“How can you sing shut up in a cage!” she exclaimed. “Come out into the free air and up into the sky with me.”
The canary stopped his song to listen to the lark. “Why do you stop singing, little canary?” asked a sick boy, in a feeble voice. He was in a bed near the canary’s cage. The lark could not see him, but she heard him. “Your song,” said the boy, “makes me forget my pain.”
The canary burst into a sweeter song. “Now I know,” said the lark, “he sings because it makes the sick boy happy.” And she flew upward, wiser than before.
WHO THE BIRD WAS
One hot day in July a bird perched at the very top of a tall hemlock. The blazing sun shone on his scarlet body and made it glow like fire.
“What a foolish bird to be out in the scorching sun,” cried Mother Robin to her husband. “He’ll be sunstruck.” She and Father Robin stood shading their eyes under the cool maple leaves to look up at him. “Who can he be?”
“I think, my dear,” said Father Robin, “that I had better go up and tell him to come down.”
“Oh,” cried Mother Robin, “what would the birdlings and I do if anything should happen to you!” and she caught him by the tail just as he was flying off.
As Father Robin opened his mouth to answer, the scarlet bird spread shining black wings and flew into the sunshine, singing,
“I love the sun, the light, the flame,