The Goat and Her Kid | Page 5

ran and asked.
"Why," said their mamma, "it certainly will have rather a strange
appearance. The two birds do not seem suitable companions. It is an
odd fancy, children; but you may do it if you like."
No sooner said than done. Off ran Fanny and Charles--took the little
Foundling out of his old lantern--opened the door of Dicky's cage--and
at once put him in, and fastened the door. In a moment, Dicky flew up
to his top perch, and stood looking down very earnestly; and the little
Foundling, though he could stump about on his lame toes, never moved,
but sat looking up at Sir Dicky. The nestling looked like a poor little
ragged lame beggar-boy whom a sprightly gentleman in a bright yellow
coat had been so compassionate as to take into his house.
[Illustration]
Presently the Foundling went to the seed-box, and looked in. Down
came Dicky in a moment, and drove him away from his box, and then
ascended again to the top perch. This happened every time poor Chirp
went near the seed. However, he took a good drink out of the bath-glass,
at which both Fanny and Charles laughed very much. They then gave
the Foundling some food through the wires of the cage. This they had
to do for several days, till Dicky at last became more good-natured, and
no longer prevented the poor lame Foundling from eating out of his
seed-box.
They gradually became very good friends in the cage, though Dicky,
except for his bath and his seed, was almost always upon the perch in
the middle or the top of the cage, while Chirp, who never recovered
from his lameness, went stumping about at the bottom. In other

respects, however, the Foundling grew to be a good, strong sparrow
with all his proper feathers, and made a clean and respectable
appearance. He now looked like a stout faithful servant in a brown coat
who inhabited the lower story, while the gay and sprightly owner of the
house sat in the upper rooms to sing, or dance upon two perches. They
lived very happily, and Fanny and Charles rejoiced that they had
brought home the little lame Foundling.

Winter Pleasures.
"Do jump up and look out at the trees," said Susan, one morning in
December, to little Mary, "they are so beautiful; all sparkling like
silver!"
"It seems very cold," said Mary, rather sleepily. "Will you draw up the
blind, Susan, that I may see out?"
Susan drew up the blind.
"O," cried Mary, "how lovely the window looks! I see fairy palaces,
and wreaths of flowers, and numbers of birds, and bright butterflies! O,
and look at those angels, flying with white wings spread, and below
them there is a lovely lake! Look, Susan, do you see what I mean?"
"I don't see that so plain," replied Susan; "but I see a pretty cottage just
there, in the corner of this pane."
"O, yes!" said Mary; "and look, there is a high mountain behind it, and
a forest of tall fir-trees growing all up the sides, and there is a river
running along before it, with pretty flowers like stars on its banks. O,
and little fairies dancing among them! Now it all sparkles like
diamonds and rubies! Beautiful, beautiful!" cried Mary, jumping out of
bed. The sun had just risen, and his beams, tinged with red, shone on
little Mary's frosted window, and gave it this beautiful appearance.
"But it is much too cold to stand looking at it, dear," said Susan; "make
haste, and let us get you down to the warm parlor fire."

Splash went Mary into her bath, and made all the haste possible; and
while she was dressing, the window was a continual pleasure; for as the
sun shone on the glass, small portions of the frost-work melted away,
and let the bright rays shine through; and first these clear spots looked
like little shining stars on the fairies' foreheads; then like stars in the
sky; then they changed into pretty ponds in a wood; then into lakes
with rocky banks; the angels seemed to fly farther away; the wreath of
flowers took different forms; the fairies danced off with the birds and
butterflies; and at last, just as the largest lake had become so large that
Mary thought it must be the sea, it was time to go down stairs.
The parlor looked so very comfortable and felt so warm. There was a
bright fire; Bouncer was stretched on the rug; the kettle boiled on the
hob; breakfast was laid; the sun shone in at the lattice window. And
now Mary, looking out into the garden, remembered what Susan had
said about the trees, for they did indeed look beautiful. Every branch
and every twig