"The robins have been stealing our cherries," said the boy, "until wehave hardly any left for ourselves.
"The bluebirds eat our berries and grapes.
"The kingbirds eat not only our fruit, but our honeybees as well.
"The brown thrashers eat our raspberries and currants, while wholeflocks of bobolinks get their food from our oat fields.
"The meadow larks eat our grain.
"And as for the blackbirds and crows, they are the worst thieves inthe world. They even pull up our sprouting grain.
"So why shouldn't we kill the birds? They are our enemies, and theydo nothing but harm.
"And, besides, we haven't killed more than a dozen of them. Who wouldmiss a dozen in a world so full of birds?"
By this time most of the birds were quivering with anger.
And they cried again: "Shoot them with an arrow! Hit them with astone! Kill them!
"Who would miss two in a world so full of boys?"
"Listen, my friends," said Father Thrift. "I agree with you that theboys deserve to be treated in the same way that they have treated you.They have been cruel.
"Still, let us not act in haste or anger. Let us think matters overwell. Perhaps we shall find that some wrong has been done on bothsides.
"Go, now, and return at two o'clock. We will decide then what it isbest to do."
INSECTS AND WORMS
Long before two o'clock that afternoon the birds returned to theirplace in front of Father Thrift's cave.
Some of them sat on the ground, some on the low branches of the trees,and others in the bushes.
Now and again Shaggy Bear came out to tell some bird that FatherThrift wished to speak with him.
Evidently important things were going on within the cave. But what?
Oh, how the time dragged to those waiting birds! Would two o'clocknever come?
At last the cave door opened again, and Shaggy Bear came out with hisprisoners.
Shaggy was the sheriff, and his business was to take care that theboys did not run away.
Hardly were they seated when Father Thrift came out of the cave.
In one hand he carried a roll of paper, and with the other he adjustedthe spectacles on his nose. He looked just like the judge he wassupposed to be.
As in a regular courtroom, every one straightened up and was allattention when the judge came.
The queer little old man seated himself on the stump of a tree.
Before him stood a high bench or table, made of rough boards. On thishe spread out his paper.
Then, turning toward Shaggy Bear, he said, "The sheriff and theprisoners will please step forward."
And as they stood before him, Father Thrift read to the boys thecourt's decision.
"The one who sins against the birds," the decision ran, "sins againstman's best friends.
"If we destroyed the birds, we ourselves could not live. Within a fewyears there would be so many insects and worms that crops could not beraised and plants could not grow. The bugs and the caterpillars wouldeat all the leaves off the trees, while the worms would destroy theroots.
"The flies and other harmful insects would kill the cattle. And thenthey would carry sickness and disease among us.
"Why, the grasshoppers would dance on our very tables, while thecrickets sat on the dishes and played tunes!
"The ants would use our kitchens for parade grounds, and the wormswould crawl under our feet, in our houses.
"Yet you said that the birds were your enemies, and that they do onlyharm.
"You complained of the robins and the bluebirds; the kingbirds and thebrown thrashers; the bobolinks and the meadow larks; the crows and theblackbirds.
"So I have taken pains to look into the habits of each of these.
"The robin, I find, works during the whole season to make it possiblefor the farmer to raise his crops. He is a natural enemy of bugs andworms.
"He gets no pay for this work and asks for none. And the only reasonhe eats your cherries is because you have destroyed the wild fruittrees and berry bushes that used to grow by the roadside. Plant themthere again and the robin, and all the other birds too, will spareyour fruit.
"The bluebird catches the bad bugs and grasshoppers and beetles andspiders and caterpillars in your orchard. And he very rarely takeseven a bite of your berries or grapes.
"The kingbird is a fine flycatcher and he does much good. Sometimes hedoes eat a honeybee, it is true, but it must be because he mistakes itfor a large fly.
"The brown thrasher makes his home in the swamps and groves. He doeseat some raspberries and currants, in addition to the harmful insectshe devours, but nearly all of these must be wild ones.
"The few oats the bobolinks eat you could never miss, because thesebirds feed mostly on insects and the seeds of useless plants.
"The meadow lark saves thousands of dollars every year on the haycrop. He builds his nest on the ground in the meadow and feeds himselfand his large family on the crickets and grasshoppers he finds there.
"The crow and the blackbird, I know, eat some of your corn. But theywill not touch the seed corn if you put coal tar on it.
"Both of these birds do a great deal of good, for which they get nocredit. In the spring they follow the plow in search of large grubworms, of which they are very fond. They also eat grasshoppers, andweevils, and caterpillars.
"All of which goes to prove that the more birds we have, the fewerbugs there are, to bother us. And the fewer bugs there are, the morefood we have.
"Therefore, I find that you two boys are guilty of a great wrong. Notonly have you killed the farmer's most valuable friends, but you havedestroyed food as well.
