieces of stone and
bone. It will also eat insects, small birds and
snakes. Large numbers of them wdll feed to-
gether; in fact, they live in flocks, often of great
size. The mother bird, before laying her eggs,
144
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? Tale of the Ostrich Hunter.
145
scratches a hole in the ground, thus making her
nest. She lays ten or twelve eggs in the same
place. In the daytime she allows the heat of the
sun to hatch them^ but at night she sits on them
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? 146 Tale of the Ostrich Hunter.
and keeps them warm. These eggs are said to
weigh three pounds apiece and to be good to eat.
The father ostrich sometimes grows weary of
the long term of hatching, and breaks the eggs
before the tiny bird is ready to come out.
The feathers of the ostrich are worth a great
deal of money. Sometimes the birds are hunted
by natives on horseback, and the horses are
trained for this long, tedious ride for a great
while -- the bird is not easily caught by its pur-
suer.
There are farms, called ostrich farms, where
the birds are raised in great numbers. The eggs
are set, and the baby ostriches hatched, watched
and cared for until they are old enough to jield
the beautiful plumage.
If the ostrich is taken away from its home and
put in a cage, it will in time become quite tame
and gentle toward those to whom it is used, but
it does not like a stranger, and if it gets a chance
will knock him down and trample on him.
Somebody told a funny story about an old fel-
low, who thought he would take his gun and go
hunting for ostriches, as he wanted to get a lot
of nice feathers and some of the birds to send
away to a museum. So he started out on the
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? Tale of the Ostrich Hunter.
147
desert to hunt his prej. Pretty soon he came
upon an ostrich that was resting in the sun, and
raising his gun to his shoulder, he fired. He
wounded the bird so that it could not walk very
fast, and thinking that he would be able to cap-
ture it, if he could wound it in such a manner as
to stop its walking, he crept carefully toward it,
and stooping down, attempted to cut off its leg
with his sharp, strong sword. He felt quite sure
of his prize now, but had not counted on what
was going to happen. The ostrich is a very wise
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? 148 Vacation at Grandfather's.
bird, and this fellow knew that he had the hunter
just where he wanted him -- completely in his
power. What do you think that ostrich did?
He dropped right down on top of the poor
hunter, completely hiding him from view. That
poor hunter wished he had not been so foolish
as to get so near the huge bird, at least we sup-
pose he wished so ; but we shall never know just
how he did feel, for vv^hen the ostrich at last
arose, there lay the poor hunter just as flat as
a pancake, looking very much as if he had been
under a heavy rolling machine. The ostrich
hurried away as fast as he could go, leaving the
poor hunter to his fate. "We see what a powerful
bird this is and how careful the poor hunter has
to be.
Vacation at Grandfather's.
Vacation had come, and Dick and I were two
of the happiest boys you could find after a good
long search. Vacation did not simply mean to
us that examinations were over, that, now books
and slates could be put away, and study hour
given over to play, l^o, indeed! Vacation
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? Vacation at Grandfather's. 149
meant lots more to us, it meant Grandfather^s.
If and boy lias a grandfather who lives on a big
farm, with lots of horses and cews, and whose
place is just filled with trees that grow in exactly
the right style for climbing, and if he has a
grandmother who knows how to make the best
pies and puddings and ginger cake men that no
baker could possibly make half as good, then he
has some idea of what vacation meant to Dick
and me.
Grandfather's place was many miles from our
home.
"We had to start quite early in the morn-
ing, and ride on the train all day -- then, just
about the time the sun commenced to creep down
back of the hill, the train stopped at Clearfield,
-- that's the name of the station -- and out we
popped, eyes wide open for the two big grays
that grandfather always drove. They never
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? I50
Vacation at Grandfather's.
failed us, and after getting a good big hug from
grandfather, we always rubbed their soft noses,
and patted their sleek, fat necks.
Grandmother knew the appetites of her two
healthy grand-
sons, and made
ample prepara-
tions. Such piles
of bread and
butter as she cut
for us, and how
good it tasted,
spread mth
grandmother's
lovely butter
and the golden
honey that the
busy bees made.
"Early to bed, and early to rise," was grand-
father's motto; so Ave boys must wait until
breakfast time to tell all the home news,
and to ask after Towser, the watch-dog, and
Bess, the old donkey, and to hear about the
cunning gray kittens in the bam, and the little
fluffy ducklings only two days old, and the baby
lambs.
