A Street Troubadour 



Randy know that this was the place now se- 

 lected ; and Randy, having learned by this time 

 that it was less trouble to accept her decision 

 than to offer an opinion of his own, sang a 

 Canary trill on two chirps, and set about rum- 

 maging in the garbage-heaps for choice building- 

 material, winking hard and looking the other 

 way when a nice twig presented itself. 



flu 



ML 



mm 



On the other side of the Square was the nest of 

 a pair of very unpopular Sparrows. The male 

 bird in particular had made himself thoroughly 

 disliked. He was a big, handsome fellow with 

 an enormous black cravat, but an out-and-out 

 bully. Might is right in Sparrow world. Their 

 causes for quarrel are food, mates, quarters, and 

 nesting-material — pretty much as with our- 

 selves. This arrogant little Bird, by reason of his 

 strength, had the mate of his choice and the best 

 nesting-site, and was adding to it all the most- 

 admired material in the Square. My Sparrows 

 had avoided the gaudy ribbons I offered. They 

 were not educated up to that pitch, but they 



126 