"Your punishment will be one year in prison for every bird that youhave killed."
At this the boys almost dropped to the ground, they were so badlyfrightened.
"Oh, Father Thrift," they cried, "please don't put us in prison! Wehave learned a lesson, and we promise never to kill another bird ifyou will only let us go."
"My friends, what do _you_ think?" asked Father Thrift, turning to thebirds.
The hearts of the birds softened at the sight of the boys' distress.And they said, "Give them another chance, Father Thrift."
"But theirs is a serious offense," Father Thrift said gravely.
Then he turned toward the boys.
"I will release you on one condition," he said, "and that is that youwill henceforth be kind to all harmless living creatures, and protectthem from cruel usage.
"Also, that you will ask all the other boys, and their fathers aswell, to do the same.
"Build bird houses for your feathered friends and encourage them tocome to your villages and farms.
"In the end you will profit greatly by it."
"We promise to do that," the boys agreed eagerly.
"Now Shaggy Bear will help you to find your way out of the forest,"said Father Thrift.
"Your bow and arrows I shall keep, for you will never want them again.
"And when you get home, tell your fathers and mothers, yourgrandfathers and grandmothers, your brothers and sisters, and the restof my friends in the town, that Father Thrift sends them his bestregards."
Then the boys said good-by, and they wasted no time in going.
AFTER MANY DAYS
The whole town was searching for the two missing boys. No one couldimagine what had happened to them.
"We shall never see them again!" sobbed their mothers. But they didsee them.
That very day, when the little birds had gone to sleep in their nests,and the crickets chirped by the roadside, while night and the starslooked down upon the earth, the two tired and hungry boys appeared.
Their mothers and fathers were overjoyed at their safe return.
All the townspeople crowded about them.
But the people could hardly believe the strange story they told.
"Father Thrift! Father Thrift!" they cried. "Why, it cannot be!"
For this was none other
than the quaint old town in which the queerlittle old man had lived for so many years.
"Upon our word and honor!" said the boys earnestly. "See, we cross ourhearts."
And they did.
This seemed to satisfy most of the villagers that the boys weretelling the truth.
"Still, the forest is dense with trees and brush," said one old man,shaking his head doubtfully. "And it is alive with wild and dangerousanimals.
"Not one of _us_ has ever dared to go beyond the edge of _that_forest. How could Father Thrift live there?"
"Let us not doubt," said another old man. "We had better follow theadvice which has been sent us.
"Have we not suffered since Father Thrift left us because we would nottake his advice?
"We did not appreciate him when he was here. We have learned toappreciate him since he went away."
So the wonderful story was told and retold for miles and miles around.And Father Thrift's good advice was taken to heart.
And the birds came by hundreds to live in the neighborhood.
The crops grew better each year.
And the people felt happier.
Then they pondered the things which Father Thrift had taught them. Andthey did again as they had done when he was with them.
They lived simply, spent wisely, and wasted nothing.
And the quaint old town and the country around it grew prosperous, asin the days of old.
Then after many days the people said:
"We must enter the wood at all costs--even at the risk of our lives.
"We must find good Father Thrift and do him honor."
So they went down the crooked road that led to the forest and went in.The two boys led the way.
They heard the birds singing in the trees.
They saw the squirrels leaping and running.
They heard the ripple of the silvery brook.
They breathed the perfume of the pine trees and the firs.
They traced the footprints of bears, and rabbits, and deer.
Every little thing interested them now.
They gazed at the tender blue sky above. Never before had it looked sobeautiful.
Never had the grass seemed so fresh and sweet and green.
Nor had the flowers ever seemed so richly colored and so sweetlyscented.
Truly, the forest was a glorious place!
And nowhere--nowhere did they find the dreadful animals which they hadlived to fear these many years.
But they found a cave, a very strange sort of cave. It had two windowsand a door.
Inside were two beds and two chairs, and a table and a fireplace.
On the wall hung a home-made calendar.
Just outside the door was a high bench or table, and back of it stooda tree stump.
"This is the place where Father Thrift lived," said the boys. "Howwell we remember it!" But Father Thrift was not there now. The placewas vacant.
"The queer little old man must have gone to live in the beautiful,happy, sunny land of which he often talked," said one of the men. Andthe others agreed with him.
* * * * *
Still stands the cave in the forest. People from miles and miles awayvisit it.
The guide tells them the wonderful story of Father Thrift and hisanimal friends. And it seems that with each retelling the story growsmore and still more wonderful.
And there is a bird that lives in the wood which on moonlight nights,whether he sits on a branch, or hops on the ground, or flies about, isalways heard whistling, "Fa-ther Thrift! Fa-ther Thrift!"
Many people misunderstand and think that he is saying,"Whip-poor-will! Whip-poor-will!"
But why any one should wish to whip any one else I do not know. Forthe world is such a happy place.
Father Thrift and His Animal Friends Page 5