THE BIRDS’ WATCHMEN 257 
him. Listen to his voice now rising loudly above 
the tumult out there. Is he not doing his best to 
restore peace and quiet? ” 
“ He sounds just like Miss Berry used to when 
she banged her pointer down on the desk and 
yelled ‘ Order! ’ at the top of her lungs,” com¬ 
mented Alice, dryly. 
“ And I doubt not he succeeds about as she 
did,” Tommy laughed. “ If the truth must be 
told, I’m pretty sure he often starts the riot! 
I’ve seen him stop suddenly in the midst of a 
song—and he can sing, for sure!—and go droop¬ 
ing off with a comical hang-dog air that is laugh¬ 
able enough when one knows he is only putting 
on some stunt. Probably half of his ridiculous 
attitudes and poses are a part of his detective’s 
disguise. Who knows what bird mysteries he 
may be unraveling while he acts the part of a 
clown? ” 
“ There’s a catbird’s nest in the blackberry 
tangle down in Daddy Thornton’s pasture,” Ma¬ 
bel confided. “ I saw it just the other day. It is 
thrown together helter-skelter, sticks and leaves, 
rags, bits of string, newspapers and what not, 
like any old scrap-basket. But it is softly lined, 
and probably the little birdies hatched from the 
pretty green eggs will be as happy as though 
cradled in the finest structure known to Bird- 
land.” 
