Dickey Downy: The Autobiography of a Bird

re I saw, wi

s, that hopped f

get away from the Morri

ily, as if the recollectio

rly in the spring when he began talking of it, it was too cold, his mother said. Then after a while it was too rainy, or too warm, or they were house-cleaning, or something, and so she kept putting him off from one time to another, hoping by deferr

out it, my dear

out it then I'm pretty sure not to

on: The Sum

promise to have it just as soon as we get back,' she objected. 'I am always very busy just at our return. It might be very inconvenient for me to

r me, she grew to be quite agreeable. For some time before the Morrises had bought her, which was years and years before, long before Johnny was born, she had lived in a taxidermist's shop. The owner of the shop was also a bird dealer in a small way. On account of he

d molasses kegs, and with the dreary outlook afforded by shelves full of canned vegetables and cracker boxes. The only point in favor of a life at the grocery was that I would have been nearer to the woods; but if I could n

een so quiet for four weeks was suddenly wakened as from a sleep. His

to git back, it does one's sowl go

f Johnny. He was sent on several errands, and took his own time in retu

e admiral's cages?' he asked his m

's thoughtfulness. 'Why, Johnny,' she s

m work about me with his brush and dust cloth. Just as he had finished and put us back in our places the doorb

t the first sound he had quietly slipped out of the room and I could now see him hiding behind the cur

she explained to Mrs. Morris, who looked

h I could see she was greatly surprised. 'I believe I don't

oked bashful, an

orris' schoolmates, ar

about the handsome room with wide-open eyes, I could s

inted with him, then?' w

ing, and said for us to come to his party to-day. He thought as how maybe th

ant time,' she replied. 'Sarah, please call

appeared with a very queer smile on her face at the head of a l

'am, who have come to tak

f flutter, as she helped Sarah to seat the new arr

d ranged themselves silently and sedately on

e work to be done, and which will have to be stopped for the day-the house all upside down-no chance for preparations for an extra supper for his company. And that big girl bespoke ice-cream as soon as she entered.' And then Mrs. Morris and Sarah turned into the

ruffled frocks and necklaces and bright hair-ribbons, tripped gracefully in and advanced to meet Mrs. Morris, quite like grown ladies

retty group. 'Will you make yourselves quite at home and help me to entertain these other visitors till Johnny comes in? I don't know what keeps him so long. If you'll excuse me I'll go and look fo

stead they drew a little apart and began to talk to each other. Mary Ethel, a round-faced girl who giggled a great deal behind her fan, crossed over to where s

go to school?' in

rrying out Mrs. Morris' suggestion to help her entertain them, began again on th

for the first of Sept

a word did she utter. At this a subdued titter came from France

and talking to each other. At one side I noticed Naomi and Jessica who were trying to make the parrot talk for the big girl. Mary Ethel was turning the crank of a small music box, around which were clustered a group of the stranger children. On a sofa three or four others had the portfolio of pictures

he little barefooted girls, whose dancing black ey

.' She made the announcement as

hite whiskers, and looks just like a respectable old col

cat's name?'

you call your

de Neige and the little

Mary Ethel. 'How did you happen

se the names do s

at ever I heard. I don't understand how th

color of those cats, to be su

e means yellow, so jaune jaquette means yellow jacket. I learned that in our French reader.

, and she tipped him a polite litt

named our white kitten yet. I believe I'll ca

singing and looking from side to side with proud satisfaction, knowing she was being

beautifully, and you deserve something to eat. I am going to let you have some bread and milk r

most in line with the saucer. Johnny took his seat beside her and broke the bread into tiny pieces with his spoon, shoving the particles into the other spoon as fast as Bessie disposed of them. She gravely clasped her spoon with one claw and brought it to her mouth quite dextrously and ate the contents w

e, I am going to train her to use a

y accomplished lady th

children had left the table and had

an awful purty f

e sweet on a Sunday h

wings for my hat,

t one who had spoken. 'And Naomi chooses his whole body

hats trimmed with them, but we've quit. I had a lovely one on my blue velvet hat last year. It

the other girl

wear them. Little boy, little boy, be careful

tertaining himself by slightly opening my cage door and letting it spring back to its fastening. Suddenly h

he called.

dash through the opening, and flew to the top of a pictur

her and thither, tumbling over each other, and over the

alled Philip. 'I'll shoo him down for you

th hands and waving it back and forth rapidly. In a minute all

y, my dear old admiral,' wai

nto the world, without saying good-bye to anybody. I suppose they all crowded to the window to look after me as I disappeared, for the last thing I heard wa

ohnny afterward?" w

ittle flags were fastened to the horses' harness. Jock had one on each side of his head, which made him look very pretty. Children were running about carrying wreaths. On a corner of the street where a band was playing some men were holding banners. I heard some one say it was Decoration Day, and that everybody strewed flowers on the graves in the big cemetery that

reined Jock in. 'Aren't you

s, I tell you.' The boy s

me of your friends. There's enough for all of you boys to have a few flowers

ly one, I'll say that for you,' he said heartily

enerous, kind-hearted boy he used to be, and I fel