Jean's Little Thrush | By Holy & Joly
Jean's Little Thrush
She had saved up her money and bought them herself, because she loved roses. There was a tree that would bear red roses, one that would bear pink ones and the third one was yellow. Jean hoped to be able to have a fine bowlful of roses for her schoolroom, and a bunch to take home to her mother.
The head mistress of the school called the little gardeners to her one day and promised a prize for the best-kept garden with the loveliest flowers. Jean did hope hers would be the best, and every day she went to weed it and water her plants, which were growing very well.
One day when she was weeding her garden she heard a loud squeaking noise not far off. It sounded like a gate creaking and Jean wondered what it was. She looked all round but could not see anything at all. The noise still went on so she ran off to find out what it was.
It wasn't long before she discovered what was making the noise. It was a small baby thrush! It sat on the ground beneath a flowering lilac and squeaked with fright. Nearby was the mother thrush making little comforting noises. Jean looked at the frightened baby bird.
'It's too small to fly,' she thought. 'It must have fallen out of its nest. I wonder where the nest is?
She looked up into the lilac bush. It wasn't there. She looked into the next tree, a chestnut, big and spreading – and there, set neatly in the fork of there small branches she spied a thrush's nest! Over the edge of it peeped a brown head – another baby thresh!
'There!' Said Jean 'I was right! This little thing has tumbled out of its nest. Oh dear < what shall I do? I can't possibly climb up there.
She stood there, thinking. Jean felt sure a cat would hear it soon if it didn't keep quiet. But it didn't know anything cats. It just thought that if it went on squeaking someone or some- thing would come to its help.
'I know!' said Jean, at last. 'I'll get the little ladder that Miss Brown keeps in the shed. Then I can climb up and put the bird back quite easily.
So off she went. She soon got the ladder, and although it was rather heavy it wasn't long before she had set it up against the chestnut tree. She picked the baby thrush up very care-fully in her hand and then climbed up the ladder. The mother thrush flew round her as she carried the squeaking bird, and cried out in fear, afraid that Jean was going to harm her little bird.
Carefully Jean put the little thrush into the nest and then climbed down the ladder again.
'Stay in your nest till you are big enough to fly properly! She called to the baby thrush. 'I might not be near if you fall out again.
She put the ladder back and went on with her gardening, glad that the little thrush had stop-ped its frightened squeaking.
Soon after that Jean caught a cold and had to stay at home for a week. When she came back, anxious to look at her garden, what a shock she got! The leaves of her rose trees were all stuck together, and when she pulled them apart she found little green caterpillars all over the trees! They were eating great holes in the leaves, and were even starting to nibble at the nice new rosebuds.
Jean stared at the spoilt rose trees with tears in her eyes. How unlucky that the caterpillars should have come just the week she was away!
In a fortnight's time the head mistress, Miss Brown, was going to look at the school gardens and give the prize. Unless Jean could get rid of all the caterpillars in a short time, her rose trees would certainly not be worth looking at!
Then she saw a speckled thrush come hop-ping over the lawn, followed by three wobbly baby thrushes! The mother thrush was teaching them to look for food. She hopped over to Jean's garden and put her head on one side, looking up into the rose trees. Then, with a quick peck she snapped at a green caterpillar, and, hopping back to her three babies, popped it quickly into one of their open mouths. Jean was delighted!
'Oh, do take away all the ceterpillars that are spoiling my rose trees!' she begged the thrush.
'Trilla-trilla' pretty pretty, trilla!' said the thrush at once, which Jean was sure meant: 'I will! You once saved one of my babies, and now I will do your garden a good turn!'
The school bell rang and Jean ran in to her class. For the next two or three days the mother thrush came to her little garden a dozen times a day and very soon there was not a caterpillar left!
Jean was so pleased. She carefully picked off all the half-eaten leaves and nipped off the spoilt beds. There was over a week before the head mistress was going to judge the school gardens. Perhaps there would be a chance for Jean after all!
You should have seen Jean's rose trees in a week's time! They had put out nice trees in a week's time! They had put out nice fresh leaves and every tree had some beautiful roses bloom-ing. The sweet alyssum and the blue lobelia round the little bed were all blossoming gaily, and there wasn't a weed to be seen.
The head mister looked at all the gardens, but when she came to Jean's she stopped and admired it very much.
'Yours is beautiful,' she said to the proud little girl. 'There isn't a weed to be seen, and your rose trees are lovely. I was afraid they would all be eaten by some caterpillars I saw on them a fortnight ago.'
'Oh, a kind thresh came and ate them all.' Said Jean.
'And who was the kind little girl who did a good turn to a baby thrush?' asked Miss Brown. 'I saw all you did from my window, Jean. Well, you were kind to the thrush, the thrush returned your kindness and ate your caterpillars-and now I shall give you the prize for the best and prettiest garden in the school! You deserve it!
Everyone cheered, and Jean walked proudly up to take the set of fine garden tools that Miss Brown held out to her. And just as she was taking them a thrush up in the trees began to sing a loud, glad song.
'There's your friend the thrush cheering you!'
said Miss Brown. And I shouldn't be surprised if it was, would you?
