The Burgess Bird Book for ChildrenBurgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
General
The Burgess Bird Book for Children
Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
Birds -- Juvenile literature
“Because that is where I will get a good part of my living,” Kitty
responded promptly. “He ought to be glad to have me about. Once in a
while I take a little fruit, but I pay for it ten times over by the
number of bugs and worms I get in his garden and the Old Orchard. I
pride myself on being useful. There's nothing like being useful in this
world, Peter.”
Peter nodded as if he quite agreed. Though, as you know and I know,
Peter himself does very little except fill his own big stomach.
CHAPTER XXVIII. Peter Sees Rosebreast and Finds Redcoat.
“Who's that?” Peter Rabbit pricked up his long ears and stared up at the
tops of the trees of the Old Orchard.
Instantly Jenny Wren popped her head out of her doorway. She cocked her
head on one side to listen, then looked down at Peter, and her sharp
little eyes snapped.
“I don't hear any strange voice,” said she. “The way you are staring,
Peter Rabbit, one would think that you had really heard something new
and worth while.”
Just then there were two or three rather sharp, squeaky notes from the
top of one of the trees. “There!” cried Peter. “There! Didn't you hear
that, Jenny Wren?”
“For goodness' sake, Peter Rabbit, you don't mean to say you don't
know whose voice that is,” she cried. “That's Rosebreast. He and Mrs.
Rosebreast have been here for quite a little while. I didn't suppose
there was any one who didn't know those sharp, squeaky voices. They
rather get on my nerves. What anybody wants to squeak like that for when
they can sing as Rosebreast can, is more than I can understand.”
At that very instant Mr. Wren began to scold as only he and Jenny can.
Peter looked up at Jenny and winked slyly. “And what anybody wants to
scold like that for when they can sing as Mr. Wren can, is too much for
me,” retorted Peter. “But you haven't told me who Rosebreast is.”
“The Grosbeak, of course, stupid,” sputtered Jenny. “If you don't know
Rosebreast the Grosbeak, Peter Rabbit, you certainly must have been
blind and deaf ever since you were born. Listen to that! Just listen to
that song!”
Peter listened. There were many songs, for it was a very beautiful
morning and all the singers of the Old Orchard were pouring out the joy
that was within them. One song was a little louder and clearer than the
others because it came from a tree very close at hand, the very tree
from which those squeaky notes had come just a few minutes before.
Peter suspected that that must be the song Jenny Wren meant. He looked
puzzled. He was puzzled. “Do you mean Welcome Robin's song?” he asked
rather sheepishly, for he had a feeling that he would be the victim of
Jenny Wren's sharp tongue.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account