a house at all. That is the way with 

 your sex generally, when there is any 

 work to be done." 



"Oh, it is?" said Mr. Wren, his 

 feathers ruffled in a minute. " That's 

 my reward for staying about this house 

 and the grounds all the time, is it ? 

 My whole time has been taken up in 

 house hunting, let me tell you, Mrs. 

 Wren, and in keeping my eye on one 

 particular apartment which is to let up 

 there." 



" Where ? " chirped Mrs. Wren, her 

 bright eyes traveling up and down the 

 side of the house before them. "I 

 don't see a box or crevice anywhere.'* 



"Oh, you don't?" said Mr. Wren, 

 mimicing her tone and air, "not a 

 single box or crevice anywhere. Who 

 said anything about either, I'd like to 

 know? " 



"Why, you did, Mr. Wren," said 

 Mrs. Jenny, every feather on top of 

 her head standing on end, " You did, 

 as plain as could be." 



" I said nothing of the sort," retorted 

 Mr. Wren, " I never mentioned a box 

 or crevice once." 



" Then what did you say," returned 

 Mrs. Wren with a little cackling sort 

 of a laugh, " what kind of a house is 

 up there to let anyway? " 



" Talk about females being as sharp 

 as we males," muttered Mr. Wren, " I 

 never saw so stupid a creature in my 

 life " — then aloud, " don't you see that 

 tin tea-pot hanging on a nail under 

 the porch, Mrs. Wren ? " 



" A tin tea-pot ! " scornfully. " Do 

 you think a bird born and bred as I 

 was would go to housekeeping in an 

 old tea-pot, Mr. Wren? You forget, 

 surely that my father was a " 



'' Oh, bother your father,'* ungal- 

 lantly retorted Mr. Wren. " I'm tired 

 and sick of that subject. If you don't 

 like the looks of that house up there 

 say so, and I'll take you to see several 

 others." 



" Oh, well," said Mrs, Wren, who 

 all the time had thought the tea-pot 

 just the cutest little apartment in the 

 world, " I'll fly up there and examine 

 it. Maybe it will do." 



" It's just lovely," she announced, 

 flying back to the tree, and for a min- 

 ute or two they chattered and sang, 

 and fluttered about in such a joyful 

 manner that some of their bird neigh- 

 bors flew over, curious to hear and see. 



" Still," remarked Mrs. Jenny the 

 next day, when fetching material for 

 the nest, " I had hoped, my dear, that 

 you would have followed my father's 

 example in selecting a house for your 

 family." 



"Still harping on 'my father,'" 

 groaned Mr. Wren, dropping on the 

 porch the straws he had fetched in 

 his bill. "Well," cheerfully, "how 

 did he do, my dear? " 



"As a bird of courage would, Mr. 

 Wren. He never looked for a vacant 

 house, not he ! From place to place, 

 from tree to tree he flew, and when he 

 espied a nest which pleased him, off 

 he chased the other bird and took 

 possession. Bluebird or Martin, it was 

 all the same to him. Ah, indeed, my 

 father was a great warrior." 



"Hm, yes ! " said Mr. Wren, who 

 didn't like to be thought less brave 

 than another. " That accounted for 

 his one eye and lame leg, I presume." 



" The scars of battle are not to be 

 laughed at, Mr. Wren," loftily said 



38 



