AUGUST 1: The Brave Mocking Bird
“I have a true story to tell you this evening, children,” said daddy, “of a mocking bird.
“Mr. Mitchell Mocking Bird was his name and he was a pet in a large family of children. They all loved him and he could speak a good many words, and he could sing like ever so many birds. He was allowed out of his cage, too. One night Mitchell began to scream. How he did yell! Piercing yells went all through the house! And he hurried from one bedroom to another. He awoke the mother and daddy of the children first and then he woke up the children.
“‘Come!’ he called. It was a word he could say, and he kept repeating it over and over again.
“‘Come! Come! Come!’ And they all hurried, one after the other, and followed the mocking bird downstairs.
“What should they see but a tiny blaze, which every few minutes seemed to grow and splutter and burst into a bigger flame.
“‘Water! Every one get water!’ shouted the children’s daddy, and the mocking bird kept calling:
“‘Come!’
“They were all thoroughly frightened but they kept their wits about them and kept filling buckets and jugs with water which they poured over the flame.
“After a little while it was out. The Mocking Bird looked very tired.His eyes blinked as if he could hardly keep awake, and it was just then that every one of them noticed him.
“‘Mitchell, you have saved the house and our lives. That fire would have spread and goodness knows what would have happened,’ said their daddy. ‘What a fine, brave bird you are.’
“And the children stroked Mitchell and said:
“‘Fine, brave bird. Daddy says so, too! Our lovely Mitchell Mocking Bird.’
“Mitchell was almost asleep. The fire was out. He had finished his work. He was ready to rest now. He didn’t care about praise. But he was happy that they all loved him so. And how he cared for them. He had saved them and they knew it. He was very happy. And in his own bird way he had thought all this out.
“But to the great surprise of them all, Mitchell said a word they had never known he could say, but it was just the right one. ‘Safe, all safe,’ said Mitchell, as he went to sleep.”