lifetookonanewcolourandjoy；whileeveryworkofGodmanifestedafreshandheretoforeunappreciatedloveliness。Hisverymusclesseemedtorelax，andnewstrengtharosetomeetthedemandsofhisupliftedspirit。Hehadnotfinishedhisday’sworkwithsucheaseandpleasureinyears；andhecouldseetheinfluenceofhisrejuvenationinMaria。Shewasflittingaroundherhousewithbrokensnatchesofsong，evensweetertoAbram’searsthanthenotesofthebirds；andinrecentdayshehadnoticedthatshedressedparticularlyforherafternoon’ssewing，puttingonherSundaylacecollarandawhiteapron。Heimmediatelywenttotownandboughtherafinercollarthansheeverhadownedinherlife。
Thenhehuntedasignpainter，andcamehomebearinganumberofpineboardsonwhichgleamedinbig，shinyblackletters：
————————————————————————
NOHUNTINGALLOWED
ONTHISFARM
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HeseemedslightlyembarrassedwhenheshowedthemtoMaria。"I
feelalittlemiteonfriendly，puttingupsignslikethat’foremyneighbours，"headmitted，"butthefactis，itain’ttheneighbourssomuchasit’sboysthatneedraising，an’themtowncreatureswhocallthemselvessportsmen，an’killahummin’—birdtoseeiftheycanhitit。Timewaswhentreesan’underbrushwerefullo’birdsan’squirrels，anyamounto’rabbits，an’thefishfairlycrowdin’intheriver。Iusedtokillallthequailan’wildturkeysabouthereabodyneededtomakeanappetizingchange，Itwasalwaysmyplantotakealittlean’leavealittle。Butjestlookatitnow。Surpriseo’mylifeifIgetatwo—poundbass。Wildturkeygobblin’wouldscarememostoutofmysenses，an’，asforthebirds，therearejestaboutafourthwhatthereusedtobe，an’thecropseatentopayforit。I’ddoallI’mtryin’toforanybird，becauseofitssongan’colour，an’prettyteeterin’ways，butIain’tsoslowbutIseeI’mpaidinwhattheydoforme。Upgothesesigns，an’itwon’tbeahappydayforanybodyIcatchtrespassin’onmybirds。"
Mariastudiedthesignsmeditatively。"Youshouldn’tbeforcedtoput’emup，"shesaidconclusively。"Ifit’sbeendecided’atit’sgoodfor’emtobehere，an’lawsmadetoprotect’em，peopleoughttoactwithsomesense，an’leavethemalone。I
neverwassoint’restedinthebirdsinallmylife；an’I’lljestdoalittlelookin’outmyself。Ifyouhearaspango’thedinnerbellwhenyou’reoutinthefield，you’llknowitmeansthere’ssomeonesneakin’’roundwithagun。"
AbramcaughtMaria，andplantedaresoundingsmackonhercheek，wheretherosesofgirlhoodyetbloomedforhim。Thenhefilledhispocketswithcrumbsandgrain，andstrolledtotherivertosettheCardinal’stable。Hecouldhearthesharpincisive"Chip!"andthetendermellowlove—notesasheleftthebarn；andallthewaytothesumactheyranginhisears。
TheCardinalmethimatthecornerofthefield，andhoppedoverbushesandthefenceonlyafewyardsfromhim。WhenAbramhadscatteredhisstoreontherail，thebirdcametippingandtilting，daintilycaughtupacrumb，andcarriedittothesumac。
Hismatewaspleasedtotakeit；andhecarriedheronemorselafteranotheruntilsherefusedtoopenherbeakformore。Hemadealightsupperhimself；andthenswingingonthegrape—vine，heclosedthedaywithanhourofmusic。HerepeatedlyturnedabrightquestioningeyetowardAbram，butheneverforamomentlostsightofthenestandtheplumpgrayfigureofhislittlemate。Asshebroodedoverhereggs，hebroodedoverher；andthatshemightrealizethedepthandconstancyofhisdevotion，hetoldherrepeatedly，witheverytenderinflectionhecouldthrowintohistones，thatshewas"Sodear!Sodear!"
TheCardinalhadnotknownthatthecomingofthematehesocovetedwouldfillhislifewithsuchunceasinggladness，andyet，ontheverydaythathappinessseemedatfullestmeasure，therewastroubleinthesumac。Hehadoverstayedhistime，chasingafatmothheparticularlywantedforhismate，andshe，growingthirstypastendurance，leftthenestandwenttotheriver。Seeingherthere，hemadeallpossiblehastetotakehisturnatbrooding，sohearrivedjustintimetoseeapilferingredsquirrelstartingawaywithanegg。
WithaviciousscreamtheCardinalstruckhimfullforce。Hisrushofragecostthesquirrelaneye；butitlostthefatherabirdling，forthesquirreldroppedtheeggoutsidethenest。TheCardinalmournfullycarriedawaythetell—talebitsofshell，sothatanyoneseeingthemwouldnotlookupanddiscoverhistreasures。Thatleftthreeeggs；andthebroodingbirdmournedoverthelostonesopitifullythattheCardinalperchedclosetothenesttheremainderoftheday，andwhisperedoverandoverforhercomfortthatshewas"Sodear!Sodear!"
