38 OUR ROBINS.

feeble, mournful sounds. It was not long that he stayed
vainly lamenting. The wisdom God had given him taught
him that he must not stand still and suffer, for there is
always something to do; a lesson that some human beings
are slow to learn. So off he flew in search of food; and
from that moment, as Lyman told me, he was father and
mother to the little ones; he not only fed them, but
brooded over them just as the mother had done; a busy,
busy life he had of it. "Is it not strange," said Lyman
to me, "that any one can begrudge birds their small
portion of food? They are all summer singing for us,
and I am sure it is little to pay them to give them what
they want to eat. I believe, as mother says, God has
provided for them as well as for us, and mother says she
often thinks they discern it better, for they do just what
God means them to do." It was easy to see that Lyman
had been taught to consider the birds, and therefore he
loved them.
 Our attention was, for some days, taken off the birds.
The very night after the robin's death, my friend, in a fit
of coughing, burst a blood-vessel. Lyman came for me
early the next morning. She died before evening. I
shall not now describe the sorrow and the loss of the poor
children. If any one who reads this has lost a good
mother, he will know, better than I can tell, what a grief
it is; and, if his mother be still living, I pray him to be
faithful, as Lyman was, so that he may feel as Lyman
did when he said, "Oh, I could not bear it if I had not
done all I could for mother!"
 The day after the funeral I went to see the children.
As I was crossing the field and walking beside the little
brook I have mentioned, I saw Sam Sibley loitering along.
Sam is an idle boy, and, like all idle boys I ever knew,
mischievous. Sam was not liked in the village; and, if
you will observe, you will see that those children who are
in the habit of pulling off flies' wings, throwing stones at
birds, beating dogs and kicking horses, are never loved;
such children cannot be, for those that are cruel to
animals will not care for the feelings of their companions.