The Naughty Little Sick Snowbird

: Daddy's Bedtime Bird Stories

Daddy had been encouraging Jack and Evelyn to feed the little birds

that came outside the window. So one evening when it was time for

their story he told them about the Christmas a little snowbird had

had the year before.



"He was a very self-willed little fellow," commenced daddy, "and he

thought no one knew so much about life as he did. During the autumn he

had become very chummy with the sparrows. His d ddy and mother didn't

like that much, as they were afraid he would become as rude and noisy as

the sparrows were.



"When the cold weather came the snowbirds decided to leave, but the

little wilful snowbird was nowhere to be found. 'Where could he have

gone?' asked Mother Snowbird, and daddy said, 'Oh, probably he left this

morning with the robins and wrens, for I saw him playing with them!'

That eased Mother Snowbird's fears, and off they started.



"When the little snowbird saw that his family had flown away he came out

from his hiding-place. He really felt a little homesick and was sorry he

hadn't gone, too; but, of course, he didn't dare admit it, for the

sparrows had told him only stupid children were obedient. They admired

his naughty disobedience and thought it was a great joke to worry his

family.



"A few weeks went by, and the days became colder and colder. One night

he felt so cold and so unhappy that he flew away from the sparrows,

expecting to die any moment.



"The next morning he was found, half dead, by a little girl. She took

him in her house, warmed his frozen feet and fed him bits of crumbs and

drops of water. Slowly he began to recover.



"It was the day before Christmas, and he was perched on the window-sill

in the sun, when, to his huge joy, he saw Daddy and Mother Snowbird

outside the window. He flew against the window-glass. The little girl

came rushing into the room to see what the trouble was. She was sure

from his joyous actions that the other two snowbirds were his daddy and

mother, so she opened the window, and the little bird flew out.



"'Oh, dear, we've been so frightened!' said Mother Snowbird.



"'Yes,' said Daddy Snowbird; 'we've been on ever so many trips looking

for you, but now we'll hurry down home and fly fast, so as not to get

cold, and then we'll be there in time for Christmas day. All the little

birds will be there waiting for the Christmas party.'



"You may be quite sure the little snowbird never had a happier

Christmas, and he realized that the older birds knew what was best

for him."