The Tale of Rusty Wren

“That’s not a bird——” said old Mr. Crow—“or, at least, it’s not a real bird. He’s made of wood. And he lives inside a cuckoo clock.” “Ah!” Rusty cried. “An alarm clock!” But old Mr. Crow shook his head. “No!” he replied. “It’s just an everyday clock. And, instead of striking, it lets this little wooden bird come out and sing.” Rusty Wren said that he wouldn’t care for a clock like that and that he didn’t see why Farmer Green had brought it home, anyhow. “Cuckoo clocks amuse the women and children,” Mr. Crow remarked wisely. “Then you think Farmer Green was not dissatisfied with my singing? You think he would like me to wake him every morning, just as I used to?” Rusty waited eagerly for Mr. Crow’s opinion. Old Mr. Crow pondered for a while before answering. He reflected that since it was long past corn-planting time, it really made no difference to him whether Farmer Green overslept or not. If the corn had just been put in the ground, he would have liked to have Farmer Green stay in bed all day long. “I understand that the whole family enjoys your songs,” Mr. Crow told Rusty at last. “And for the present you may as well sing your dawn song right here in your own tree, beneath Farmer Green’s window. But if you’re living here next spring, I wish you would consult me again.” Rusty Wren agreed to that, thanking Mr. Crow for his kindness, too. And, afterward, instead of being angry, he laughed whenever he heard that silly “Cuckoo! cuckoo!” Since he knew it was only a wooden bird, Rusty Wren was jealous no longer. The next morning he awakened Farmer Green at the break o’ day. And the hired man was so sleepy that he fell downstairs and couldn’t work for a whole week. VII A NEAT HOUSEKEEPER Rusty Wren’s wife was a very neat housekeeper. Every day she carefully cleaned her house, chirping while she worked. Sometimes her voice was sweet and pleasant. But at other times—though it was still sweet—it was not pleasant at all. And whenever Rusty heard that second kind of chirp he was always careful to find some errand that took him away from home. You see, Rusty Wren was not so orderly as his wife. Often he scattered things