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? Vacation at Grandfather's. 151
The sun was not up long, when grandfather
called, "Dick ! Rob ! It's time you were a stirrin'.
Don't let the outside world enjoy all the morn-
ing's loveliness; get up, and enjoy yourselves. "
How we did love the well-cured ham that
grandmother had for breakfast, and the new-laid
eggs that were fried just right. Everything
tasted wonderfully good to us boys, for hunger
is a good sauce, you know.
Breakfast over, we started for the stables. It
was such fun to hear the horses whinning for
their share of the apples we carried to Bess, and
to see the little baby colts trot coyly away as
we attempted to rub their cunning faces. Our
next visit was made to the calves. I^othing could
be prettier than these timid little creatures. We
had hard work coaxing them to be friends, but
the salt held out to them was too great a tempta-
tion, and we won at last.
Aaron, the man, was milking. The milk rose
in a snowy foam as it poured into the shining
tin pail. We boys were great friends with
Aaron, and his round red face beamed like the
sun as we watched him with undisguised admira-
tion.
"Mew! Mew! " sounded from some far away
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? Vacation at Grandfather's. 153
corner. Dick went off to search for the cause,
and there in an empty stall lay Malty and her
four Malty babies. Aaron gave us a saucer of
milk for her, and she purred gently, as though
she were trying to express her thanks. The old
gobbler strutted around the barnyard, seeming
to suggest that he, too, was a subject for ad-
miration.
The boy, Dan, had gone to the corn field to
pull out the weeds that had gathered between the
rows. Dick and I started off to join him, but
what a laugh we had when we reached the top
of the hill. There stood the funniest looking
thing you ever saw. It was a scare-crow rigged.
up in an old suit of Dan's, with one of grand-
father's hats on its head, a wooden gun in its
hand, and a powder flask swung under its arm.
But the funniest sight of all was to see a crow
perched on the top of the hat, no more scared,
than Dick and I were.
Days went so fast that vacation was over be-
fore we realized it, and the time had come for
ns to go home. It was hard work to leave so
much fun, but we had to make the best of it,
and look forward to another summer and more
happy days at Grandfather's.
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? Ted's Birthday Gift.
It was Ted's birthday. Eight years ago,
grandma told him as she wished him many happy
returns of the day, and gave him a great, big
hug and a kiss -- he was just the tiniest mite of a
thing, but now she considers him quite a good
size boy for his age. Ted liked to be told he was
big, and he held up his head and threw back his
shoulders, just to make himself as tall as ever
he could.
154
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? Ted's Birtliday Girt. 155
Now papa had a birthday kiss for Ted, too,
but he had something besides that. Right along-
side of Ted's chair at the table was the loveliest
red wheel-barrow, all finished off in black and
gold. You should have seen. Ted's eyee when
they spied the treasure. They grew bigger and
bigger, until you might almost think they would
drop out of his head. He had wanted a wheel-
barrow for ever so long, and now that his wish
was to be fulfilled he- was too pleased to say one
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? 156 Ted's Birthday Gift.
word. Papa looked almost as pleased as Ted,
he did so like to make his boy happy.
Ted's birthday came in the spring. He thought
it was a beautiful time to have a birthday -- the
whole outside world seemed to put on its pret-
tiest dress in honor of the day, and as Ted sat at
the table trying to eat his breakfast, but too full
of delight over his wheel-barrow to care very
much, the breezes, heavy ladened with the per-
fume of the blossoms, stole softly in at the half
opened windows.
Little Bess was Ted's three year old sister, and
she was also his pet and plaything. Ted was an
idol to Bess, and to share in his play was her
greatest happiness. Bess thought the new wheel-
barrow the most beautiful thing she had ever
seen.
"Go put your bonnet on, and I'll take you for
a ride," said Ted.
"What fun they had, and how frightened Bess
grew when Ted trunneled her so swiftly around
the comers. Ted laughed at her fear, and went
all the faster.
But Ted's fearlessness led to sad trouble. Just
as they started at full speed down the hill, off
came the wheel, out went Bess, and the pretty
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? Ted's Birthday Gift. 157
red wheel-barrow fell all to pieces. ]^o bones
were broken, but two broken-hearted little chil-
dren picked up the pieces, and went into the
house to mother. Mother Hssed and petted them
both, and comforted Ted with the promise that
father would mend it and make it as good as
new.
