quirrel starting away with an egg.

With a vicious scream the Cardinal struck him full force. His rush of
rage cost the squirrel an eye; but it lost the father a birdling, for
the squirrel dropped the egg outside the nest. The Cardinal mournfully
carried away the tell-tale bits of shell, so that any one seeing them
would not look up and discover his treasures. That left three eggs;
and the brooding bird mourned over the lost one so pitifully that the
Cardinal perched close to the nest the remainder of the day, and
whispered over and over for her comfort that she was "So dear! So dear!"

Chapter 5

"See here! See here!" demanded the Cardinal

The mandate repeatedly rang from the topmost twig of the thorn tree,
and yet the Cardinal was not in earnest. He was beside himself with a
new and delightful excitement, and he found it impossible to refrain
from giving vent to his feelings. He was commanding the farmer and
every furred and feathered denizen of the river bottom to see; then he
fought like a wild thing if any of them ventured close, for great
things were happening in the sumac.

In past days the Cardinal had brooded an hour every morning while his
mate went to take her exercise, bathe, and fluff in the sun parlour.
He had gone to her that morning as usual, and she looked at him with
anxious eyes and refused to move. He had hopped to the very edge of
the nest and repeatedly urged her to go. She only ruffled her
feathers, and nestled the eggs she was brooding to turn them, but did
not offer to leave. The Cardinal reached over and gently nudged her
with his beak, to remind her that it was his time to brood; but she
looked at him almost savagely, and gave him a sharp peck; so he knew
she was not to be bothered. He carried her every dainty he could find
and hovered near her, tense with anxiety.

It was late in the afternoon before she went after the drink for which
she was half famished. She scarcely had reached a willow and bent over
the water before the Cardinal was on the edge of the nest. He examined
it closely, but he could see no change. He leaned to give the eggs
careful scrutiny, and from somewhere there came to him the faintest
little "Chip!" he ever had heard. Up went the Cardinal's crest, and he
dashed to the willow. There was no danger in sight; and his mate was
greedily dipping her rosy beak in the water. He went back to the
cradle and listened intently, and again that feeble cry ca