[THE WEE NEST]
O
Once upon a time two little birds built a wee little nest in a pink rose tree.
(And a little boy saw them; but he did not tell,
For it was a secret, he knew very well.)
The nest was round and cozy and soft; and when it was finished the mother-bird put eggs in it—the prettiest eggs!
(And the little boy peeped in the nest to see,
But he was as careful as he could be.)
The mother-bird sat on the nest almost all the time to keep the eggs safe and warm; and when she was tired the father-bird took her place.
(And the little boy watched them, and wondered, too,
What would become of those eggs of blue.)
Day after day the mother-bird sat on the nest; but one morning she flew away singing her sweetest song. The father-bird sang, too, for something wonderful had happened. The pretty blue eggs were broken, but in their place were—what do you think? Baby birds, cunning and weak and wee.