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Oh, yes, it's
all very fine to say that we will get caught, but I don't believe
it, one single bit," said Chippy to his sisters and brothers, as
they all sat on the fence, in the bright sunshine. "Mother just
wants us to stay here all the time, and we wont ever know anything
if we don't go around. I am going to see for myself, some day;" and
he gave his head a toss and his tail a fling.
"Oh, Chippy," cried all the other little birds, "how can you talk
so? Dear mother is so kind and good to us. Why, she knows
everything, and takes us everywhere that it is right for us to go."
"Well, I don't care," again said Chippy, giving his head another
toss. "There is Toppy Sparrow, and all his family, who go up on a
roof every day, and have lovely times. There are lots of nice crumbs
thrown out for them, and even windows left wide open, and they can
fly right into a room if they want to. No harm has ever come to
them. Toppy wanted me to go with them one time, but mother wouldn't
let me. I am so tired of his old place." But he other little birds
said nothing, and soon Chippy saw some bread on the ground, and flew
down to eat it.
Now this family of birds had their home near a large school. Chippy
had long wanted to know, and see, what went on inside of it.
Whenever he told his mother he would like to peep in the windows,
she would say, "Why, Chippy Brown, don't let me hear of your going
near those windows. If you do, something dreadful will happen to
you, I know."
She let them play in the yard, while the children were in school,
but when recess time came, she flew away with them all, to their
home behind the chimney on the church. This bright morning their
mother went to call on Mrs. Sparrow, her sister, and Chippy and his
brothers and sisters came, and sat on the school fence. He tried to
get one of them to fly up to the window with him, but no one would
go.
At last he said, "Well, I'll go by myself. You will know nothing if
you stay at home all the time." So he started off.
"Oh, Chippy, don't go, don't go—you will get killed," cried all the
other birds. But he wouldn't listen, and up he flew to the window.
It was open a little bit, and he looked in. "It looks nice in there;
I am sure nothing will hurt me." So in he went.
The room was full of children, but he was so quiet no one heard him.
He rested on the shutter and looked all around the room. "I wonder
what they are doing?" he said, as he saw the children sitting
quietly at the table, drawing. "Would like to pop down and see, but
I guess I'd better stay here a little longer."
Very soon the work was put away, and the children marched to the
circle. Chippy now opened his eyes very wide. He saw the children
fly like birds, and fly so quickly, he couldn't begin to keep up
with them; and he felt his eyes growing crossed, in his efforts to
see which boy or girl could fly best. He was very much mixed, but
enjoyed the games.
"They're awfully smart," he said, as they marched to their seats.
"Mother would like to see them, I know. She says we were so long
learning to fly."
Then the children folded their hands and sang. But they did not know
that a little bird heard them sing the song of the girl who wanted
to bring in a little snow-bird, and put shoes and stockings on him,
because he was cold.
"What a kind little girl," said Mr. Chippy. "I don't think, though,
that I would care to wear shoes and stockings. It would be so much
trouble to put them on every day."
Chippy was happy, and began to think the Kindergarten a pleasant
place, and that he was learning lots. "Won't I surprise them all at
home, to-night? I think it is sage now to fly over there, and rest
on that funny-looking thing (which was the clock), on the wall."
He was about to do so, when all the children stood up; so he thought
he would wait and see what was going to happen. The teacher began to
count, and up came the children's hands and arms. This made Chippy
laugh—he thought they were having lots of fun. All of a sudden, as
the hands came up over their heads, there was a loud crash,—like
thunder, it sounded to Chippy. He was so frightened, he forgot where
he was, and down he tumbled. He fell on something, and his feet
caught, and he couldn't move. Oh, how his little heart fluttered! He
had fallen on a little girl's head, and caught in her hair, which
was short and curly. She screamed, and the teacher came to see what
was the matter, and there lay our poor little Chippy, almost dead.
She took him from the little girl's head, and held him in her hand.
He was too frightened to do anything, and couldn't speak. When he
heard her say, "Poor little Chippy, you are frightened to death," he
thought it was his brothers and sisters saying," Chippy, don't go;
you'll get killed!" So he closed his eyes, and rolled over in the
teacher's hands, for he thought he must now die. But in a moment or
two he gave his wings a little flutter, and then she said, "Why, he
isn't dead. We will put him out on the window-sill, and the fresh
air will do him good."
So she opened the window and left him on the sill. And, sure enough,
the fresh air did make him feel so much better that he was soon able
to open his eyes and look around. He saw the fence, where he had
left his brothers and sisters a little while ago. "Oh, dear! I wish
I could see mother; I feel so sick, and want to go home," he said.
"I believe I'll try and fly to the corner, and see if they are
there." So he flew down to the yard, and there found the whole
family. When they saw him, they came to meet him, saying, "Oh,
Chippy dear, we are so glad you have come.
Where have you been?" But Chippy was too weak to say a work, and
would have fallen over had not his mother caught him. She tucked him
under her wing, and kept him warn all the rest of the day.
That night, when they had gone to their home in the warm chimney
corner, Chippy told her what he had seen and heard in the
Kindergarten, and how nice he had thought it was, until the children
clapped their hands, and frightened him so, and he did not want to
go there again.
"Well, Chippy," said his mother, "I have always told you it was best
for little birds to stay with their mother. I was unhappy while you
were gone. Now you must never go away again," and Chippy said he
wouldn't and he has kept his promise to this day.
Chippy's Visit to the Kindergarten
A Fictional Short Story by
Agnes Taylor Ketchum & Ida M. Jorgensen
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