GOOD-NIGHT STORY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 303, 22 December 1937, Page 22

GOOD-NIGHT STORY.

THE PRIMA DONNA OF THE CAGE] SHOWS A LITTLE TEMPERAMENT. I "My, don't you sing beautifully, Mr. Canary?" said Mij, Flor, Hanid, Yam 1 and Knarf —the little shadow children. f They were sitting 011 one of the perches < inside the cage while tlie canary stood opposite them. He wasn't afraid of * them at all because they were only half as big as he was. ] "I sing very well," he admitted, giving them a long trill just to show how easy it was for him. "Who taught you?" asked Yam. "My father taught me." "And who taught him?" inquired Mij. "My grandfather." "And who taught him?" demanded Knarf. "I- wish you wouldn't ask so many questions," said the canary. "I must give a concert now." At this he perked up his head and warbled a song. The song was all about how nice it was to fly around among the palm trees while the sun shone so brightly that you couldn't look at it without blinking. "What does a palm tree look like?" a.tkeil Knarf, who was very curious. "I don't know," replied the canary. "I've never been outside a cage. I sing about it because my father taught me to. Long ago we used to build our nests in palm tree forests." The little singer preened its wings proudly. "That was before we became so strong that we made people take care of us as they do now." The clock struck twelve. "Lunch time," he announced. "Will you have a bite to eat?" "What have you got?" asked the shadows. "Well," he replied, hopping down to his feed box, "1 have canary seed and hemp and ..." All at once he tittered an exclamation of dismay. "Gracious, there's nothing left but shells. These people have forgotten to fill it. This is more than I can bear." Standing upon his perch, he called out at the top of his voice. "How dare you forget to give me my seeds? I don't like to be too severe with them," he told the shadow children, "for they are none too clever. If you don't come at once," he cried again, "I'll soon find others who can take care of me." Jnst then the little real children, who were sitting near the cage, looked in 1 to see what made the canary sing so • loudly. "Quick," he screamed, "don't ' stand gaping at me. Run and bring me L my food and water." At this little I Frank stuck his finger in the cage and the canary flew at it in anger, his wings fluttering"wildly. He made such a to-do that the children's mother hurried in. "Oh, you mustn't annoy Dickie," she exclaimed. "He doesn't like it; let hiin finish his lunch." ' "Finish!" he exclaimed, "I can't even l>egin. Can't you see I have no seed?" Dinah, who didn't, of course, understand a word of what the canary was saying, happened to glance into the feed box. "Dickie has eaten all his food, mother." e "Then please give him some more," mother told her. With that Dinah filled n the box. "That's better," cried the canary, somewhat more gently. "But don't ever let this happen again. You see," he said to the shadow children, "you have to scold them occasionally to make them mind." ; "She didn't mind you," exclaimed 1 Knarf. "She didn't hear you scold her," said , Flor.

"Hut did as her mother told her, added Mij.