20 CITIZEN BIRD 



ning part that tells is gone — but it's all about birds. 

 Here's a picture of a Bluebird, only it isn't quite 

 right, somehow. Oli, I do wish I had all of the 

 book." 



Olive turned over the leaves that looked familiar to 

 her and saw that it began at page 443. '' Why, it is 

 part of the first volume of Nuttall's 'Manual of Birds.' 

 My father has the whole of this book," she said. 

 '' Where did you find this bit? " 



'' The rag pedler that comes by every fall lets me 

 look in his bags, 'cause sometimes there are paper books 

 in them, and he gave me this for nothing, 'cause it was 

 only a piece." 



'' Wh}^ don't you ask your father to buy you a 

 whole book, instead of grubbing in rag-bags?" said 

 Nat thoughtlessly. 



Rap looked from one to the other, as if in his inter- 

 est he had forgotten himself for a time, and then he 

 said quietly, "I haven't any father." 



'' I haven't any mother," said Olive quickly, putting 

 her hand gently on the thin brown one. *' We must 

 be friends. Rap." 



Her sympathy soothed him immediately, and his gen- 

 tle nature instantly tried to comfort her by saying, 

 '' But you said your father owned the whole of my 

 book. How glad you must be ! " 



Then they all laughed, and Nat and Dodo began tell- 

 insT about their uncle's room and all the books and 

 birds in it, and about the book he had promised to 

 write for them, until Rap looked so bewildered that 

 Olive was obliged to explain things a little more clearly 

 to him. 