Chapter5
"Seehere!Seehere!"demandedtheCardinalThemandaterepeatedlyrangfromthetopmosttwigofthethorntree，andyettheCardinalwasnotinearnest。Hewasbesidehimselfwithanewanddelightfulexcitement，andhefounditimpossibletorefrainfromgivingventtohisfeelings。Hewascommandingthefarmerandeveryfurredandfeathereddenizenoftheriverbottomtosee；thenhefoughtlikeawildthingifanyofthemventuredclose，forgreatthingswerehappeninginthesumac。
InpastdaystheCardinalhadbroodedanhoureverymorningwhilehismatewenttotakeherexercise，bathe，andfluffinthesunparlour。Hehadgonetoherthatmorningasusual，andshelookedathimwithanxiouseyesandrefusedtomove。Hehadhoppedtotheveryedgeofthenestandrepeatedlyurgedhertogo。Sheonlyruffledherfeathers，andnestledtheeggsshewasbroodingtoturnthem，butdidnotoffertoleave。TheCardinalreachedoverandgentlynudgedherwithhisbeak，toremindherthatitwashistimetobrood；butshelookedathimalmostsavagely，andgavehimasharppeck；soheknewshewasnottobebothered。Hecarriedhereverydaintyhecouldfindandhoverednearher，tensewithanxiety。
Itwaslateintheafternoonbeforeshewentafterthedrinkforwhichshewashalffamished。ShescarcelyhadreachedawillowandbentoverthewaterbeforetheCardinalwasontheedgeofthenest。Heexamineditclosely，buthecouldseenochange。
Heleanedtogivetheeggscarefulscrutiny，andfromsomewheretherecametohimthefaintestlittle"Chip!"heeverhadheard。
UpwenttheCardinal’screst，andhedashedtothewillow。Therewasnodangerinsight；andhismatewasgreedilydippingherrosybeakinthewater。Hewentbacktothecradleandlistenedintently，andagainthatfeeblecrycametohim。Underthenest，aroundit，andallthroughthesumachesearched，untilatlast，completelybaffled，hecamebacktotheedge。Thesoundwassomuchplainerthere，thathesuddenlyleaned，caressingtheeggswithhisbeak；thentheCardinalknew!Hehadheardthefirstfaintcriesofhisshell—incasedbabies!
Withawildscreamhemadeaflyingleapthroughtheair。Hisheartwasbeatingtosuffocation。Hestartedinaracedowntheriver。Ifhealightedonabushhetookonlyoneswing，andspringingfromitflamedoninheadlongflight。Heflashedtothetopofthetallesttuliptree，andcriedcloudwardtothelark："Seehere!Seehere!"Hedashedtotheriverbankandtoldthekilldeers，andthenvisitedtheunderbrushandinformedthethrushesandwoodrobins。Father—tender，hegrewsodeliriouswithjoythatheforgothishabitualaloofness，andfraternizedwitheverybirdbesidetheshiningriver。Heevenlaidasidehiscustomarycaution，wentchippingintothesumac，andcaressedhismatesoboisterouslyshegazedathimseverelyandgavehiswingasavagepulltorecallhimtohissobersenses。
ThatnighttheCardinalsleptinthesumac，veryclosetohismate，andheshutonlyoneeyeatatime。Earlyinthemorning，whenhecarriedherthefirstfood，hefoundthatshewasontheedgeofthenest，droppingbitsofshelloutside；andcreepingtopeep，hesawthetiniestcoralbaby，withclosedeyes，andlittlepatchesofsoftsilkydown。Itsbeakwaswideopen，andthoughhisheartwasevenfullerthanonthepreviousday，theCardinalknewwhatthatmeant；andinsteadofindulginginanothercelebration，heassumedthedutiesofpaternity，andbegansearchingforfood，fornowthereweretwoemptycropsinhisfamily。Onthefollowingdaytherewerefour。Thenhereallyworked。Howeagerlyhesearched，andhowgladlyheflewtothesumacwitheveryraremorsel!Thebabiesweretoosmallforthemothertoleave；andforthefirstfewdaystheCardinalwasconstantlyonwing。
Ifhecouldnotfindsufficientlydaintyfoodfortheminthetreesandbushes，oramongtheofferingsofthefarmer，hedescendedtoearthandsearchedlikeawoodrobin。Heforgotheneededabathorownedasunparlour；buteverywherehewent，fromhisfullheartthereconstantlyburstthecry：
"Seehere!Seehere!"
