THE SPARROWS INSIDE THE EAVES
One does not like to say such things, but the English Sparrows werevery disagreeable people. And they are very disagreeable people. Also,they always have been, and probably always will be, very disagreeablepeople. They were the first birds to make trouble among neighborsanywhere around the big house. If it had not been that the Gentlemanwho lived there was so very tender-hearted, their nests would probablyhave been poked down with poles long before the eggs could have beenlaid in them. When Boys came around with little rifles and uglylooking bags slung over their shoulders, they were always orderedaway and told that the Gentleman would have no shooting near hishouse.
It is not strange then that the woodbine was full of Sparrows' nests,and that many of the evergreens also bore them in their top branches.One had even been tucked in behind a conductor pipe, and their ownershunted and argued and fussed all over the place. There was just oneway in which the English Sparrows were not cared for like other birdsaround the big house. Silvertip was allowed to eat all that he couldcatch. And you may be very sure that no Robin ever called "Cat!" whenhe was ready to spring upon a Sparrow.
"It may be wrong," said one Robin mother, "but I cannot do it. Iremember too well how they have robbed my nests and quarrelled with myfriends. I say that they must care for their own children. And if theydo not--well, so much the better for Silvertip!"
You see that the birds were not angry at Silvertip for trying to eatthem. It was all to be expected, as they knew very well. It was notpleasant, but it had to be, just as Worms and Flies had to expect tobe eaten, unless they were clever enough to keep out of the way ofbirds. Only the quickest and strongest could live, so of course allthe young ones tried hard to become quick and strong.
When Miss Sparrow, from the nest behind the conductor pipe, was oldenough to marry, she had many lovers, and that was quite natural. Shewas a plump and trim-looking bird, and pretty, too, if one came closeenough to her. Her feathers were gray and brown, with a little whiteand black in places. Her bill was black, and her feet were brown. Shewas very careful to keep clean, and although she had to hunt food inthe mud of the street, she bathed often in fine dust and kept herwings and tail well up. Her lovers were dressed in the same colors,but with more decided markings.
Her parents were very clever to think of building where they did; andbecause they had such a large nest and so near the eaves of the house,they were much looked up to by the other Sparrows. They were veryproud of their home, and especially on days when the water runningdown the pipe made a sweet guggle-guggle-guggling sound. Sparrows likenoise, you know, and this always amused the children and kept themquiet on rainy days.
All the young Sparrows who were not already in love, and a few whowere, began to court Miss Sparrow as soon as it was known that shecared to marry. This was partly on her own account, and partly becauseof her distinguished family.
Some birds would have waited for their suitors to speak first aboutmarriage. Miss Sparrow did not. The Sparrows are not very well bred."Of course I am going to marry," she said. "I am only waiting to makeup my mind whom I will choose."
They flocked around her as she fed in the dust of the road, alltalking at once in their harsh voices. When a team passed by, and thatwas not often, they flew or hopped aside at the last minute. When theysettled down again there was always a squabble to see who should benext to Miss Sparrow. Her lovers fought with each other over choiceseeds, but they let Miss Sparrow have everything she wished. Shealways seemed very cross when her lovers were around (as well as mostof the time when they were not), and often scolded and pecked at them.Sometimes one who was not brave, and would not stand pain, flew awayand began courting somebody else.
After a while she had driven away so many that only two were left. Sheflew at these, striking first one and then the other, until, brave asthey were, one went away. Then she turned to the suitor who was leftwith a sweet smile. "I will marry you," she said.
His wings were lame from her fighting him, his head smarted where shehad picked at it, and two or three small feathers were missing fromhis breast. Miss Sparrow was certainly a strong bird, and he knew thatanybody who wanted her would have to stand just what he had stood. Hewould have preferred to court as the Goldfinches and Wrens do, bysinging to their sweethearts, but that could not be. In the firstplace, he could not sing, and in the second place she would not havetaken him until she had beaten him anyway. It would have been more funfor him to fight some of the other birds and let the winner have her,yet that could not be done either. If he wanted to marry, he had tomarry an English Sparrow, and if he wanted to marry an EnglishSparrow he had to go about it in her way. It would have been just thesame if he had courted her sister or her cousin.
The truth is that, although the Sparrow husbands swagger and brag agreat deal and act as though they owned everything in sight, there isnot one whose wife does not order him around. Miss Sparrow would nothave taken him if she had not made sure that she could whip him.
"What do I need of a husband," she said, "unless he will mind me? Andwhen I feel crosser than usual I want somebody always near and athome, where I can treat him as I choose. That is what I care for in ahome."
"Now," she said, "if you are to be my husband, I will show you wherewe are to build."
Mr. Sparrow flew meekly along after her. You would be meek with lamewings, a sore head, and three feathers off from your breast. She ledthe way to the front west porch, where the syringa shoots made alittle hedge around it and a tall fir tree made good perching placesbeside it.
"Where are we going to build?" asked Mr. Sparrow. He saw plenty ofgood window ledges and places which would do for Robins and Phoebesand other birds who plaster their nests. Yet he did not see a singlecorner or big crack where a Sparrow's nest could be made to holdtogether.
