THE FLYING CLOWN 



whether the Httle acrobat was showing his mate what a 

 splendid fellow he was, how strong of wing and skillful 

 in the tricks of flight? Be that as it may, the mate of 

 Mis was satisfied in some way or other, and went with 

 him on a voyage of discovery one afternoon, when the 

 sky was nicely cloudy and the light pleasantly dull. 



Now, like all good parents. Mis and his mate were 

 a bit particular about what sort of neighborhood they 

 should choose for their home; for the bringing up of a 

 family, even if it is a small one, is most important. 



A peaceful place and a sunn}" exposure they must 

 have; there must be good hunting near at hand; and one 

 more thing, too, was necessary. Now, the house-lot they 

 finally decided upon met all four of these needs, though 

 it sounds like a joke to tell you where it was. But then, 

 when a clown goes merrily forth to find him a home, we 

 must not be surprised if he is funny about it. It was 

 where the sun could shine upon it ; though how Mis and 

 his mate knew that, all on a dull, dark afternoon, I 'm 

 sure I can't tell. Maybe because there was n't a tree in 

 sight. And as for peace, it was as undisturbed as a 

 deserted island. It was, in fact, a sort of island in a sea 

 of air, and at certain times of the day and night there 

 was game enough in this sea to satisfy even such hunters 

 as they. 



Perhaps they chuckled cosily together when they 



137 