Hismatemadeneverasound。Hereyeswerebiggerandsofterthanever，andinthemglowedasteadylovelight。Shehoveredoverthosethreeredmitesofnestlingssotenderly!Shewassoabsorbedinfeeding，stroking，andcoddlingthemsheneglectedherselfuntilshebecamequitelean。
WhentheCardinalcameeveryfewminuteswithfood，shewasapictureofloveandgratitudeforhisdevotedattention，andonceshereachedoverandsoftlykissedhiswing。"Seehere!Seehere!"shrilledtheCardinal；andinhisecstasyheagainforgothimselfandsanginthesumac。Thenhecarriedfoodwithgreateractivitythanevertocoverhislapse。
Thefarmerknewthatitlackedanhourofnoon，buthewassoanxioustotellMariathenewsthathecouldnotendurethesuspenseanotherminute。Therewasanewsongfromthesumac。
Hehadhearditasheturnedthefirstcornerwiththeshovelplow。Hehadlistenedeagerly，andhadcaughtthemeaningalmostatonce——"Seehere!Seehere!"Hetiedtheoldgraymaretothefencetopreventhereatingtheyoungcorn，andwentimmediately。
Byleaningarailagainstthethorntreehewasabletopeerintothesumac，andtakeagoodlookatthenestofhandsomebirdlings，nowwellscreenedwiththeumbrella—likefoliage。ItseemedtoAbramthathenevercouldwaituntilnoon。Hecriticallyexaminedtheharness，inthehopethathewouldfindabucklemissing，andtriedtodiscoveraflawintheplowthatwouldsendhimtothebarnforafile；buthecouldnotinventanexcuseforgoing。So，whenhehadwaiteduntilanhourofnoon，hecouldendureitnolonger。
"Gotnewsforyou，Maria，"hecalledfromthewell，wherehewasmakingapretenseofthirst。
"OhIdon’tknow，"answeredMaria，withasuperiorsmile。"Ifit’sabouttheredbirds，he’sbeenuptothegardenthreetimesthismorningyellin’，’Seehere!’fittosplit；an’Ijestfiguredthattheirlittleoneshadhatched。Isthatyournews？"
"WellIbedurned!"gaspedtheastonishedAbram。
Mid—afternoonAbramturnedNancyandstartedtheplowdownarowthatledstraighttothesumac。Heintendedtostopthere，tietothefence，andgototheriverbank，intheshade，foravisitwiththeCardinal。Itwasverywarm，andhewasfeelingtheheatsomuch，thatinhisheartheknewhewouldbegladtoreachtheendoftherowandtheresthehadpromisedhimself。
Thequicknervousstrokesofthedinnerbell，"Clang!Clang!"
camecuttingtheairclearlyandsharply。AbramstoppedNancywithajerk。ItwasthewarningMariahadpromisedtosendhimifshesawprowlerswithguns。Heshadedhiseyeswithhishandandscannedthepointsofthecompassthroughnarrowedlidswithconcentratedvision。Hefirstcaughtagleamoflightplayingonagun—barrel，andthenhecoulddiscernthefigureofamancladinhunter’soutfitleisurelywalkingdownthelane，towardtheriver。
AbramhastilyhitchedNancytothefence。Bymakingthebesttimehecould，hereachedtheoppositecorner，andwasnibblingthemidribofayoungcornbladeandplacidlyviewingthelandscapewhenthehunterpassed。
"Howdy!"hesaidinanevencordialvoice。
Thehunterwalkedonwithoutliftinghiseyesormakingaudiblereply。ToAbram’sfriendlyoldfashionedheartthisseemedtherankestdiscourtesy；andtherewasaflashinhiseyeandacertainqualityinhisvoiceheliftedahandforparley。
"Holdaminute，myfriend，"hesaid。"Sinceyouareonmypremises，mightIbeprivilegedtoaskifyouhaveseenafewsigns’atIhavepostedpertainin’totheuseofagun？"
"Iamnotblind，"repliedthehunter；"andmyeducationhasbeenlookedaftertotheextentthatIcanmakeoutyournotices。
Fromthenumberandsizeofthem，IthinkIcoulddoit，oldman，ifIhadnoeyes。"
Thescarcelysuppressedsneer，andthe"oldman"gratedonAbram’snervesamazingly，foramanofsixtyyearsofpeace。Thegleaminhiseyesgrewstronger，andtherewasaperceptibleliftofhisshouldersasheanswered：
"Imeant’emtobereadan’understood!Fromthemainroadpassin’thatcabinupthereonthebank，straighttotheriver，an’fromthefurthermostlineo’thisfieldtothesame，ismypremises，an’oneveryfootof’emthesignsareinfullforce。
They’reinalittlefullerforceinJune，whenhalfthebushesan’tuftso’grassarehousin’ayoungbirdfamily，’anatanyothertime。They’resorto’upholdin’thelegislature’sact，providingfortheprotectiono’gamean’singin’birds；an’maybeit’udbewellforyoutonotice’atI’mnotsooldbutI’mabletostandupformyrighttoanylivin’man。"
Therecertainlywasanaddedtingeofrespectinthehunter’stonesasheasked："Wouldyouconsiderittrespassifamansimplycrossedyourland，followingthelineofthefencestoreachthefarmofafriend？"
"Certainlynot!"criedAbram，cordialinhisrelief。"Tobesurenot!Gladtohaveyouconvenienceyourself。Ionlywantedtojestcalltoyournotice’attheBIRDSareprotectedonthisfarm。"
"Ihavenointentionofinterferingwithyourpreciousbirds，I
assureyou，"repliedthehunter。"AndifyourequireanexplanationoftheguninJune，IconfessIdidhopetobeabletopickoffasquirrelforaverysickfriend。ButIsupposeforevensuchcauseitwouldnotbeallowedonyourpremises。"
"Ohpshawnow!"saidAbram。"Manalive!I’mnotonreasonable。
O’courseincaseo’sicknessI’dbegladifyoucouldrunacrossasquirrel。AllIwantedwastohaveaclearunderstandin’aboutthebirds。Goodluck，an’gooddaytoyou!"
