Wings for Worms
In England the skylark is a favorite bird, both because of its beautiful song and its ability to fly high. In 1920, a British minister wrote a story about a foolish, disobedient skylark, and we are told that this became a favorite story of the famous botanist Luther Burbank:
“The Skylark’s Bargain”
by G. H.
Charnley
There was once a young skylark who was very fond of worms. He used to say that he would give anything if he could make sure of getting all the worms he could eat. One day, as he was flying up into the sky, he looked down and saw something rather unusual traveling along the road which ran through the forest. Feeling curious, the young skylark dropped lower and lower until at last he could see. O wonder – a sight indeed. He saw a tiny coach, painted black, with red blinds and yellow wheels, drawn by two magpies. Walking in front of the coach was an old man, very little and ugly, wearing a black coat with red trousers and yellow stockings. He carried a bell, and as he walked he kept swinging the bell and shouting:
“Who will buy?
Who will buy?
I am selling in all weather,
Fine and fat and juicy worms,
In exchange for
skylarks’ feathers.”
The skylark was
attracted and flew down. “Good morning, my young friend,” said the old man.
“What can I do for you?”
“How much are
they?” asked the skylark.
“Two for a
feather, my friend, and the coach is full of them.”
“Are they
fresh?” said the young bird.
“Yes, indeed;
all gathered fresh this morning, my pretty bird.”
The skylark gave
a painful little tug at his wing, and, dropping the feather into the old man’s
hand, said, “Two, please.”
As the coach
passed on, the skylark felt a little guilty, but he enjoyed the feast, and was
pleased to find afterwards that no one noticed the missing feather.
The next day he
flew with his father. “My son,” said the old skylark, as they rose higher
and higher, far above the tops of the tallest trees in the forest. “My son, I
think we skylarks should be the happiest of birds. We have such brave wings. See
how they lift us up into they sky, nearer and nearer unto God.”
“Yes,” said
the young bird, “ye-es….” But, all the time he was watching a tiny speck
which crept like a black beetle far below on the forest track, and he thought:
“There, I’ve missed the coach.”
The following
day he waited, close to the cart-worn track. When he heard the bell ringing, he
plucked another feather. It came out so easily, he pulled two more after it.
Then he heard a hoarse voice shouting:
“Who will buy?
Who will buy?
Surely we can
come to terms,
In exchange for
skylarks’ feathers
I am selling
luscious worms.”
“Three
here,” said the skylark.
“Very good,
son, very good indeed. That will be six worms; and here’s an extra one for
luck,” added the old man with a chuckle.
“My word,”
thought the young skylark, “that’s a bargain.”
So the young
skylark became a regular customer. He found after a bit that he could not fly so
high, but he did not mind greatly. There was less fear of the coach passing
without being seen. But one day, when his wings seemed thin and worn and ragged,
he suddenly felt that he had been making a terrible mistake.
He tried to fly
up into the warm sunshine, but he fell back to the earth, like a stone. Then
he had an idea. He thought, “Dear me, of course! Why did I not think of it
before? I know what I’ll do. I will dig for worms and trade for feathers.”
Day and night, he diligently searched and gathered and stored. Then he hid
himself in the tall grass and waited for the coach to pass without being seen.
Soon he heard
it, and again he stepped in front of the coach, saying, “Please, sir, I want
to know how many feathers you will trade me for all of these worms?”
Then the
coachman laughed and set off at once, saying over his shoulder, “Worms for
feathers is my business, not feathers for worms.”
So the young
skylark died and was buried under the green grass. And now they say that every
summer the older birds take the young birds and fly mournfully about the grave,
calling to one another as they fly:
“Here lies a
foolish skylark,
Hush your note each bird that sings,
Here lies a poor
lost skylark,
Who for earthworms sold his wings.”
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A Scout is obedient. This is a story of a young skylark disobeying his father, deceiving his father, and paying the price.
See Proverbs 16:25 and Proverbs 20:17
(NOTE: This story also has obvious relevance to
recreational drug use.)
SOURCE: Charnley, G. H. Rev. Skylark’s Bargain: Thirty-Seven Talks to Boys and Girls. H. R. Allenson Publisher, London, 1920.
This story has been retold in Stidger, William L. More Sermons in Stories. New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1944, p. 45, and in Bays, Alice Anderson. Worship Programs and Stories for Young People. New York: Abingdon Press, 1938, pp. 199-201.