第2章 OUT OF DOORS

09

Good Morning

Good morning,sky,

Good morning,sun,

Good morning,little winds that run!

Good morning,birds,

Good morning,trees,

And creeping grass,and brownie bees!

How did you find out it was day?

Who told you night had gone away?

I'm wide awake;

I'm up now,too.

I'll be right out to play with you!

10

The Woodpecker's Bank

One winter Mary and Dick wanted to have a feeding table in their yard for the birds.

"I'll show you how to make one,"said their father.So they all worked on it every evening until it was done.

The feeding table had a wide roof to keep off the snow and rain.Dick put it up near the window so that Mary and he could watch the birds.

Every morning the children put small pieces of bread on the feeding table.Then they sat at the window and watched the chickadees,bluejays,and other birds come for their breakfast.

One of the birds that came every day was a woodpecker.He was a pretty black and white bird with a red head.

The children found out something about this woodpecker.When he flew away from the feeding table,he always took some food with him.

One morning Mary was watching the woodpecker when he flew away from the feeding table.

"Oh,Dick!"she called."I know where the woodpecker takes his crumbs."

"Where?"asked Dick.

"To the roof of the garage,"said Mary."I just saw him carry one up there and push it into a crack."

"How queer!"said Dick.

"That is not a queer thing for him to do,"said Father."Woodpeckers use holes in trees for their nests,and they often hide food in holes and cracks.

"This woodpecker wants to keep some of his crumbs until he is hungry."

"Oh,I see,"said Dick."He saves crumbs just as Mary and I save money in our banks.The crack in our garage roof is his bank."

For some time the children watched the busy woodpecker carrying crumbs from the feeding table.

He pushed each little piece of bread into the crack with his bill.Then he flew up into a tall tree and looked around.

All at once a bluejay flew to the roof of the garage and began to dig out the woodpecker's crumbs with his bill.

"Look,Mary!"Dick said."A bluejay has found the woodpecker's bank."

"Oh,dear!"said Mary."That bad old bluejay will take all the woodpecker's crumbs from his bank."

But the woodpecker was watching his bank from the top of the tall tree.He saw the bluejay down below,taking his crumbs,and he grew very angry.

Down came the woodpecker with a loud,fierce cry.He flew at the bluejay and frightened him away.

How Mary and Dick laughed at the angry woodpecker!

"He got there just in time to save his bank,"said Dick.

11

How the Wren Family Moved

All the birds were wondering about the queer-looking man that stood in Farmer Brown's cornfield.

The bluejays,the blackbirds,and the crows were frightened.They wanted to dig up the corn,but they were afraid of the scarecrow.

"Now,"said the farmer,"the birds will not eat my corn as soon as it comes up.This scarecrow looks so much like a man that the birds will not come near it."

But the wrens were not afraid of the scarecrow.They had lived near houses,and they had learned that people would not hurt them.

They flew all around the scarecrow and soon saw that it was not a man.

Then Mrs.Wren found a little hole in the scarecrow's hat.She looked inside and saw a good place for a nest.

Wrens are very small birds.They are afraid of most big birds.They hide their nests so that crows and bluejays will not find their eggs and eat them.

That is why wrens often make their nests in very queer places.

Mr.and Mrs.Wren thought that the scarecrow's hat would be the best place in the world for a nest.They knew that the bigger birds were afraid to come near the scarecrow.

Soon Mr.and Mrs.Wren were very busy.They brought weeds and grass from the pasture to build their tiny round nest.

Then they found some feathers and put them inside the nest to make it soft and warm.

It took the birds just five days to make their nest.One week after it was done,there were six little spotted eggs in the nest inside the scarecrow's hat.

Mrs.Wren sat on her nest day after day.In two weeks there were six tiny wrens in the nest.

At first the baby wrens had no feathers and could not open their eyes.

They looked very queer,but Mr.and Mrs.Wren were sure they were the most beautiful children in the world.

The little wrens were always hungry.Though Father and Mother Wren worked all day,they could hardly get bugs and worms enough for the six hungry mouths.

How proud Mr.and Mrs.Wren were of their little family and the queer home inside the scarecrow's hat!

The scarecrow was a good friend to the wrens.He frightened away the crows and bluejays.His big hat kept the hot sun and the rain away from the six baby birds in the tiny nest.

One day both Mr.and Mrs.Wren were away from the nest a long time.They were looking for bugs and worms.

When they came back,they did not see the scarecrow.Their little home was gone.

How frightened and sad they were!Though they called and called to the young birds,there was no answer.

They flew around and around.All at once they saw the scarecrow.Farmer Brown was carrying it across the field in his arms.

The wrens followed the man farther and farther across the field.They flew around and around him and tried to tell him not to hurt their little ones.

But the farmer did not know what they wanted.He had not seen the nest.

