WHAT THE SNOWBIRDS SAID.
CHEEP! Cheep!" said some little snowbirds
As the snow came whirling down;
"We haven't a nest,
Or a place to rest,
Save this oak tree bending down."
"Cheep! Cheep!" said the little Wee Wing,
The smallest bird of all;
"I have never a care
In this winter air—
God cares for great and small."
"Peet! peet!" said her father Gray-breast;
"You're a thoughtless bird, my dear;
We all must eat,
And warm our feet
When snow and ice are here."
"Cheep! Cheep! " said little Wee Wing;
"You are wise and good, I know;
But think of the fun
For each little one
When we have ice and snow!
"Now I can see, from my perch on the tree,
The merriest, merriest sight—
Boys skating along
On the ice so strong;
Cheep! Cheep! How merry and bright! "
"And I see," said Brownie Snowbird,
"A sight that is prettier far:
Fide dear little girls
With clustering curls,
And eyes as bright as a star."
'And I," said his brother, Bright-eyes,
"See a man of ice and snow;
He wears a queer hat,
His large nose is flat;
The boys made him, I know."
"I see some sleds," said Mother Brown,
"All filled with girls and boys;
They laugh and sing,
Their voices ring,
And I like the cheerful noise."
Then the snowbirds all said, "Cheep!" and "Chee!"
"Hurrah for ice and snow! —
For the girls and boys
Who drop us crumbs
As away to their sport they go!
"Hurrah for the winter clear and cold!
When the dainty snowflakes fall,
We will sit and sing
On our oaken swing,
For the dear God cares for all."
Our Little Ones.