he the lovely white bird was pining for, felt sorry to disappoint him, and piped back:  ’Oh, if you please, I should like to ever so much! but you see I must catch up with those brown birds over there;’ and, finding his wind had come back to him, he flew away.  The pigeon, which had not even seen him, and had much more important business to attend to than to coax an insignificant little yellow-bird, went on displaying all his beauties, and crooning softly, ‘Do, dear! do! do! do!’

“Tufty had no trouble in finding the brown birds, for long before he came to the roof of the barn where they had alighted he heard their loud voices in angry dispute; and they made such an uproar, and seemed so fractious and ill-tempered, that Tufty felt afraid to join them, but lingered on a tree near by.

“Presently one of them flew over to him.  She was a young thing—­quite fresh and trim-looking for a sparrow.

“‘Good-morning!’ she said, hopping close to him and looking him all over with her bright little eyes,

“‘Good-morning!’ said Tufty, as brisk as you please.

“‘Now, I wonder where you come from and what you call yourself,’ said the sparrow.  ’I never saw a yellow-bird like you before.  How pretty the feathers grow on your head!’ and she gave a friendly nip to Tufty’s top-knot.

“Tufty thought she was getting rather familiar on so short an acquaintance, but he answered her politely, told her his name, and that he came from the house where he had always lived, and was out to take an airing.

“‘I want to know!’ said the sparrow.  ’Well, my name is Brownie.  Captain Bobtail’s Brownie, they call me, because Brownie is such a common name in our family.  It’s pleasant out-of-doors, isn’t it?  Oh, never mind the fuss over there!’—­for Tufty’s attention was constantly diverted to the scene of the quarrel—­’they are always at it, scolding and fighting.  Come, let’s you and I have a good time!’

“‘What is the fuss about?’ said Tufty.

“‘A nest,’ said Brownie, contemptuously.  ’Ridiculous, isn’t it?  Snow on the ground, and not time to build this two weeks; but you see, he wants to keep the little house on top of the pole lest some other bird should claim it, and she wants to build in the crotch of the evergreen, and the neighbors are all there taking sides.  She has the right of it—­the tree is much the prettier place; but dear me! she might just as well give up first as last, for he’s sure to have his way—­husbands are such tyrants!’ said Captain Bobtail’s Brownie, with a coquettish turn of her head; ‘but come, now, what shall we do?’

“‘I’m too cold to do any thing,’ said Tufty, dolefully.

“The sun was hidden by a cloud and a cold wind was blowing, and the house-bird, accustomed to a stove-heated room, was shivering.

“‘Take a good fly,’ said Brownie; ‘that will warm you,’

“‘But I’m hungry,’ piped Tufty.

“‘All right!’ said Brownie.  ’I know a place where there’s a free lunch set out every day for all the birds that will come—­bread-crumbs, seeds, and lovely cracked corn.  Come along! you’ll feel better after dinner,’