Part 9 (1/2)

”I was cleaning Sol's cage, as usual, and he was out in the room. The window was open a little at the top, same as I've had it before once or twice these spring days, and Sol never took notice. The worst of it is, my husband told me I hadn't orter keep it open, even a speck, while the bird was out of his cage. 'Sol can wriggle through the smallest kind of a crack,' says he; and it appears he was right. My, but he'll be angry!

'Marthy, it'll serve you right,' he'll say.”

The children saw Mr. Butler coming down the street, just then, and they waited in fascinated silence to see what would happen next. One of the schoolboys, who always loved to make a sensation, called out as he pa.s.sed, ”Did you know your canary-bird is lost?”

”You don't expect I am going to swallow that yarn, Gilbert Lawson?” the old man said. ”You'd better shut up. 'Taint the first of April.”

”But it really and truly has flown away, Mr. Butler,” said Peggy.

”Flown away! Did my old woman leave the window open? Marthy, didn't I tell you what would happen?” he said angrily as he vanished into the house. They could hear his voice raised louder and louder.

Peggy could see Mrs. Butler putting her handkerchief up to her eyes.

”She's crying,” said Peggy in an awed voice. ”Oh, let's see if we can't find the canary-bird.”

”Find it!” said Gilbert scornfully. ”You might as well look for a needle in a haymow.”

”Perhaps if we put the cage out he'd come back into it,” said Peggy.

”Do you suppose anything clever enough to get out of prison would be fool enough to go back again?” said he. ”Well, there seems to be nothing doing now and I guess I'll go home.”

Gilbert and his brother Ralph and the other boys went toward the village, and so did the girls who lived in that direction. But Peggy and Alice and Anita Spaulding still lingered.

”I'm going to tell them that I'll come back as soon as dinner is over and find the bird for them,” said Peggy. ”I know I can find it.”

”Oh, Peggy, maybe mother won't let you come,” said Alice.

”She's a sensible mother; I know she'll let me come,” said Peggy, as she ran up the steps.

Mrs. Butler came to the door. Her eyes looked very red and she still seemed quite upset.

”Oh, Mrs. Butler,” said Peggy breathlessly, ”I know I can find the canary-bird--I know I can. I'll come right straight back as soon as I've had my dinner.”

Alice and Peggy ran home and Peggy explained breathlessly about the canary. ”Mother dear, Mrs. Butler has lost Sol; and I know I can find him. So please give us our dinner quick.”

”Who is Sol?” Mrs. Owen asked.

”The canary--I know I can find him. I can tell him by his song, and then I can climb up and put his cage in a tree and get him back into it.”

”He won't come back once he's free: Gilbert says he won't,” said Alice.

”Don't you pay any attention to what Gilbert says,” said Peggy.

Mrs. Owen was very much interested. ”Peggy is right,” she said. ”I once knew of a canary-bird that escaped and went back into his old cage. If you can only find him it is not impossible.”

”There, I told you she was a sensible mother,” said Peggy.

She could hardly wait to finish her dinner, and thought of going off without any dessert. But when she found it was rice pudding with raisins, she changed her mind. The two little girls went so fast to Mrs.

Butler's it was almost like flying.

”We've come to find Sol,” said Peggy.