AbramstartedacrossthefieldtoNancy，butherepeatedlyturnedtowatchthegleamofthegun—barrel，asthehunterroundedthecornerandstarteddowntheriverbank。Hesawhimleavethelineofthefenceanddisappearinthethicket。
"Goin’straightforthesumac，"mutteredAbram。"It’slikelyI’mafoolfornotstayin’rightbesidehimpastthatpoint。An’
yet——Imadeitfairan’plain，an’hepassedhisword’athewouldn’ttouchthebirds。"
HeuntiedNancy，andforthesecondtimestartedtowardthesumac。Hehadbeenplowingcarefully，hisattentiondividedbetweenthemareandthecorn；butheuprootedhalfthatrow，forhiseyeswanderedtotheCardinal’shomeasifhewerefascinated，andhishandswereshakingwithundueexcitementashegrippedtheplowhandles。AtlasthestoppedNancy，andstoodgazingeagerlytowardtheriver。
"Mustbejestaboutthesumac，"hewhispered。"Lord!butI’llbegladtoseetheoldgun—barrelgleamin’safet’othersideo’it。"
Therewasathinpuffofsmoke，andascreamingechowentrollingandreverberatingdowntheWabash。Abram’seyeswidened，andacuriouswhitenesssettledonhislips。Hestoodasifincapableofmoving。"Clang!Clang!"cameMaria’ssecondwarning。
Thetremblingslidfromhim，andhismuscleshardened。Therewasnotraceofrheumaticstiffnessinhismovements。Withaboundhestruckthechain—tracesfromthesingletreeatNancy’sheels。
Hecaughtthehames，leapedonherback，anddigginghisheelsintohersides，hestretchedalonghernecklikeanIndianandracedacrossthecornfield。Nancy’stwentyyearsslippedfromherashermaster’ssixtyhadfromhim。Withoutunderstandingtheemergency，sheknewthatherequiredallthespeedtherewasinher；andwithtrace—chainsrattlingandbeatingonherheels，shestretchedoutuntilshefairlyswepttheyoungcorn，assheracedforthesumac。OnceAbramstraightened，andslippingahandintohispocket，drewoutaformidablejack—knife，openingitasherode。Whenhereachedthefence，healmostflewoverNancy’shead。Hewentintoafencecorner，andwithafewslashesseveredastouthickorywithe，strippingtheleavesandtoppingitasheleapedthefence。
Hegraspedthisuglyweapon，hiseyesdarkwithangerasheappearedbeforethehunter，whosupposedhimattheothersideofthefield。
"Didyoushootatthatredbird？"heroared。
Ashisgunwasatthesportman’sshoulder，andhewasstillpeeringamongthebushes，denialseemeduseless。"Yes，Idid，"
hereplied，andmadeapretenseofturningtothesumacagain。
TherewasaforwardimpulseofAbram’sbody。"Hit’im？"hedemandedwithawfulcalm。
"ThoughtIhad，butIguessIonlywingedhim。"
Abram’sfingersclosedaroundhisclub。Atthesoundofhisfriend’svoice，theCardinalcamedartingthroughthebushesawaveringflame，andsweptsocloselytohimforprotectionthatawingalmostbrushedhischeek。
"Seehere!Seehere!"shrilledthebirdindeadlypanic。Therewasnotacutfeatheronhim。
Abram’sreliefwassogreatheseemedtoshrinkaninchinheight。
"Youngman，youbetterthankyourGodyoumissedthatbird，"hesaidsolemnly，"forifyou’dkilledhim，I’da—mauledthissticktoribbonsonyou，an’I’mmostafraidIwouldn’ta—knowedwhentoquit。"
Headvancedastepinhiseagerness，andthehunter，mistakinghismotive，levelledhisgun。
"Dropthat!"shoutedAbram，ashebrokethroughthebushesthatclungtohim，toretheclothingfromhisshoulders，andheldhimback。"Dropthat!Don’tyoudarepointaweaponatme；onmyownpremises，an’afteryoupassedyourword。
"Yourword!"repeatedAbram，withwitheringscorn，hiswhite，quiveringoldfaceterribletosee。"Youngman，Igotacoupleo’thingstosaytoyou。You’r’shapedlikeaman，an’you’r’
dressedlikeaman，an’yetthesmartestpersonlivin’wouldnevertakeyouforanythingbutanegg—suckin’dog，thisminute。
AllthetimeGodeverspentonyouwaswasted，an’yourmother’shadthesameluck。Is’poseGod’susedtohavingcreatures’atHe’smadegowrong，butIpityyourmother。Goodnessknowsawomansuffersan’worksenoughoverherchildren，an’thentofetchaboytoman’sestatean’havehim，ofhisownfreewillan’accord，bealiar!Youngman，truthisthecornerstoneo’
thetempleo’character。Nobodycanputupagoodbuildin’
withoutasolidfoundation；an’youcan’tdosolidcharacterbuildin’withalieatthebase。Man’at’saliarain’tfitforanything!Can’ttrusthiminnosphereorrelationo’life；orinanyway，shape，ormanner。Youpassedoutyourwordlikeaman，an’likeamanItookitan’wentofftrustin’you，an’youfailedme。Likeasnotthatsquirrelstorywasalie，too!Haveyougotasickfriendwhoisneedin’squirrelbroth？"
Thehuntershookhishead。
"No？Thatwasn’ttrueeither？I’llownyoumakemecurious。
’Udyoumindtellin’mewhatwasyouridyincookin’upthatsquirrelstory？"
Thehunterspokewithaneffort。"IsupposeIwantedtodosomethingtomakeyoufeelsmall，"headmitted，inahuskyvoice。
"Youwantedtomakemefeelsmall，"repeatedAbram，wonderingly。
"Lord!Lord!Youngman，didyoueverhearo’aboomerang？It’sakindo’weaponusedinBorneo，erAustraly，ersomeo’themfurrinparts，an’it’ssomade’attheheathenscanpitchit，an’
itcutsacirclean’comesbacktothefellow，atthrowed。I
can’tseemyself，an’Idon’tknowhowsmallI’mlookin’；butI’dratherlosetenyearo’mylife’antohaveanybodycatchmelookin’aslittleasyoudorightnow。Iguesswelookaboutthewaywefeelinthisworld。I’mfeelin’nearthesizeo’Goliathatpresent；butyoursizeissuch’atithustlesmetoseeanyMANinyouatall。An’youwantedtomakemefeelsmall!My，oh，my!An’yousoyoungyet，too!
