Reuben Bertram Oldfield

“ The next morning a fog covered all the land, and Robert Robin had good reason to think that the night was far too long.
“Some one is taking our days away from us! By this time to-morrow we will not have any light left, if it keeps on this way!”
But in the afternoon the fog banks drifted away, and the bright sun shone, so Robert Robin felt much better, and he even sang a few songs to cheer up Jim Crow and the other neighbors. ”

“ Below Robert Robin and his family the valley of the river widened into fertile farm lands. The glitter of the polished steel of the railroad rails flashed to their eyes under the rays of the morning sun.
“This is going to be a fine day for our trip!” said Mrs. Robin.
“It couldn’t be better!” said Robert Robin. “There is just enough breeze to help in our flying; we should reach the great bay before night!”
The youngster robins were very much interested in seeing the new country. ”

“ The farmer’s Maltese cat did not like to stay in the elm tree. The sun was hot and some little flies kept trying to get into his ears, but the dog was sitting in the shade, and he was thinking to himself, “That cat will come down soon, and then I will give him another race! I do enjoy seeing those fraidy cats run!”
Robert Robin did not like to have the farmer’s cat anywhere around, and he kept saying “Tut! Tut! Tut!” but Mrs. Robin went and got the baby robins their breakfasts.
The sun kept getting hotter and hotter, and the farmer’s big cat kept getting warmer and warmer. ”

“ Partridge. “But I shall never let that farmer catch me if I can help it!”
“Then he has cats around his house and barn!” said Robert Robin. “Cats are very bad animals!”
“Yes, they are!” agreed Mrs. Partridge. “And I wish that dog of his would stay out of our woods! He is always prowling around, smelling of things, and I expect that he will find my nest, and mercy knows what I would ever do then!”20
“Gerald Fox bit him once!” said Robert Robin. “But why not make your nest up in a tree, Mrs. Partridge? It is much safer from dogs!” ”

“ Henrietta Partridge sitting on her nest under a beechwood bush.
Up to that time Mister Robert Robin had not known that Mrs. Partridge had a nest, although he had suspected it.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Partridge!” said Robert Robin, as he made a very polite bow. “This is wonderful weather we are having!”
“Good afternoon, Mister Robin!” said Mrs. Partridge. “Yes, it is fine weather, but for every nice day that we get, we are almost sure to have two bad, stormy days!”14
“Nonsense, Mrs. Partridge!” said Robert Robin, “I have always noticed that the more fine weather we have, the more we get! ”

“ Mrs. Partridge watched Mrs. Robin as she flew back to her nest in the tall basswood tree.
“That little Mrs. Robin is a very neat sort25 of a little body!” she said to herself. “I just know that she is a tidy nest keeper,—she always looks so spick and span, herself!”
Robert Robin could hardly wait until Mrs. Robin got back to their tree. He was in such a hurry. The moment she settled herself on the nest he darted away across the fields, straight to where the row of cherry trees bordered the farmer’s garden. ”

“ Robin.
“I do not know!” said Robert Robin, “but I do know that ripe red cherries are good for baby robins, and ever so much easier to find than bugs and worms!”
“Green cherries make them sick! We must be very careful not to feed our babies any green cherries!”
“I know where there is an early cherry tree!” said Robert Robin, “and I am going right over there now and see if any of the early cherries are ripe!”
So Mrs. Robin waited by their nest while Robert Robin went over to see about the early cherries.
The early cherry tree grew in Widow Blunt’s back yard. ”

“ Partridge, “then if there are any brown bugs under them you will be able to catch them!”
“I cannot make my feet go backwards!” said Robert Robin. “My feet insist on hopping! I think that I must be clumsy with my legs, for even the farmer’s big rooster can scratch the ground and dig up wonderful things. I saw him kick a worm clear through the fence!”
“He must be very strong!” said Mrs. Partridge.
“Strong! I should say he is strong! Even Percy Hawk is afraid of him, and never goes near the little chickens when that big rooster is watching him!”16
“Major Partridge is very athletic!” ”

“ Partridge, and just then Robert Robin heard his wife calling to him to come and keep watch of the nest while she went out for lunch.
“Where have you been all day?” asked Mrs. Robin. “I have been calling, and calling, and I was beginning to get worried for fear something dreadful had happened to you! You must have found many good things to eat, for your crop sticks out like a chicken’s!”
“I am very sorry if I kept you waiting, my dear!” said Robert Robin. “But Major Partridge kicked up the leaves so that I caught a whole cropful of brown bugs. ”

“ But the very best part of a vacation is the getting back!” said Robert Robin, and Jim Crow said:
“It was very quiet around the woods while you were away. There was no one to sing us a Hurry-up song in the morning, and no one to sing us a Cheer-up song in the afternoon, and no one to sing us a Good-night song when the red sun was sinking behind the purple hill. Mrs. Crow has had the blues all day, Billy Rabbit has been very lonely, and even Melancthon Coon was asking what had become of you ”

