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The Song of the Cardinal-Part9_Gene Stratton-Porter(1863-1924)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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mate. As she brooded over her eggs, he brooded over her; and



that she might realize the depth and constancy of his devotion,

he told her repeatedly, with every tender inflection he could



throw into his tones, that she was "So dear! So dear!"

The Cardinal had not known that the coming of the mate he so



coveted would fill his life with such unceasing gladness, and

yet, on the very day that happiness seemed at fullest measure,



there was trouble in the sumac. He had overstayed his time,

chasing a fat moth he particularly wanted for his mate, and she,



growing thirsty past endurance, left the nest and went to the

river. Seeing her there, he made all possible haste to take his



turn at brooding, so he arrived just in time to see a pilfering

red squirrel starting away with an egg.



With a viciousscream 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 mandaterepeatedly 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 delightfulexcitement, 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 came to him. Under the nest,



around it, and all through the sumac he searched, until at last,

completely baffled, he came back to the edge. The sound was so



much plainer there, that he suddenly leaned, caressing the eggs

with his beak; then the Cardinal knew! He had heard the first



faint cries of his shell-incased babies!

With a wild scream he made a flying leap through the air. His



heart was beating to suffocation. He started in a race down the

river. If he alighted on a bush he took only one swing, and



springing from it flamed on in headlongflight. He flashed to

the top of the tallest tulip tree, and cried cloudward to the



lark: "See here! See here!" He dashed to the river bank and told

the killdeers, and then visited the underbrush and informed the



thrushes and wood robins. Father-tender, he grew so delirious

with joy that he forgot his habitual aloofness, and fraternized



with every bird beside the shining river. He even laid aside his

customary caution, went chipping into the sumac, and caressed his



mate so boisterously she gazed at him severely and gave his wing

a savage pull to recall him to his sober senses.



That night the Cardinal slept in the sumac, very close to his

mate, and he shut only one eye at a time. Early in the morning,



when he carried her the first food, he found that she was on the

edge of the nest, dropping bits of shell outside; and creeping to



peep, he saw the tiniest coral baby, with closed eyes, and little

patches of soft silky down. Its beak was wide open, and though






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