"An’ifithadn’ta—compassedamattero’breakin’yourword，what’udyouwanttokilltheredbirdfor，anyhow？Whogiveyourightstogo’roundtakin’suchbeautyan’joyoutoftheworld？
Whodoyouthinkmadethisworldan’thethings’at’sinit？
Maybeit’syournotion’atsomebodyaboutyoursizewhittleditfromablocko’wood，scatteredalittlesandforearth，stuckafewseedsfortrees，an’startedtheoceanswithawaterin’pot!
Idon’tknowwhatpavedstreetsan’stallfeedin’doforaman，butanyone’at’slivedsixtyyearonthegroundknows’atthiswholeoldearthisjestteemin’withwork’at’stoobigforanythingbutaGod，an’amightyBIGGodatthat!
"Youdon’tneverneedbothernone’boutthediskivrieso’
science，forifsciencecouldprove’attheearthwasaredhotslagbrokenfromthesun，’atballedan’cooledflyin’throughspaceuntiltheforceo’gravitycaughtan’heldit，itdoesn’tprovewhatthesunbrokefrom，orwhyitballedan’didn’tcool。
Skyoveryourhead，earthunderfoot，treesaroundyou，an’riverthere——allfullo’life’atyouain’tnomortalrighttotouch，’cosGodmadeit，an’it’sHis!Course，Iknow’atHesaiddistinct’atmanwastohave`dominionoverthebeastso’thefield，an’thefowlso’theair’An’thatmeans’atyou’refreetosmashacopperheadinsteadoflettingitstingyou。Means’atyoubettershootawolfthantoletitcarryoffyourlambs。
Means，atit’srighttokillahawkan’saveyourchickens；butGodknows’atshootin’aredbirdjusttoseethefeathersflyisn’thavingdominionoveranything；it’sjestmakin’aplumbbeasto’YERSELF。Passesme，howyoucanfaceuptotheAlmighty，an’drawabeadonathinglikethat!Takesmoregall’nIgot!
"Godnevermadeanythingprettier’anthatbird，an’Hemusta—beenmightyproudo’thejob。Jestcastyoureyesonitthere!
Everseeanythingsorunnin’overwithdainty，pretty，coaxin’
ways？Littleredcreatures，fullo’hist’ry，too!Everthinko’
that？Lastyear’sbird，hatchedhereabout，likeasnot。WentSouthforwinter，an’madefriends’at’sbeenfeedin’，an’
teachin’ittoTRUSTmankind。Backthisspringinanight，an’
struckthatsumacoveramonthago。BrokemeallupfirsttimeI
everseteyesonit。
"BiggestreddestredbirdIeversaw；an’jestamasterhandatking’sEnglish!Talkplainasyoucan!Don’tknowwhathesaiddownSouth，butyoucanbankonit，itwassumpin’prettyfine。
Whenhesettledhere，hewasdiscoursin’ontheweather，an’hetalkeditoutaboutproper。He’dsay，`Wetyear!Wetyear!’jestlikethat!Hegotthe`wet’jestasgoodasIcan，an’，ifhedrawedthe`ye—ar’outalittle，stillanyblockheadcoulda—toldwhathewassayin’，an’inavoiceprettyan’clearasabell。
Thenhegotlove—sick，an’beggedforcomp’nyuntilhebrokemeallup。An’ifI’da—beenahenredbirdIwouldn’ta—beensolongcomin’。Hadmepulverizedinless’nnotime!Thenalittlehencomes’long，an’stopswithhim；an’’twaslikeanorganplayin’prayerstohearhimtellherhowhelovedher。Nowthey’vegotanestfullo’thecunningestlittletopknotbabies，an’he’ssplittin’theechoes，callingforthewholeneighbourhoodtocomesee’em，he’ssomortalproud。
"Stakemylifehe’sneverbeenfiredonafore!He’sprettynearwildwithnarvousness，buthe’sgottoomuchspunktoleavehisfam’ly，an’gooffan’hidefromcreatureslikeyou。They’snocautioninhim。Lookathimtearin’’roundtogiveyouanotherchance!
