MRS. TOWHEE PROPOSES A PARTY. 125 
put on airs, as she always does. She knows that she 
is acquainted with everybody, and she is proud of it. 
Mrs. Towhee and Mrs. Phoebe nudged each other. 
Then they asked Mrs. Mocker if she would “introduce 
the new neighbors at the party.” ; 
Mrs. Mocker agreed to do this, and then Mrs. Towhee 
went away to invite all the people, and Mrs. Phoebe 
got the garden ready. She swung on all the bough- 
swings she could think of, to see if they were safe; 
and she hunted up all the nice nooks and corners to 
play hide-and-seek in; and she tested the food which 
was sent in to see if it was all right. Then she went 
upstairs into the top stories of the tree-houses and 
waved her hand to all her bird friends. 
It was a busy day among the bird people. They 
washed themselves, and combed their frizzes, and cocked 
their hats, and trimmed their bonnets, and flirted their 
coat-tails, and fixed their best trails, and took espe- 
cial pains to have their feet clean. They made their 
nails look neat, too; strange a bird should think 
of that. But birds are ladies and gentlemen, you 
know. 
“Is my gorget all right?” asked Mr. Hummer of 
Mr. Sparrow. 
“JT don’t know what you mean by your gorget,” said 
Mr. Sparrow. 
“ Why, it’s this shining patch I always wear under 
my throat. Really it is a diamond scarf-pin which has 
always been in our family. It is an heirloom. Rather 
