title: The Song of the Cardinal
author: Gene Stratton-Porter
description: Gene Stratton-Porter (August 17, 1863  December 6, 1924) was an American author, amateur naturalist, wildlife photographer, and one of the earliest women to form a movie studio and production company. She wrote some best-selling novels and well-received columns in national magazines, such as McCalls. Her works were translated into several languages, including Braille, and Stratton-Porter was estimated to have had 50 million readers around the world.
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  # The Song of the Cardinal
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Gene Stratton-Porter
  
  
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
  IN LOVING TRIBUTE
  
  
  TO THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER
  
  
  
  
  
  MARK STRATTON
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "For him every work of God manifested a new and heretofore
  
  
  unappreciated loveliness."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Chapter 1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  "Good cheer! Good cheer!" exulted the Cardinal
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  He darted through the orange orchard searching for slugs for his
  
  
  breakfast, and between whiles he rocked on the branches and rang
  
  
  over his message of encouragement to men. The song of the
  
  
  Cardinal was overflowing with joy, for this was his holiday, his
  
  
  playtime. The southern world was filled with brilliant sunshine,
  
  
  gaudy flowers, an abundance of fruit, myriads of insects, and
  
  
  never a thing to do except to bathe, feast, and be happy. No
  
  
  wonder his song was a prophecy of good cheer for the future, for
  
  
  happiness made up the whole of his past.
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  The Cardinal was on