"Ifeltmosttoorheumatickytotacklefieldworkthisspringuntilhecome’long，an’thefireo’hiscoatan’songgotmewarmedupasIain’tbeeninyears。Work’sgonelikeitwasgreased，an’mysoul’sbeensingin’forjoyo’lifean’happinessev’ryminuteo’thetimesincehecome。Beencarryin’himgrubtothattoprailoncean’twiceadayforthelastmonth，an’I
cangointhreefeeto’him。Mywifecomestoseehim，an’
bringshimstuff；an’weaboutworshiphim。Whoareyou，tocome’longan’wipeouthisjoyinlife，an’ourjoyinhim，forjestnothin’？You’dalefthimtorotontheground，ifyou’dahithim；an’mean’Maria’slovedhimso!
"D’youeverstoptothinkhowfullthisworldiso’thingstolove，ifyourheart’sjestbigenoughtolet’emin？Welovetoliveforthebeautyo’thethingssurroundin’us，an’thejoywetakeinbein’among’em。An’it’smybelief’atthewaytomakefolksloveus，isforustobeableto’preciatewhattheycando。Ifaman’sputtin’hisheartan’soul，an’blood，an’
beef—steak，an’bonesintopaintin’picters，youcantalkfarmin’
tohimallday，an’he’sdumb；butjestshowhim’atyouseewhathe’sa—drivin’atinhiswork，an’he’llloveyoulikeabrother。
Whateveranybodysucceedsin，it’ssuccess’costheysoloveit’attheyputthebesto’theirselvesintoit；an’so，lovin’whattheydo，islovin’them。
"It’ud’boutkillapainter—mantoputthebesto’himselfintohispicture，an’thenhavesomefellowlikeyoucome’longan’
pourturpentineonitjesttoseethepaintrun；an’IthinkitmustprettywelluseGodup，tofigureouthowtomakean’colourathinglikethatbird，an’thenhaveyouwalkupan’shootthelittleredheartoutofit，jesttoprove’atyoucan!He’stheverylifeo’thisriverbank。I’dassoonseeyoudiguptheunderbrush，an’dryuptheriver，an’spoilthepicturetheymakeagainstthesky，astohev’youdroptheredbird。He’stheredlifeo’thewholething!Godmusta—madehimwhenhisheartwaspulsin’hotwithlovean’thelusto’creatin’in—com—PAR—ablethings；an’Hejestsawhowprettyit’udbetodiphisfeatherin’intothebloodHewasputtin’inhisveins。
"Tomymind，ain’tnobetterwaytolovean’worshipGod，’antoprotectan’’preciatethesefinegiftsHe’sgivenforourjoyan’
use。Worshipin’thatbird’sakindo’religionwithme。Gettingthebeautyfromthesky，an’thetrees，an’thegrass，an’thewater’atGodmade，isnothin’butdoin’Himhomage。Wholeearth’sasanctuary。Youcanworshipfromskyabovetograssunderfoot。
"Course，eachmanhashisparticularaltar。Mine’sinthatcabinupatthebendo’theriver。Marialivesthere。Godneverdidcleanerwork，’anwhenHemadeMaria。Lovin，her’ssacrament。
She’ssoclean，an’pure，an’honest，an’big—hearted!InfortyyearI’veneverjestdurstbracerightuptoMariaan’trytoputinwordswhatshemeanstome。Neversawnothin’elseasbeautiful，orasgood。Noflower’sasfragrantan’smellyasherhaironherpillow。Nevertappedabeetreewithhoneysweetasherlipsa—twitchin’withalovequiver。Ain’tabird’longtheol’Wabashwithavoiceuptohers。Loveo’Godain’tbroader’nherkindness。Whenshe’sbeenhometoseeherfolks，I’vebeensohungryforher’atI’vegonetoherclosetan’kissedthehemo’herskirtsmore’nonce。I’veneveryetdaredkissherfeet，butI’vealwayswantedto。I’velaidout’atifshediesfirst，I’lldoitthen。An’Maria’udcryhereyesoutifyou’da—hittheredbird。Yourtrappin’slooklikeyoucouldshoot。Iguess’twasGodmadethatshotflythemark。Iguess——"
"Ifyoucanstop，fortheloveofmercydoit!"criedthehunter。
Hisfacewasasicklywhite，histempleswetwithsweat，andhisbodytrembling。"Ican’tendureanymore。Idon’tsupposeyouthinkI’veanyhumaninstinctsatall；butIhaveafew，andI
seethewaytoarousemore。Youprobablywon’tbelieveme，butI’llneverkillanotherinnocentharmlessthing；andIwillneverlieagainsolongasIlive。"
Heleanedhisgunagainstthethorntree，anddroppedtheremainderofhishunter’soutfitbesideitontheground。
"Idon’tseemafitsubjectto`havedominion，’"hesaid。"I’llleavethosethingforyou；andthankyouforwhatyouhavedoneforme。"
Therewasacrashthroughthebushes，aleapoverthefence，andAbramandtheCardinalwerealone。
Theoldmansatdownsuddenlyonafallenlimbofthesycamore。
Hewasalmostdazedwithastonishment。Hehelduphisshakinghands，andwatchedthemwonderingly，andthencuppedoneovereachtremblingkneetosteadyhimself。Heoutlinedhisdrylipswiththetipofhistongue，andbreathedinheavygusts。Heglancedtowardthethorntree。
"Lefthisgun，"hehoarselywhispered，"an’it’sfineasafiddle。Lock，stock，an’barreljusta—shinin’。An’allthatheapo’leatherfixin’s。Musta—costaloto’money。Saidhewasn’tfittouse’em!Leptthefencelikeapanther，an’cutdirtacrossthecornfield。An’leftmethegun!Well!Well!