On went Farmer Brown.At last he stopped,and the wrens saw him put the scarecrow in the middle of his garden.

"Now,"said the farmer,"the birds will not come and eat my young plants."

As soon as he had gone,the wrens flew to the scarecrow.They found their six young ones safe and happy.

When Farmer Brown found that he had moved a family of birds into his garden,he laughed and laughed.

"I am glad they are wrens,"he said."Wrens help to keep bugs and worms out of gardens."

12

The North Wind

"The north wind is cold,"

The robins say;

"And that is why robins

Must fly away."

"The north wind is cold

And brings the snow,"

Says Jenny Wren,

"And I must go."

"The north wind is cold

As cold can be,

But I'm not afraid,"

Says the chickadee.

So the chickadee stays

And sees the snow,

And likes to hear

The north wind blow.

13

The Bears'Picnic

A mother bear and her two cubs lived in a big park.Many other animals lived there,too.They could all go anywhere they pleased in this park,and no one ever hurt them.

One day the mother bear took her cubs for a walk in the woods.She wanted to teach them how to find food.

She went sniffing along the ground,with the cubs behind her.Now and then she would turn over an old log,so that the cubs could find bugs and worms to eat.

All at once the mother bear grunted to the cubs in her gruff voice.They both stopped and were very quiet.

The mother bear stood up on her hind legs.My,how very tall she was!She was taller than a big man.

For a minute she kept very still.Then she turned round and round,sniffing and sniffing as she turned.

Mother Bear smelled something very good.Her nose told her that there was a picnic not far away.

She grunted softly,telling the cubs to follow her.Then she began to walk so fast that the cubs could hardly keep up with her.

At the top of a hill the mother bear stopped and looked below.She grunted to the cubs again and started slowly down the hill.

The cubs thought it would be great fun to run down the hill.But as they started to run,Mother Bear gave them each a hard blow with her big paw and pushed them behind her.

She knew they would fall if they ran.You see,it is hard for bears to run down hill,because their hind legs are longer than their front ones.

A man,a woman,and three children were sitting on the ground and eating a picnic dinner.They had pie,cake,and all kinds of good things to eat.

Suddenly they heard a loud growl.They looked up and saw the three bears coming toward them.

"Run!Run to the car!"cried the man.The people were so frightened that they ran away and left most of their picnic dinner to the bears.

Mother Bear and the cubs began to eat as fast as they could.

Bears like sweet things,and so Mother Bear started to eat a big white cake.One cub sat down in a pumpkin pie and put candy in his mouth with both paws,just like a little boy.

Soon the pie,the cake,the candy,and the other good things were gone.

Mother Bear looked around.One little cub had stuck his head into a can of ice cream and could not get it out.Mother Bear gave the can a quick blow with her paw,and it went rolling away.

There was nothing more to eat.The bears'picnic was over.

"Come,"grunted Mother Bear to her cubs,and away they went without even stopping to say "Thank you."

14

White Satin

The Pony Runs Away

Once there was a white pony that lived on a farm.His hair was so white and smooth that he was called White Satin.

Every day White Satin took Patty for a ride.Sometimes Patty rode in the little red pony cart,and sometimes she rode on White Satin's back.

One day Patty's father came home with a big blue car and put it in the barn.

White Satin did not like cars He was always afraid they would run into him and hurt him.He did not like to have the car standing near him in the barn.

He shook his head and snapped his big white teeth.

That day Patty went to town with her father in the new car.White Satin was very angry."They do not want me any more,"he said."I shall run away."

So after supper White Satin got out of the barn without making any noise.No one heard him as he ran out to the road and went galloping away.

By and by White Satin wanted a drink.He saw a pond near the road and jumped into it with all four feet.

Many frogs lived in the pond.When they heard the big splash and saw White Satin,they began to make a great noise.

"Better get out!"said the grandfather frogs in their big,gruff voices.

"Too deep,too deep!"said the father frogs in their deep,deep voices.

"Leap,leap,leap!"said the little,wee frogs in their little,high voices.

White Satin tried to jump out,but he could not.His four feet were stuck in the soft mud.

He tried and tried to get out,but the mud pulled him in deeper and deeper.

"Never get out!Never get out!"said the grandfather frogs.

"Going deeper!Going deeper!"said the father frogs.

"Too late to leap!Too late to leap!"said the little,young frogs.

White Satin began to think the frogs were right.He was stuck fast in the mud.He was so frightened that he cried out for help as loud as he could.

A farmer's dog heard White Satin.He heard the frogs,too,and began to bark.Such a noise as they all made!

How White Satin Got Out

The farmer who owned the dog heard him barking."I wonder what he is barking about,"said the farmer."I must go and see."

When the farmer came to the pond,he saw White Satin stuck fast in the mud.

