had been so happy in the spring-time of
their life; and when she reached the prison, if her loved one was
grieving, pining for the liberty he had lost, the home ties thus rudely
broken, her sweet voice murmuring, 'I am here, love,' seemed to bring
comfort to that poor failing heart; and as she tenderly pressed her
cool, fresh beak to his, so parched and dry, he would reply, striving to
be gay for her dear sake,--

'Ah, Jenny, you have brought on your wings some sunlight from our old
home, my darling.'

One evening, when as usual she flew to the prison, she found him lying
at the bottom of the cage, speechless and motionless. Frantically she
tore at the cruel bars, beating them with her wings in an agony of
despair.

'My own love, my own love!' she cried aloud in her anguish; 'speak to me
once again!'

Her beloved voice seemed to possess the power to recall him back to
life, for he heard her, though the shadows of death were stealing over
him.

'Jenny, darling,' he feebly whispered, as she bent low to catch the
faintest word, 'they have broken my heart. Ah, why did they keep me thus
captive?'

'Oh, do not die!' she moaned; 'think how lonely I should be in this wide
world without you.'

'If I were but free, we should be so happy again, love,' he said,
gasping painfully for breath as he spoke.

'I will release you,' she cried, and strove with all her strength to
unfasten the prison door, but in vain--it resisted all her efforts.

'What shall I do? what shall I do? He will die, and I cannot help him,'
moaned forth the poor Wren in accents of despair.

'My sweet one,' he murmured, 'do not grieve so bitterly. Death were
better far than life if separated from you; but, before I close my eyes
for ever upon this world which the good God who loveth us hath created
so beautiful, bring me just one spray of those little blue flowers.'

'I know them!' she eagerly cried; 'a cluster grew beneath our nest.'

'Yes,' he continued; 'and when I used to return home I could see them
afar off, and would think, "Jenny is there, and their blue eyes are
looking upon her." Bring me one tiny spray, darling, and if I die when
you are from me, we shall not seem so very far apart, for those sweet
flowers will whisper to me of you.'

She waited no longer, but flew rapidly away to bring the blossoms on
which he wished to look once again; but she had not long gone when a
young girl came to the cage, and saw the poor captive bird as Jenn