The little girl and the pigeon

 I would like to tell you about a little girl with a kind heart.  One day, she was out walking out in the shady woods near hear home, when she noticed a pigeon's nest in a tree.  Peeping in, she saw one round, smooth, beautiful egg.  She wished very much to take it home and have it for her own.  But while she was thinking about it,  a pretty white pigeon came flying around her.  What a pleading look was in its eyes! They seemed to say" Little girl, won't you please leave my egg?  It is the only one that I have, and it will break my heart if my mate comes back to our tree home and finds it gone."

The little girl looked first at the egg and then at the sad-eyed pigeon.  Then she heard the little voice of conscience saying, "You must not destroy the happiness of the poor, little bird." So she left the egg in the cozy, little nest and went home, where her mother was waiting for her.


Not long after this, the little girl's brother became very sick.  No one seemed able to help him at all ,and every one thought he must surely die.  What a heavy heart the little girl had!  She could not play or think  of anything happy, while her only little brother lay dying.


One evening in springtime, as she was sitting by the open window in her little brother's room, a beautiful white pigeon flew  down and settled on the window sill.  Presently it seemed to say to her, "Dear, little girl, I am the pigeon whose egg you spared that day.  I come to tell you something I know will make you happy.  Last night while I was resting in the fir groves, I heard the angels whispering.  ' They said that God in heaven is looking down upon His world. He loves to see people being gentle and kind and loving. Because you were so kind and left me my one little egg, He will not let your only little brother die, but will spare him to you so that you and he might romp and play together once more'."


When it had spoken these words, the beautiful white pigeon flew away. Then the little girl turned and looked at her brother.  He was sleeping peacefully in his bed, for the first time in many days.  And there was a sweet smile upon his lips, as if the angels from heaven had been whispering their secrets to him.  From that time, he began to get better, and in a short time he was strong and rosy and romping merrily about with his little sister again.