It was Serozha's birthday, and he received many
different gifts; peg tops, and hobby horses,
and pictures. But Serozha's uncle gave him a gift
that he prized above all the rest - it was a trap for
snaring birds.
The trap was constructed in such a way that a board
was fitted on the frame and shut down upon the
top. If seed was scattered on the board, and the trap was
put out in the yard, the little bird would fly
down, hop upon the board, the board would give way,
and the trap would shut with a clap.
Serozha was delighted, and he ran into the house to show his mother the trap.
His mother said:
"It is not a good plaything. What do you want
to do with birds? Why do you want to torture
them?"
"I am going to put them in a cage," Serozha said. "They will sing, and I will feed them."
He got some seed, scattered it on the board,
and set the trap in the garden. And he stood by
and expected the birds to fly down. But the birds were
afraid of him and would not come near the
cage. Serozha ran in to get something to eat, and left the
cage.
After dinner he went to look at it. The cage had shut, and
in it a little bird was beating against the
bars.
Serozha took up the bird, and carried it into the house.
"Mother, I have caught a bird!" he cried. "I
think it is a nightingale, and how its heart
beats!"
His mother
said it was a wild canary. "Be careful! Don't hurt
it - you would better let it go."
"No," he said. "I am going to give it something to eat and drink."
Serozha put the bird in a cage, and for two
days gave it seed and water, and cleaned the cage.
But on the third day he forgot all about it, and did
not change the water.
And his mother said, "See here, you have
forgotten your bird. You would better let it go."
Serozha thrust his hand in the cage and began
to clean it, but the little bird was frightened
and fluttered. After Serozha had cleaned the cage, he
went to get some water. His mother saw that he
had forgotten to shut the cage door, and she called after
him.
"Serozha, shut up your cage, else your bird will fly out and hurt itself."
She had hardly spoken the words when the bird
found the door, was delighted, spread its wings,
and flew around the room toward the window. Serozha
came running in, picked up the bird, and put
it back in the cage. The bird was still alive, but it lay
on its breast, with its wings spread out, and
breathed heavily. Serozha looked and looked at
it, and began to cry.
"Mother, what can I do now?" he asked.
"You can do nothing now," she replied.
Serozha stayed by the cage all day. He did
nothing but look at the bird. And all the time the
bird lay on its breast and breathed hard and fast.
When Serozha went to bed, the bird was dead.
Serozha could not get to sleep for a long time;
every time that he shut his eyes he seemed to see the
bird still lying and sighing.
In the morning when Serozha went to his cage,
he saw the bird lying on its back, with its legs
crossed, and all stiff.
After that Serozha never again snared birds.
