05

A Bird House for Rent

Russell Gordon Carter

Suppose that you love grass and flowers and trees very much, and that you have always lived where you could enjoy them in your own yard. Then suppose you had to move to a place where there were none of these pleasures. What would you do? You may be greatly surprised to read what the girl and boy in this story did.

When the Gilberts first moved to the city, they took rooms in a boarding-house, and began to look for a new home.

“I hope it will have a big back yard with grass and flowers, ” said Elise.

“Yes, ” said her brother Frank, “and I hope it will have a tree where the birds can play.”

But it was not easy to find a house that pleased them. For six weeks the Gilberts hunted and hunted. Then at last one afternoon, when Frank and Elise came home from school, their mother said, “Well, we have found a house.”

“Has it a back yard with flowers? ” asked Elise.

“And a tree? ” said Frank

“Well, not exactly, ” replied Mrs. Gilbert, slowly. On the first of the next month the Gilberts moved into the new home. At once Frank and Elise hurried out to the back yard. What they found was just smooth concrete. There was not a blade of grass anywhere, or even a small bush. In one corner stood a tall white flagpole.

“Well, ” said Frank. “Concrete instead of grass, and a pole instead of a tree! ”

“I don' t see what we can do about it, ” answered Elise.“Nothing will grow here, and I don' t suppose that we shall be able to make friends with the birds. But we can' t help it.”

The next day Frank went out into the yard and looked at the flagpole for a long time. Then without a word, he went down into the cellar.

All the rest of the afternoon Elise heard the sound of Frank' s hammer and the rip, rip of his saw. She guessed that he was making something to earn a little money, perhaps it was a dog house for his uncle' s new puppy.

Several days later Elise happened to be out in the yard. As she stood looking at the hard concrete, she thought to herself, “It seems pretty lonesome.” Then something made her look up at the flagpole. Two little wrens were fluttering around the ball at the top!

“Well, ” cried the surprised girl. “I do believe birds would come here to live if they had only half a chance! ”She walked over to the corner of the yard and stood looking down at the foot of the pole. There she saw a low place in the concrete that looked like a huge saucer. All at once a happy thought came to her and she began to smile. “I know what I' ll do, ” she said. “And won' t Frank be surprised! ”

That evening she borrowed Frank' s blue pencil, and went to her room. When her father came home, she met him at the door; and Frank heard them talking in low voices.

After supper Elise and her mother went for a walk. As soon as they were out of sight, Frank went down to the cellar. When he came back, he was carrying a little wooden house, which he showed to his father proudly.“Tomorrow will be Elise' s birthday, you know, ” he said. “I must get up in time to surprise her.” Frank wondered why his father smiled as though he knew something funny.

“I' ll tell you what I' ll do, ” said Mr. Gilbert. “If you leave the bird house with me, I' ll put it up on the pole late this evening. Then the surprise will be all ready for her the first thing tomorrow morning.”

Frank went down the street to see a boy, and did not come back until it was too dark to take a look at the bird house. Elise heard him come in, and she smiled to herself as she thought how surprised he would be in the morning.

While Frank was dressing the next morning, he heard Elise calling him from the foot of the stairs. “Frank, ”she cried, “I have something to show you.”

Frank came running down the stairs. As he walked with his sister toward the back door, he could hardly keep from laughing at the thought of his birthday secret.

“Look, ” said Elise. “We haven' t a tree in our back yard, but we have—” Suddenly she stopped. “Well, I declare! ”

Frank was as much surprised as she. They both stood looking at the flagpole, which had changed a good deal since they last saw it. High up on the pole was a neat little bird house; on it was the sign, “House for Rent.”

A little below it was another sign, “Bath Downstairs, ”with a hand pointing to the foot of the pole. The little hollow place there was filled to the edge with clear, sparkling water.

“Why, Frank, ” cried Elise, “I didn' t dream it was a bird house that you were building! ”

“And I never thought of a bird bath, ” laughed Frank,“even if you did borrow my pencil to make the sign! ”

Just then two little wrens flew to the fence and fluttered down for a splash in the pool. While the children were watching the strange sight, their mother and father came out.

“Well! ” said Father, “I think that between the two of you, you' ve made a very nice home for the birds. Wait a minute—”

He went into the house and soon came back with a large box full of nasturtiumand pansy plants.

“Your mother and I want to share in the surprise, too, ” he said, as he set the box of beautiful flowers down near the little pool.

“Oh, thank you, Father and Mother! ” said Elise, “you have all given me a happy birthday.”

Then they all went away from the flagpole to see what would happen. Pretty soon the two wrens fluttered up to the tiny bird house and went inside. It was easy to see that they wanted to rent the new home.

“Who says we can' t have birds, even if we haven' t any grass or green trees! ” cried Elise.

“Now our yard has a bird bath and flowers and everything! ” cried Frank.

“And all on a concrete lawn, too, ” laughed Mrs. Gilbert.“Since our bird house is rented, we may as well take the sign down, ” said Father. “Houses don' t stay empty long these days.”