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? The Little Indian Boy.
Did you ever think, when night comes and
you see mother undress the baby and tuck him
snugly in his snowy w^hite bed, that perhaps
there are some babies who have different cradles
from his, and very different treatment, too?
The little Indian baby who lives in the north-
western part of America has a very different
cradle. His is only a piece of wood, sometimes
birch bark, which is hollowed out. The baby is
laid on the board, and his mother laces him in,
passing the cord from side to side. A small piece
of wood, covered with bark, is used for his pil-
low. When the baby's mother goes for a walk,
she carries the cradle and baby on her back, the
little Indian's head just peeping over his
mother's shoulder. If she is busy, she hangs the
cradle and baby on a tree, and the mnd swings
the cradle gently to and fro, often sending the
little one to "Shut-eye-town. " Sometimes there
are tiny bells fastened to the cradle, and their
tinkle, tinkle, when the wind swings it, makes
very sweet music.
As soon as the little Indian boy is old enough,
his father takes him with him to learn hunting
158
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? The Little Indian Boy. 159
and fishing. He holds the lighted torch while
the old Indian spears the fish at night, and he
helps him also with the canoe or boat. He soon
learns to use the bow and arrow, and to bring
down the birds as they fly through the air. It is
the fate, at times, of some unlucky animal to
stop the arrow as it comes dashing towards the
ground, for of course every arrow does not pierce
the object toward which it is directed.
The Indian children do not wear dainty
clothes, like you little people. Sometimes they
have only a piece of cloth around them serving
for a skirt. The father and mother Indians
wrap themselves in blankets, and the brighter
the colors, the better they like them. Their hair
is long and straight and black, and they love to
dress it with tall, stiff feathers. Their shoes are
not made like ours, but are pieces of skin, often
beautifully trimmed with beads and worked with
fancy silks. These shoes are called moccasins.
Once there was a little Indian boy, who lived
not far from the railroad. It happened one day
that the train stopped for some reason or other,
and this little fellow, thinking he might coax
some goodies from the passengers, sat down and
cried as though his heart would break, sobbing
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? l6o The lyittle Indian Boy.
out from time to time how hungry he was. As
he sat there on the edge of the platform, the
people in the train felt very sorry for him, think-
ing he had in some way become lost, and possibly
might be starving; so, not knowing this was a
trick, pitied the poor little fellow, opened their
baskets, and generously shared their lunch with
him, giving him the very best they had. They
did not know that the father and mother were
hiding in the bushes, and that this was a scheme
of theirs to get their living. When the train
moved on, he gathered up his treasures, carried
them to his father and mother, and they had the
grandest kind of a feast. There was dainty
white bread, chicken, cakes and pies, good things
of all sorts. We should not blame the little fel-
low, for of course he thought it was all right, if
mother said so, just as our little boys and girls
think what their fathers and mothers say is just
right and the proper thing to do. Now this was
a very naughty trick for the little Indian boy to
play, but we must remember that he had no one
to teach him how wrong it is to deceive people,
for his father and mother had never been taught
either. It is we, who know how, who must try
to be good.
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? The First Pair of Trousers.
The rain was falling thick and fast in the dim
old forest. At first it had been nothing but a
gentle shower, but now the great drops came
dashing through the trees, twisting and turn-
ing the leaves, and even bending the swaying
branches. The clouds were so thick and black
that old Sol was hidden completely out of sight.
Little Cubby Bruin heard the sound of the
falling rain when he opened his eyes in the hol-
low of the great tree in which he lived. "Oh
deary, deary," muttered Cubby. "Now all my
fun is spoiled. This is the day of Cousin Wolfs
party, and mother will never let me go while the
rain pours do^vn in this style. "
He crawled to the opening in the tree, and
poked out his little head to see if there was any
show of its clearing off, but the clouds hung
heavy, and the rain poured do"s\Ti unceasingly.
Cubby crawled back again, and curled himself
up for another nap. He slept once more, and
dreamed of the games of catch and toss, and of
the frolics of every kind that he and Cousin
"Wolf would enjoy together. Pretty soon he
i6i
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