“ But Donald had not been taught to do as he was told, so he blew the whistle again and again and chased the Maltese cat across the lettuce bed, and over two rows of radishes.
The farmer’s wife shouted, “Donald! Donald!” but Donald kept blowing the tin whistle and following the Maltese cat, but the next thing he knew the farmer’s wife took his tin whistle away from him.
Donald was so angry that he jumped right up and down on the celery plants, and the farmer’s wife said, “Look here! Young man!” ”

“ Partridge. “Old Mister Crow was telling me that he could remember when the country19 was all woods, and there were more of us partridges than there were men. Those must have been the ‘good old days!’”
“That farmer seems to think that he owns all the trees, and all the fences, and all the fields!” said Robert Robin. “The rude manner he uses towards his horses and the way he slaps them with the straps, and the way he shouts at them is very disgusting to me! If I were a great big horse, I would not let a little man, only one fifth of my size, boss me around like that farmer does his big horses!” ”

“ David Songsparrow, who had his nest in the elderberry bush over by the fence, came flying into the woods. He perched on one of the big branches of Robert Robin’s tree and started hopping around looking for a bug for his breakfast, but when he saw Robert Robin and Jeremiah Yellowbird sitting so very still, he became quiet too, but his bright little eyes were looking first one way,9 and then another, and he was listening with all his might.
Mrs. Sheep, out in the farmer’s pasture, called to her little lamb, “Baa!” ”

“ One morning after Robert Robin had finished singing his “hurry up song” and the7 woods were ringing with the chatter of squirrels, the songs of other birds, and the “Chip! Chip! Chip!” of Mister Gabriel Chipmunk, Robert Robin was just going to get his breakfast, when suddenly the squirrels stopped chattering, and the other birds stopped singing. It was still in the woods, except for Mister Chipmunk, who was sitting on a stump and screaming his “Chip! Chip! Chip!”
“There is danger around!” thought Robert Robin. “Something has frightened the birds and squirrels!” ”

“ Robin laugh.
“Men are such blunderbusses!” she said.
“Why don’t you have your children marked so one can tell them apart?” he said.
“I will place little Elizabeth at the north side of the nest, little Sheldon at the east, Montgomery at the south, and Evelina at the west!”
All day long Robert Robin did nothing except carry food for the baby robins, but the next day Mrs. Robin helped him, and both of them were busy, for the four little baby robins were very hungry. They never did seem to get enough to eat. ”

“ For if the Little Gray Mouse would but be content to stay well hidden from the Great White Bear, then we should have no more Winter, but in the Fall the foolish Little Gray Mouse runs through the corn stubble and the Great White Bear sees him. “There goes the Little Gray98 Mouse who tangled my tail fur!” roars the Great White Bear, and again he blows his cold breath through the woods, and over the country, and all the cold weather we have is on account of that foolish Little Gray Mouse who tangled the tail fur of the Great White Bear!
When Robert Robin had finished speaking, Mrs. ”

“ These informative tales, dealing with the activities of a number of children, are told with an ease and simplicity of style. The combined charm of magic and the great out-doors adds a delightful touch to these distinctive stories. ”

“ Hundreds of them flying in little family groups or mingled together in great flocks. Robert Robin kept saying, “Kirk! Kirk!” so that none of the children would get lost.
“Keep close to your father, children!” said Mrs. Robin. “If you should ever get lost in this crowd, we could no more find you again than we could find Jim Crow on a dark night!”
A flock of wild geese called from overhead, and frightened little Sheldon very115 much. They were such big birds; flying close together, their powerful wings driving their heavy bodies swiftly through the air. ”

“ Partridge:
“You were speaking about being afraid that the farmer would shoot you; he never shoots at me, but one time he threw a stone at me when I was picking some of the cherries to bring home to my babies. He seemed very angry about something.”
“Perhaps he did not like you to be picking his cherries,” said Mrs. Partridge.
“They were not his cherries!” said Robert Robin. “They were on the tree, and belonged to whoever got them first!”
“Men are great pests!” said Mrs. ”

“ You may as well know at the very start that if you want to be a bad little boy you will have a tough row to hoe, but if you want to mend your ways and be a nice little boy, things will be different! I thought I might as well make that plain to you now as later!”
Then Donald wiped his eyes on the farmer’s wife’s apron, and helped her weed two whole rows of carrots, and the big Maltese cat went to sleep under the gooseberry bush, and Robert Robin flew back to the woods and told Mrs. ”

“ Partridge.
“I like wet weather, when it is not too wet; I like dry weather when it is not too dry; I like warm weather when it is not too warm, and I like cool weather when it is15 not too cool! And I have a song for each kind of weather!” said Robert Robin as he again started hunting for brown bugs. ”

“ So Old Mister Woodpecker could not laugh and work at the same time, and that may be the reason why only a very few people have ever heard Mister Woodpecker laugh out loud, and not so very many people have even seen him smile.
71 CHAPTER VIIMISTER ROBERT ROBIN AND HIS FAMILY TAKE A VACATION
In the country where Robert Robin lived there were a great many lakes and streams. The streams ran down through the valleys, and emptied into the lakes, and the waters from the lakes emptied into larger streams which flowed into a great lake which looked as large as the sea. ”