42 GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS 
been no frost and the flowers in the buds were still 
bright. 
Back of the house was a flower garden, with grape and 
rose arbours on either side, under which chairs and little 
tables were placed invitingly. Beyond this garden was a 
maze of fruit bushes and the young orchard, and beyond 
this the old orchard, nowrunning half wild, stretched down- 
hill toward the river wocds. 
A lovelier place could not have been planned for either 
children or birds, or the people who love both, nor a more 
perfect place for all three to live together in peace and 
comfort. 
Goldilocks was already out, and her faithful Ann Hughes 
was pushing her chair to and fro, for when one is eager 
and impatient it is very hard to have to sit still. Goldi- 
locks was growing stronger every day and could walk a 
few yards all alone, but it tired her, and her mother 
thought the excitement of seeing so many children would 
be enough for one day. 
Presently a head, with a cap on it, bobbed up over the 
last hump in the road below the house, and then another 
with a ribbon-trimmed hat upon it, the pair belonging to 
Tommy Todd and Sarah Barnes, who led the procession ; 
and in a few minutes more the entire group had reached 
the porch and Sarah Barnes was repeating their names 
to Goldilocks. The five boys rather hung back, but 
that was to be expected of them. 
As a little later Gray Lady led the way down to the 
garden, she turned to Ann and gave her some directions 
for the house and was going to push the chair herself 
when Tommy Todd came forward and seized the handle, 
