THE LESSON

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 466, 22 September 1928, Page 31

THE LESSON

Tommie Jones was a boy who was always catching birds and putting them in a cage. Now, if ho had been kind to them it wouldn’t haJVe been so bad, but he was cruel to them. Hr left them without water and food, and nearly always left the cage in the rain. Ho lived near a beach apd. as there were not many houses there, he had plenty of fields to catch the birds in. Well, the birds that lived nearby grow more and more angry and tired of Tommie’s tricks, and they held a meeting one spring night to see what they could do, to make their lives safe against him. Doctor Owl was the chairman, lie being the wisest one in the flock. The Sparrows suggested raiding the house in a body; the Thrushes to peck his legs all the way to school---in fact, they all had some suggestion but when they had all been heard and gone into, they decided that the best way was to get rid of the cage. As usual the cage was left out all night, so they all flew over it and between them managed to open the door and let out the poor sparrow Tommie had caught that day. Then, tugging and pulling, they dragged the cage to the wharf and pushed it, with a mighty splash, into the sea. At tne bottom of the sea Princess Silver Tail was playing in her garden, when the cage landed at her feet (which means the end of her tail) ami now it is one of her dearest treasures. And as Tommie has nothing to keep them in he never catches any more birds. —Dick Schofield (aged 7).