"Why,this is Patty Green's pony,"he said."How did he get in here?I must have help to get him out."

The farmer ran to the house and called Patty's father over the telephone.Then he got some strong ropes and boards and took them to the pond.

Poor White Satin was going deeper and deeper into the mud at the bottom of the pond.What a sad little pony he was!

All at once he heard a car coming.Nearer and nearer it came.

Patty's father had come in the new car to help get the pony out of the pond.

The frogs called,"Never get him out!""Never get him out!"

"Too late!Too late!"

"In too deep!In too deep!"

The two men went to work.They rolled big,heavy logs into the pond,and threw long boards across the logs so that they could walk on them.

Then they put a rope around the pony and tied it to the big blue car.

When everything was ready,Patty's father got into the car and started it.

The big blue car began to back very slowly and to pull hard on the rope.

Splash,splash!White Satin's feet came out of the mud.He stepped on the boards,and the next minute he was safe on the ground.

"Better go home,"said the great big grandfather frogs.

"And get to bed,"said the big father frogs.

"And go to sleep,"said the tiny frogs.

White Satin was safe,but very tired.As soon as he could walk,Patty's father tied him to the back of the car.Then they went slowly all the way home.

When they got home,Mr.Green took the pony into the barn.Then he cleaned the black mud from White Satin's coat and rubbed him until he was warm and dry.

In the morning Patty came running into the barn to see White Satin.She was all ready for a ride.

"Oh,you dear little pony!"she cried."I am so glad you were not hurt.Here is a nice apple for you."

Patty got on White Satin's back.As they went past the blue car,White Satin did not shake his head or snap his teeth.

He stopped and rubbed his nose against the bright new car.That was the pony's way of saying "Thank you."

15

Bright Eyes and the Acorn

The children in Miss Wood's room wanted to learn about ants.So Friday afternoon she took them to the park to see some ants.

They soon found a little hill of dirt on the ground.In the middle of the hill was a small,round hole.

"This hole goes deep into the ground,"said Miss Wood."It is the door to the ants'home.The ant family has many rooms down under the ground."

The children watched the ants as they went in and out of their little door.

"There are many kinds of ants,"said Miss Wood."The ants in this hill are called red ants."

"Here are some black ants,too,"said Joe."Do they live with the red ants?"

"Yes,"answered Miss Wood."Some of the red ants are fierce soldiers.They often march to the homes of black ants and carry away their eggs.

"These soldier ants bring the eggs to their own home.When the little black ants come out of the eggs,the red ants take care of them.They teach them to be helpers,too."

"How do the black ants help the red ants?"asked Jenny.

"Black ants are good workers,"said Miss Wood."Some of them keep the ant house clean.Some take care of the baby red ants and the eggs."

"Where do the ants get their food in winter?"asked Bobby."How can they find food when the snow is on the ground?"

"I know,"said Joe."I read a book about ants.They have a big room like a store,where they bring food in the summer.When the snow is on the ground,they get food from their store."

"Do the black ants bring in food,too?"asked Mary.

"Yes,"answered Miss Wood.

"Here is a little black ant now,"said Mary."How bright her eyes are!I am going to call her Bright Eyes,and I shall give her my cake crumbs."

Mary threw her cake crumbs on the ground near Bright Eyes.

As soon as Bright Eyes found the cake crumbs,she took one of them in her mouth and ran into the ant hole.

Soon Bright Eyes came back for more crumbs.Many other ants came with her.

"Oh,look!"said Jenny."Bright Eyes has told the other ants about the crumbs.Here they come to help her."

"How strong ants are!"said Billy."Look.Bright Eyes is carrying the biggest piece of all.It is bigger than she is."

Bright Eyes came out to get the last cake crumb.

"I will show you how strong ants are,"said Miss Wood."Let us stop up the door of their house and see what they will do."

So Billy found a big acorn and put it over the hole in the ant hill.

When Bright Eyes came to the ant hill,she could not find the door.So she walked all around to be sure that she had come to the right place.Then she ran around and around the acorn.

"She knows that the acorn is over the door,"said Nancy.

Bright Eyes pushed and pulled at the acorn,trying to roll it away.But it was too heavy.She could not move it.

"Now watch,and see what she does,"said Miss Wood.

All at once Bright Eyes left the acorn and began to run around in the grass.

A minute later Jack cried,"Here come some more ants.Bright Eyes has told them about the acorn."

The ants ran to the acorn.They all pushed and pulled together.The heavy acorn began to move.Soon it was rolled away,and Bright Eyes went in the door.

"My,how strong the ants are!"said Tom."If an ant were as big as I am,he could carry an elephant."

"The ants are great workers,"said Joe."I read in my book that they are the greatest workers in the world."

Jack said,"When I get lazy again,I shall think about little Bright Eyes and the big acorn."