Well!WonderwhatIsaid？Imusta—beenalmostFIERCE。"
"Seehere!Seehere!"shrilledtheCardinal。
Abramlookedhimovercarefully。Hewasquiveringwithfear，butinnowayinjured。
"My!butthatwasaclosecall，ol’fellow"said，Abram。"Minutelater，an’ourfun’uda—beenover，an’thesummerjestspoiled。
Wonderifyouknewwhatitmeant，an’ifyou’llbegun—shyafterthis。Landknows，Ihopeso；forafewmoresuchdoses’ulljestlaymeup。"
Hegatheredhimselftogetheratlast，setthegunoverthefence，andclimbingafterit，caughtNancy，whohadfeastedtoplethoraonyoungcorn。Hefastenedupthetrace—chains，andclimbingtoherback，laidthegunacrosshislapandrodetothebarn。Heattendedthemarewithparticularsolicitude，andbathedhisfaceandhandsinthewatertroughtomakehimselfalittlemorepresentabletoMaria。Hestartedtothehouse，buthadonlygoneashortwaywhenhestopped，andafterstandinginthoughtforatime，turnedbacktothebarnandgaveNancyanotherearofcorn。
"Afterall，itwasallyou，ol’girl，"hesaid，pattinghershoulder，"Ineveronearthcoulda—madeitontimeafoot。"
Hewassotiredheleanedforsupportagainsther，fortheunusualexertionandintenseexcitementweretellingonhimsorely，andasherestedheconfidedtoher："Idon’tknowasI
everinmylifewassoriled，Nancy。I’mafraidIwasalittlemitefierce。"
Heexhibitedthegun，andtoldthestoryverysoberlyatsuppertime；andMariawassofilledwithsolicitudeforhimandthebird，andsoindignantattheactofthehunter，thatsheneversaidawordaboutAbram’stornclothingandthehoursofpatchingthatwouldensue。Shesatlookingatthegunandthinkingintentlyforalongtime；andthenshesaidpityingly：
"Idon’tknowjestwhatyoucoulda—said’at’udmakeamangooffan’leaveagunlikethat。Poorfellow!Idohope，Abram，youdidn’tcomedownonhimtooawfulstrong。Maybehelosthismotherwhenhewasjestalittletyke，an’hehasn’thadmuchteachin’。"
Abramwascompletelywornout，andwentearlytobed。FarinthenightMariafelthimfumblingaroundherfaceinanefforttolearnifshewerecovered；andashedrewthesheetoverhershoulderhemutteredinwornandsleepytones："I’mafraidthey’snousedenyin’it，Maria，IWASJESTMORTALFIERCE。"
Inthesumacthefrightenedlittlemothercardinalwaspressingherpreciousbabiescloseagainstherbreast；andallthroughthenightshekeptcallingtohermate，"Chook!Chook!"andwassatisfiedonlywhenananswering"Chip!"came。AsfortheCardinal，hehadlearnedanewlesson。Hehadnotbeenunderfirebefore。Neveragainwouldhetrustanyonecarryingashiningthingthatbelchedfireandsmoke。Hehadseenthehuntercoming，andhadracedhometodefendhismateandbabies，thusmakingabrilliantmarkofhimself；andashewouldnothavedesertedthem，onlythearrivalofthefarmerhadavertedatragedyinthesumac。Hedidnotlearntousecautionforhimself；butafterthat，ifaguncamedowntheshiningriver，hesentawarning"Chip!"tohismate，tellinghertocrouchlowinhernestandkeepveryquiet，andthen，inbrokenwavesofflight，andwithchirpandflutter，heexposedhimselfuntilhehadlureddangerfromhisbelovedones。
Whenthebabiesgrewlargeenoughfortheirmothertoleavethemashorttime，sheassistedinfoodhunting，andtheCardinalwasnotsobusy。Hethencouldfindtimefrequentlytomounttothetopofthedogwood，andcrytotheworld，"Seehere!Seehere!"
