gratefully received, even anticipated. 

 The following spring her choice of 

 residence was a bough that hung over 

 the door, coming to the end of the 

 branch whenever I appeared in an 

 effort to express her approval. For, 

 you see, I had given her a quantity of 

 strings and lace and cotton for her 

 nest, and she was truly grateful! 



Excess of splendor is always peril- 

 ous. The work of art was no sooner 

 completed than Robin Redbreast grew 

 envious, rushed over and pulled out the 

 finest strings, leaving the nest in so 

 shaky a condition that the wind soon 

 finished it. 



Petite's feelings were deeply injured 

 — she could not be induced to rebuild 

 near her malicious neighbor. 



To help her forget her troubles I 

 gave her some yellow ravelings, much 

 handsomer than those Robin had 

 stolen. 



Thoroughly consoled, she worked as 

 fast as she possibly could until the last 

 ray of light had faded. Knowing that 

 Robin's impudence had delayed her 

 spring's work, I did my best to supply 

 her needs. 



Altogether her patience was extreme. 

 Occasionally she hinted gently that 

 her time was precious or that I was 

 keeping her waiting, as she hovered 

 about my face or rested briefly upon my 

 shoe, keeping a sharp lookout mean- 

 while upon the cloth I was raveling. 



How she scampered off when it was 

 ready, snatching it from my hand be- 

 fore it reached the ground! 



The next day saw the new house 

 completed — no ordinary affair, but a 

 magnificent dwelling, yellow from foun- 

 dation to rafter, with a long, fantastic 

 fringe of the same floating from its rim 

 and waving gracefully in every breeze. 



Petite now became my attentive com- 

 panion in my garden work, talking in 

 subdued tones from the nearest branch 

 as if she felt the seriousness of the 

 occasion, circling in the air and alight- 

 ing on the same bough in pretended 

 alarm when I tried to touch her soft, 

 delicate feathers. 



May 3d of this present year she 

 called softly from the orchard that she 

 had arrived. For a few days she had 

 little to say, wearied with the long 



journey and being broken of her rest, 

 as must have been the case. She was 

 not quite herself, either — really put on 

 airs and kept at a distance; but when 

 she began to think of housekeeping she 

 was the same trusting darling that won 

 my heart and gave me willmg hands 

 in her service. 



We talked matters over on the piazza 

 while she fluttered about my head, 

 touched my hat with dainty feet, or 

 poised before me to say in her own 

 pretty way that it was quite time to be 

 thinking of sitting. " What do you 

 propose to do for me this year? How 

 much help can I rely upon from you?" 

 she asked as plainly as if she spoke 

 English. 



" Ah, Petite," I answered, "you must 

 not demand too much. It is quite time 

 the sweet peas were planted!" But 

 words were useless; she coaxed, en- 

 ticed, pleaded, until mine was a full 

 and unconditioned surrender. " You 

 deserve it, Petite, for your persever- 

 ance! You shall have the finest house 

 that was ever seen in this section," I 

 said, and with that promise we parted. 



I found a quantity of jeweler's cot- 

 ton, pink as a rosebud, soft and fluffy 

 and light enough to satisfy the most 

 fastidious bird architect. Small pieces 

 were placed upon lawn and tree 

 trunks, where Petite soon spied them; 

 her first impulse was one of approval. 



Not meaning to be rash in her judg- 

 ment, her head was cocked cunningly 

 on one side as she poised, eyeing them 

 closely, until I feared that, dissatisfied, 

 she would accuse me of breaking my 

 promise. 



When she seized one, cautiously, in 

 her beak and sailed away with it trail- 

 ing after her in the air my fears were 

 over. As no harm attended its trans- 

 fer to the orchard, where it was ad- 

 justed to her taste, her admiring mate 

 left his fly-catching to help in the 

 work, the cotton disappearing so rap- 

 idly there were signs of a corner in the 

 market. 



The nest, strengthened with a few 

 strings, grew rapidly toward comple- 

 tion. To all appearance its unique 

 beauty was a matter of congratulation, 

 the builders regarding it from all sides 

 with intense satisfaction. 



32 



