The Big Snow 199 



ingly, and made a shrill hissing note that set 

 the bird inside also to ruffling and hissing. 

 This kept up ^ for two days, the bird out of 

 the cage meantime growing tamer than the 

 bird within. Though he defied capture, he 

 watched Patsy intently when she set food 

 and water where he could reach it, and 

 flew down to it the minute she was a safe 

 distance away. And when, the second even- 

 ing, he managed to fly out of an incautiously 

 opened door, he hung about the house, sleep- 

 ing at last in a cedar tree a little way from 

 the front door, and came bright and early 

 in the morning to the window-sill, peeked 

 through it, ruffled, and hissed defiance of his 

 imprisoned enemy, whose cage sat just inside. 

 The window looked out on the back piazza. 

 Joe and Patsy had strung oat sheaves and mil- 

 let heads all along under the eaves of it. They 

 also strewed grain upon the ground outside, 

 so all the winter birds were chattering and 

 chittering there. The redbird noticed none 

 of them. He fed disdainfully alone, pecking 

 out all the grains of a stalk, then tossing the 

 head away. As soon as he was done he flew 

 upon the sill, and began to torment the caged 

 bird. Patsy was strongly tempted to set her 

 captive free, but Joe insisted that they had 

 better be kept from fighting until warm weather 

 should improve their tempers. 



