I OS 



" Wouldn't it be just like a magician," said the 

 boy, " if I could call a bat and make it come to 

 me?" 



" Yes, it would," said the little girl, " but you 

 couldn't do it." She had not been told about the 

 pet bat. 



" Couldn't I ? " said the boy. " We'll see." 



He gave the peculiar whistle that he always 

 gave for Flitters. There was no answer. 



Again he whistled, and then one of the bats flew 

 in under the porch. 



He whistled a third time and the bat circled 

 about his head and finally lighted upon his shoulder, 

 folding its wings into the likeness of ungainly front 

 legs. 



The little girl could not wonder enough. She 

 felt as though the boy were really a magician, and 

 was even a little afraid of him. 



The boy took the bat in his hand and smoothed 

 and tickled it. Then he let it fly away, and after 

 a while he told her and her mother that it was his 

 pet bat, and all about it. 



That was almost the last time he ever saw *it, 

 however. Either it was not with the bats which 

 he saw flitting about on other evenings, or it did 