"I will show you," answered Mrs. Sparrow. She perched on the top of aporch column and looked up at a small round hole nearly over her head.It was the place where a conductor pipe had once run through thecornice. Now the pipe had been taken away and the opening was left.She gave an upward spring and flutter and went straight up throughthe hole. "Come up!" she cried in the most good-natured way. "Come up!This is the best place I ever saw. Our nest will be all hidden, and nolarge bird or Squirrel can possibly get in. The rain can never fall onit, and on cold days we shall be warm and snug."
She did not ask him what he thought of it, and he did not expect herto. So he just said, "It is a most unusual place."
"That is what I think," she replied. "Very unusual, and I would notbuild in the woodbine like some Sparrows. No, indeed! One who has beenbrought up in style beside a water-pipe, as I was, could never comedown to woodbine. It should not be expected."
"I'm sure it was not, my dear," said her husband.
"Very well," said she. "Since you like this place so much, we may aswell call it settled and keep still about it until we are ready tobuild."
Mr. Sparrow had not said that he liked it, yet he knew better than totell her so. If he did, she might leave him even now for one of herother lovers. He really dreaded getting out through that hole, and lether go while he watched her. She went head first, clinging to therough edges of the hole with both feet, let go with one, hung andtwisted around until she was headed right, then dropped and flew away.Mr. Sparrow did the same, but he did not like it.
After a while they began nest-building, and all the straws, sticks,and feathers had to be dragged up through the little round doorway tothe nest. Mrs. Sparrow did most of the arranging, while her husbandflew in and out more than a hundred times a day. She was a worker. Anybird will tell you that. Still, you know, there are different ways ofworking. Some of the people who do the most work make the least fuss.Mrs. Sparrow was not one of these. When she did a thing, she wantedeverybody to know it, and since her building-place was hidden shetalked all the more to Mr. Sparrow.
"I am going to have a large nest," she said. "So bring plenty ofstuff. Bring good things, too," she added. "You have bro
ught twostraws already that were really dirty, and this last stick isn't fitto use. I will push it back into a corner."
Mr. Sparrow would have liked to tell her what hard work his was, andask her to use things he brought, even if they were not quite what shewanted. He was too wise for this, however, so he flew out and pitchedinto another Sparrow who was getting straws for his wife. He tried tosteal his straw, and they fought back and forth until their wives cameto see what was the matter and began fighting also. When they stoppedat last, the straw had been carried away by a Robin, so neither hadit. But they had had a lovely, loud, rough fight, and Sparrows likethat even better than straw, so they all felt good-natured again.
Twice Mrs. Sparrow decided to move her nest a little this way or alittle that, and such a litter as she made when doing it! Some of thebest sticks fell down through the doorway, and the Lady swept them offthe porch. Then Mrs. Sparrow scolded her. She was not afraid of aLady. "She might have left them there," she said. "I would have had myhusband pick them up soon. Yesterday she had the Maid put some of herown horrid chairs and tables out here while they were cleaning, and Inever touched them."
Mr. Sparrow flew up with a fine Turkey feather. "It came from theLady's duster," he said. "I think it will give quite an air to yournest."
"Excellent!" cried his wife. "Just wait until I get ready for it." Heclung patiently by one foot to the doorway. When that was tired hechanged to the other. When that was tired he perched on the top of thecolumn. He was very hungry, and he saw some grain dropped from apassing wagon.
"Hurry up, my dear!" he called. "It is past my dinner-time already."
"Wait until supper then," cried his wife. "As if I hadn't enough to dowithout thinking about your dinner! Don't let go of it or it will beblown away."
Then Mr. Sparrow lost his temper. He stuck that feather into a cracknear by, and flew softly away to eat some grain. He thought he mightbe back in time to carry in the feather and his wife never know wherehe had been. Unfortunately, he got to talking and did not hear hiswife call him.
"Mr. Sparrow!" said she. "_Mr. Sparrow!_ I am ready for thatfeather."
When he did not answer, she put her head out of the doorway. There wasthe Turkey feather stuck into a crack, and in the road beyond was herhusband eating happily with several of his friends. She looked veryangry and opened her bill to speak. Then she changed her mind and flewquietly off the other way. She went straight to the Horse-block, whereanother old suitor was, the one who had come so near winning her. "Mr.Sparrow has disobeyed me," she said, "and is actually eating hisdinner when he should be waiting by the nest to help me. I believethat I ought to have married you, but better late than never. Comenow."
This was how it happened that when Mr. Sparrow's stomach was quitefull, and he suddenly remembered his work, he flew back and found theTurkey feather gone. In the eaves overhead he heard Mrs. Sparrowtelling somebody else what to do. He tried to force his way up there.Every time he was shoved back, and not very gently either.
"You might better look for another home," said Mrs. Sparrow's voice."I have found another husband, one who will help me as I wish.Good-by."
That was the ending of Mr. Sparrow's first marriage. It was a very sadaffair, and the birds talked of nothing else for a long timeafterward. Some said that it served him exactly right, because hemarried to get into a fine family, when there were dozens of Sparrowdaughters much prettier and nicer than the one he chose. There mayhave been something in this, for certainly if Mrs. Sparrow had notbeen so sure of finding another to take his place, she would not haveturned him out in the way she did. It is said, however, that hersecond husband had a hard life of it.