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POLICEMAN BLUEJAY

by

LAURA BANCROFT

Author of
The Twinkle Tales, Etc.

With Illustrations by Maginel Wright Enright







[Frontispiece: "GO, BOTH OF YOU, AND JOIN THE BIRD THAT WARNED YOU"]



Chicago
The Reilly & Britton Co.
Publishers

Copyright, 1907
by
The Reilly & Britton Co.

The Lakeside Press
R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company
Chicago




To the Children

I MUST admit that the great success of the "TWINKLE TALES" has
astonished me as much as it has delighted the solemn-eyed, hard working
publishers. Therefore I have been encouraged to write a new "TWINKLE
BOOK," hoping with all my heart that my little friends will find it
worthy to occupy a place beside the others on their pet bookshelves.
And because the children seem to especially love the story of "Bandit
Jim Crow," and bird-life is sure to appeal alike to their hearts and
their imaginations, I have again written about birds.

The tale is fantastical, and intended to amuse rather than instruct;
yet many of the traits of the feathered folk, herein described, are in
strict accordance with natural history teachings and will serve to
acquaint my readers with the habits of birds in their wildwood homes.
At the same time my birds do unexpected things, because I have written
a fairy tale and not a natural history.

The question is often asked me whether Twinkle and Chubbins were asleep
or awake when they encountered these wonderful adventures; and it
grieves me to reflect that the modern child has been deprived of fairy
tales to such an extent that it does not know--as I did when a girl--
that in a fairy story it does not matter whether one is awake or not.
You must accept it as you would a fragrant breeze that cools your brow,
a draught of sweet water, or the delicious flavor of a strawberry, and
be grateful for the pleasure it brings you, without stopping to
question too closely its source.

For my part I am glad if my stories serve to while away a pleasant hour
before bedtime or keep one contented on a rainy day. In this way they
are sure to be useful, and if a little tenderness for the helpless
animals and birds is acquired with the amusement, the value of the
tales will be doubled.

LAURA BANCROFT.


LIST OF CHAPTERS

I     LITTLE ONES IN TROUBLE
II    POLICEMAN BLUEJAY
III   THE CHILD-LARKS
IV    AN AFTERNOON RECEPTION
V     THE ORIOLE'S STORY
VI    A MERRY ADVENTURE
VII   THE BLUEJAY'S STORY
VIII  MRS. HOOTAWAY
IX    THE DESTROYERS
X     IN THE EAGLE'S NEST
XI    THE ORPHANS
XII   THE GUARDIAN
XIII  THE KING BIRD
XIV   A REAL FAIRYLAND
XV    THE LAKE OF DRY WATER
XVI   THE BEAUTY DANCE
XVII  THE QUEEN BEE
XVIII GOOD NEWS
XIX   THE REBELS
XX    THE BATTLE
XXI   THE TINGLE-BERRIES
XXII  THE TRANSFORMATION



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"GO, BOTH OF YOU, AND JOIN THE BIRD THAT WARNED YOU"
THE MAN STOLE THE EGGS FROM THE NEST
THE TRIAL OF THE SHRIKE
"PEEP! PEEP! PEEP!" CRIED THE BABY GOLDFINCHES
SAILING ON THE DRY WATER
IN THE HONEY PALACE
THE BATTLE
"IT'S ALMOST DARK. LET'S GO HOME"


[CHAPTER I] _Little Ones in Trouble_

"SEEMS to me, Chub," said Twinkle, "that we're lost."

"Seems to me, Twink," said Chubbins, "that it isn't _we_ that's lost.
It's the path."

"It was here a minute ago," declared Twinkle.

"But it isn't here now," replied the boy.

"That's true," said the girl.

It really _was_ queer. They had followed the straight path into the
great forest, and had only stopped for a moment to sit down and rest,
with the basket between them and their backs to a big tree. Twinkle
winked just twice, because she usually took a nap in the afternoon, and
Chubbins merely closed his eyes a second to find out if he could see
that long streak of sunshine through his pink eyelids. Yet during this
second, which happened while Twinkle was winking, the path had run away
and left them without any guide or any notion which way they ought to
go.

Another strange thing was that when they jumped up to look around them
the nearest trees began sliding away, in a circle, leaving the little
girl and boy in a clear space. And the trees continued moving back and
back, farther and farther, until all their trunks were jammed tight
together, and not even a mouse could have crept between them. They made
a solid ring around Twinkle and Chubbins, who stood looking at this
transformation with wondering eyes.

"It's a trap," said Chubbins; "and we're in it."

"It looks that way," replied Twinkle, thoughtfully. "Isn't it lucky,
Chub, we have the basket with us? If it wasn't for that, we might
starve to death in our prison."

"Oh, well," replied the little fellow, "the basket won't last long.
There's plenty of starve in the bottom of it, Twinkle, any way you can
fix it."

"That's so; unless we can get out. Whatever do you suppose made the
trees behave that way, Chubbins?

"Don't know," said the boy.

Just then a queer creature dropped from a tree into the ring and began
moving slowly toward them. It was flat in shape, like a big turtle;
only it hadn't a turtle's hard shell. Instead, its body was covered
with sharp prickers, like rose thorns, and it had two small red eyes
that looked cruel and wicked. The children could not see how many legs
it had, but they must have been very short, because the creature moved
so slowly over the ground.

When it had drawn near to them it said, in a pleading tone that sounded
soft and rather musical:

"Little girl, pick me up in your arms, and pet me!"

Twinkle shrank back.

"My! I couldn't _think_ of doing such a thing," she answered.

Then the creature said:

"Little boy, please pick me up in your arms, and pet me!"

"Go 'way!" shouted Chubbins. "I wouldn't touch you for anything."

The creature turned its red eyes first upon one and then upon the
other.

"Listen, my dears," it continued; "I was once a beautiful maiden, but a
cruel tuxix transformed me into this awful shape, and so must I remain
until some child willingly takes me in its arms and pets me. Then, and
not till then, will I be restored to my proper form."

"Don't believe