CONTENTS
I. A LITTLE SNOW-BIRD
II. DROOPING WINGS
III. THE BIRD'S NEST
IV. "BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER"
V. SOME OTHER BIRDS ARE TAUGHT TO FLY
VI. "WHEN THE PIE WAS OPENED, THE BIRDS BEGAN TO SING"
VII. THE BIRDLING FLIES AWAY
The Birds' Christmas Carol.
I.
A LITTLE SNOW BIRD.
It was very early Christmas morning, and in the stillness of the dawn,
with the soft snow falling on the housetops, a little child was born in
the Bird household.
They had intended to name the baby Lucy, if it were a girl; but they
hadn't expected her on Christmas morning, and a real Christmas baby was
not to be lightly named--the whole family agreed in that.
They were consulting about it in the nursery. Mr. Bird said that he
had assisted in naming the three boys, and that he should leave this
matter entirely to Mrs. Bird; Donald wanted the child called "Maud,"
after a pretty little curly-haired girl who sat next him in school;
Paul chose "Luella," for Luella was the nurse who had been with him
during his whole babyhood, up to the time of his first trousers, and
the name suggested all sorts of comfortable things. Uncle Jack said
that the first girl should always be named for her mother, no matter
how hideous the name happened to be.
