RUTH’S LITTLE ONES

Evening Star, Issue 21820, 8 September 1934, Page 5

RUTH’S LITTLE ONES

Ruth lives in a hamlet about forty miles, as the crow flies, from London. She has several families —Susan, the lovely gold and black and white cat, and her naughty sons, Toby and Sandy; .1 barred woodpecker, very handsome in his black and white and crimson, who comes to the apple tree to see if Ruth has thrown out a bone with a bit of marrow in it; and two families of swallows. For a day Ruth had a very large family indeed, including the poor bees which swarmed in the hamlet letterbox and stopped any news getting into the outside world for twenty-four hours. Something went wrong with the bees, and they had to be smoked out with sulphur. Ruth has had an anxious time with the swallows this year. From April into May she watched for them, wondering what they would do when they

came, for the sparrows had stolen their nests under the eaves. Morning after morning she looked and listened for them coming up from the south. When other people said ‘‘ Good morning ” Ruth said “ The swallows are late.” One day something flashed in the air above her head. “ They’ve come,” she said, and went round the hamlet telling everybody the swallows were here at last.' But where would they _ nest ? Perhaps in the woodshed, or in the smithy by the pond. No one thought of the little chapel in the lane. Said Ruth with a smile one morning: “ Do you see where four of the swallows are going to nest?” She pointed to the chapel ivindows. In the top left-hand corners, out of the north wind, were some little splashes of mud Anxious eyes watched the progress of the housebuilders. Thousands of journeys were made by the swallows, to and fro between the mud of the pond and the chapel windows. In three days the nests had taken a shape; in six it seemed they had always been there. One early morning Ruth stood watching with a smile. While she had been in bed the swallows had taken possession of their new houses. In each Mrs Swallow was sitting well tucked in, so that if you did not look carefully you would not see her head, and the husband was whirling up and down outside, skimming close by the edge of the nest, to smile at her. i Presently Ruth began to look worried. It was all very well to-day, but what about chapel? The swallows had slung their hammocks between the i stone and the wood, and if the windows were opened they would be dislodged. Ruth ran to see the chapelkeeper, and asked him if he would please be so good as to open the windows on Mrs Brown’s orchard and not i on the lane, ns he generally did, because her swallows had made nests in the lane windows. The chapel-keeper said he would see to that, indeed ho would, and Ruth ran back very much relieved, until Sunday morning brought a fresh crop of anxieties. Suppose the singing and the preaching upset the swallows? She watched them during the day. They seemed rather cross at so many visitors

in their lane, but they did not forsake their new house. When Monday morning quiet wrapped the hamlet round again Ruth gave a relieved sigh. “ They have stood it,” she said; ‘‘ they will be all right now. All I have to do is to wait for the little birds and then keep an eye on Susan and Toby and Sandy.”