232 



Charley s Wonderful Journeys. 



innocent vanity suddenly received a check, 

 and I saw that she had become entangled 

 in the lace on the cushion. I held my 

 breath. If she got frightened and at- 

 tempted to fiy away, she would break her 

 legs, but I did not move, nor even speak, 

 she must free herself, and I coLdd not but 

 admire the coolness and dexterity with 

 which she extricated first one dainty foot, 

 and then the other; when she flew down 

 to me, for a fly if you please. 



As she had recovered the use of her 

 wings, she made up her mind to go to 

 bed where she liked, and not where I 

 liked, so I was obliged to call my sister 

 to the rescue, who swooped down on my 

 friend and hustled her into the basket be- 

 fore she knew where she was. As soon, 

 however, as Mrs. Redstart could recover 

 herself, she resented the indignity with be- 

 coming spirit, and sprang upward on the 

 netting almost before it could be scrambled 

 over her, where she persisted in remaining 

 in an upside down position till I thought 

 she would dislocate her neck. But she 

 ultimately yielded to my entreaties to re- 

 verse herself and go to sleep with her feet 

 downward. 



True to my promise, I carried my little 



friend the next morning to the spot I had 

 told her about; she understood it all, and 

 was very quiet as we journeyed along. 



" This is the place," I said, as I took off 

 the objectionable netting. She flitted into 

 a bush and began looking industriously for 

 her breakfast. Her little heart seemed 

 bubbling over with happiness, and she 

 talked to me incessantly. 



" I wish you would fly up into that high 

 tree," I said. "You can be seen so plainly 

 here by passers-by." 



She turned her pretty face up to me as I 

 bent over the bush, and it said as plainly 

 as a face could: " You don't mean to take 

 me away ! " 



"No, my darling," said I, "I don't mean 

 to take you away, but I shall feel you are 

 safer in that high tree." 



She must have divined my meaning, for 



she flew into it directly. And, as she stood 



looking down at me in the bright sunshine, 



I kissed my hand to her, and could just 



hear her soft answering note. And so we 



parted. And, as I walked homeward in 



the stillness of the early morning, I felt 



that my heart had been touched to finer 



sympathies by my brief acquaintance with 



a little bird. 



Emma Thornton. 



CHARLEY'S WONDERFUL JOURNEYS 



JOURNEY XI. 



CHARLEY sat up and looked at the 

 Hesperornis, and the Hesperornis 

 looked at him, and it would be hard to say 

 which was the more astonished. Neither 

 of theni spoke a word. Each waited for 

 the other Lo begin. 



" Are you fish, fowl or saurian ? " asked 

 the Hesperornis at length, unable to con- 

 trol her curiosity any longer. 



" Neither, if you please, ma'am," replied 

 Charley, courteously, and now thoroughly 

 self-possessed; and rising to his feet he 



folded his hands behind his back, and 

 stood prepared for his examination, 



" What in the name of goodness are you 

 then if you are neither fish, fowl nor sau- 

 rian ?" asked the Hesperornis, curiously. 



" If you please, ma'am," said Charley, 

 " first came the things that hadn't any 

 brains to speak of, nor any backbone, then 

 came the fishes, and after them the reptiles. 

 Then you came and the Icthyornis " — 



" The what ? " exclaimed the Hesper- 

 ornis. 



