and in their love for him. He lived in the midst of a grove
full of all kinds of trees. He had no wife or children in his
home.
2. He was an old man with gray beard, blue and kind eyes,
and a voice that the

THIRD READER. 49
birds loved; and this was the way he made them his friends.
3. While he was at work with a rake on his nice walks in
the grove, the birds came

close to him to pick up the worms in the fresh earth he dug
up. At first, they kept a rod or two from him, but they soon
found he was a kind man, and would not hurt them, but liked
to have them near him.
3. 4.

50 ECLECTIC SERIES.
4. They knew this by his kind eyes and voice, which tell
what is in the heart. So, day by day their faith in his love
grew in them.
5. They came close to the rake. They would hop on top of
it to be first at the worm. They would turn up their eyes into
his when he spoke to them, as if they said, "He is a kind
man; he loves us; we need not fear him."
6. All the birds of the grove were soon his fast friends.
They were on the watch for him, and would fly down from
the green tree tops to greet him with their chirp.
7. When he had no work on the walks to do with his rake
or his hoe, he took crusts of bread with him, and dropped the