Peep, peep, peep! T'wee, t'wee, t'wee!
PAPA.
Ha! he takes his merry flight,
And the little bird is right.
No deserter, child, is he,
Who escapes to liberty.
Air and sun and open sky
Birdie likes, as you and I.
Paid to him is now your debt,
And I'm glad: so do not fret.
Ida Fay.
A FISH STORY.
Cousin Willie lives on a pleasant island in Chesapeake Bay. He has a boat called the "Nautilus." One morning he was taking a sail in his boat, when he saw a large fish-hawk soaring and wheeling through the air, as though in search of a breakfast for its young nestlings. At length it made a dive down to the water, and brought up a large fish.
Just then an eagle that had been watching the fish-hawk from the top of a tree, came swooping down toward the hawk, as if determined to have the fish for his own breakfast.
The eagle attacked the hawk; and the two birds fought for the fish until the hawk was forced to let it drop, when the eagle made a rapid swoop, and caught the fish in his talons.
Cousin Willie, from his boat, watched the fight of the birds, and thought he would like to make the bold robber give up his prey. So he shot at him with a pistol, and gave him such a fright that he dropped the fish in his turn.