forthecardinalbabiesweresplendid。Buthismusicwasbrokenintermittentvocalizingnow，oftenutteredpastabeakfuloffood，andinterspersedwithspasmodic"chips"ifdangerthreatenedhismateandnestlings。
Despitealltheircare，itwasnotsoverylonguntiltroublecametothesumac；anditwasallbecausethefirst—bornwasplainlygreedy；muchmoresothaneitherhislittlebrotherorhissister，andhewasonedayaheadoftheminstrength。Healwayspushedhimselfforward，criedtheloudestandlongest，andsotookthegreaterpartofthefoodcarriedtothenest；andoneday，whilehewasstillquiteawkwardanduncertain，heclimbedtotheedgeandreachedsofarthathefell。Herolleddowntheriverbank，splash!intothewater；andahungryoldpickerel，sunningintheweeds，finishedhimatasnap。Hemadeamorselsofat，sweet，andjuicythatthepickerellingeredcloseforaweek，waitingtoseeiftherewouldbeanymoreaccidents。
TheCardinal，huntinggrubsinthecornfield，heardthefrightenedcriesofhismate，anddashedtothesumacintimetoseethepoorlittleballofbrightlytintedfeathersdisappearinthewaterandtohearthesplashofthefish。Hecalledinhelplesspanicandflutteredoverthespot。Hewatchedandwaiteduntiltherewasnohopeofthenestlingcomingup，thenhewenttothesumactotrytocomforthismate。Shecouldnotbeconvincedthatheryoungonewasgone，andfortheremainderofthedayfilledtheairwithalarmcriesandnotesofwailing。
ThetwothatremainedweresurelytheenvyofBirdland。Themalebabywasaperfectcopyofhisbigcrimsonfather，onlyhislittlecoatwasgray；butitwassohighlytingedwithredthatitwasbrilliant，andhisbeakandfeetwerereallyred；andhowhiscrestdidflare，andhowproudandimportanthefelt，whenhefoundhecouldraiseandloweritatwill。Hissisterwasnotnearlysobrightashe，andshewasalmostasgreedyasthelostbrother。Withhisfather’schivalryheallowedhertocrowdinandtakethemostoftheseedsandberries，sothatshecontinuallyappearedasifshecouldswallownomore，yetshewasconstantlycallingforfood。
Shetookthefirstflight，beingsogreedysheforgottobeafraid，andactuallyflewtoaneighbouringthorntreetomeettheCardinal，comingwithfood，beforesherealizedwhatshehaddone。Foroncegluttonyhaditsproperreward。Shenotonlymissedthebite，butshegotherlittleselfmightilywellscared。Withpoppingeyesandfear—flattenedcrest，sheclungtothethornlimb，shiveringatthedepthsbelow；anditwasthegreatestcomfortwhenherbrotherpluckedupcourageandcamesailingacrosstoher。But，ofcourse，shecouldnotbeexpectedtoadmitthat。Whenshesawhoweasilyhedidit，sheflaredhercrest，turnedherheadindifferently，andinquiredifhedidnotfindflyingaveryeasymatter，oncehemusteredcouragetotryit；andshemadehimverymuchashamedindeedbecausehehadallowedhertobethefirsttoleavethenest。Fromthethorntreetheyworkedtheirwaytothedeadsycamore；buttherethelackoffoliagemadethemsoconspicuousthattheirmotheralmostwentintospasmsfromfright，andsheliterallydrovethembacktothesumac。
TheCardinalwassoinordinatelyproud，andmadesuchabraveshowingofteachingthemtofly，bathe，andalltheotherthingsnecessaryforyoungbirdstoknow，thatitwasagreatmercytheyescapedwiththeirlives。Hehadmasteredmanylessons，buthenevercouldbetaughthowtobequietandconcealhimself。Withexplosive"chips"flamingandflashing，hemetdangersthatsentalltheotherbirdsbesidetheshiningriverracingtocover。
Concealmenthescorned；andreposeheneverknew。
ItwasasummerfullofrichexperiencefortheCardinal。Afterthesefirstbabieswereraisedandhadflown，twomorenestswerebuilt，andtwootherbroodsflewaroundthesumac。ByfalltheCardinalwasthefatherofasmallflock，andtheywereeachoneneat，trim，beautifulriverbirds。
Hehadlivedthroughspringwithitsperfumedair，paleflowers，andburninghearthunger。Hehadknownsummerinitsgoldenmood，withforestspungentwithspicebushandsassafras；
festoonedwithwildgrape，woodbine，andbittersweet；carpetedwithvelvetmossandstarrymandrakepeepingfrombeneathgreenshades；thenever—endingmurmuroftheshiningriver；andtherichfulfilmentoflove’sfruition。
Nowitwasfall，andallthepromisesofspringwereaccomplished。Thewoodsweregloriousinautumnaltints。Therewereripenedredhaws，blackhaws，andwildgrapesonlywaitingforseverefrosts，nutsrattlingdown，scurryingsquirrels，andtherabbits’flashofgrayandbrown。Thewaysideswerebrightwiththegloryofgoldenrod，androyalwiththepurpleofastersandironwort。Therewastherustleoffallingleaves，theflittingofvelvetybutterflies，thewhirofwingstrainedsouthward，andthecallofthekingcrowgatheringhisfollowers。
ThentotheCardinalcametheintuitionthatitwastimetoleadhisfamilytotheorangeorchard。Onedaytheyflamedandriotedupanddowntheshiningriver，racedoverthecornfield，andtiltedonthesumac。Thenext，ablackfrosthadstrippeditsantleredlimbs。Starkanddeserteditstood，apictureofloneliness。
Obirdofwonderfulplumageandhuman—likesong!WhatapreciousthoughtofDivinitytocreatesuchbeautyandmusicforourpleasure!Bravesongsteroftheflamingcoat，tooproudtohideyourflashingbeauty，toofearlesstobecautiousofthemanydangersthatbesetyou，fromthetopofthemorningwegreetyou，andhailyouKingofBirdland，atyourimperiouscommand："Seehere!Seehere!"