HOW THEY SPENT THEIR MONEY 255 
all sorts of odds and ends at the lunch-counter, that she 
might see exactly what sort of food was the most accept- 
able, and she was very much surprised to find that though 
wild birds, like human beings, can adapt themselves to 
circumstances, a great number have such a craving for 
animal food that it explained why Crows, Jays, and some 
others become nest-robbers in the midst of summer plenty. 
After they had called upon Miss Wilde at Swallow 
Chimney, where Eliza Clausen discovered the meaning of 
Sarah Barnes’ mysterious remarks about the party being 
held in the orchard, and yet being indoors, they went to 
see the birds’ Christmas tree. 
Since morning many things had been added to it that 
were not intended for birds. Bundles, strange of shape, 
wrapped in green tissue-paper tied up with red ribbon 
and little sprigs of southern holly, hung to the lower 
branches, while Jacob, dressed as Father Christmas, stood 
by armed with a hooked stick, with which he loosened the 
bundles and dropped them into the waiting hands. 
As it was impossible to tell from the shape of the 
parcels what they contained, there was a good deal of 
pinching and squeezing done, but beyond the feeling of 
sharp corners that might belong to either books or boxes, 
nothing could be discovered. 
“Tt is too cold for you to stand out here to open your 
parcels,” said Gray Lady. “Suppose you take them in 
the living-room at the cottage, and while the girls open 
theirs you boys come for a little walk with me, for I have 
some work planned particularly for the boys of the Kind 
Hearts’ Club. 
“Oh, do not look worried, I shall not keep you more 
