XX 
BEHIND THE BARS 
Mockingbird, Cardinal, Indigo-bird, and Nonpareil 
ONE gray Saturday in January, when the wind rushed 
through the trees, making the frozen branches clash 
with the sound of metal rather than wood, and it was 
too cold to snow, Tommy Todd came to the kitchen 
door at ‘the General’s” carrying a large and unwieldy 
bundle carefully wrapt in an old quilt. 
The door was opened by Matilda, the old coloured 
woman, who had been “ the General’s”’ cook in her youth, 
staying on as caretaker during the years when the house 
had been closed. ‘“‘What you got dere,sonny? Sumpin’ 
live, ’cause I kin hear hit scratchin’. Don’t say yer 
bringin’ in a trap o’ rats, ’cause if dere’s anythink I mis- 
like ’ticular, it is dem.” 
“No, mammy; it isn’t rats, it’s a bird,” said Tommy, 
beginning to unwind the quilt which covered a long cage 
made of wood and stout wires. When he had succeeded 
in freeing it from the cover, which, being ragged, caught 
on the wires, he lifted the cage to the kitchen table, 
where the light came full upon it. There, hopping ner- 
vously to and fro between the perches, was a gray bird 
about the size of a Robin. Its wings and tail had a 
browner wash than the rest of its back, while some of 
its tail-feathers and its underparts were white, though 
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