he die, do you think?"

"I guess not," said Mrs. Pepper, laying down her work and coming up to
the cage, while Phronsie scrambled off from her chair and hurried to the
scene. "Why, he does act queer, don't he? P'raps he's been eating too
much?"

"Eating!" said Polly, "oh mamsie, he hasn't had anything." And she
pointed with shame and remorse to the seed-cup with only a few dried
husks in the very bottom.

"Oh, Polly," began Mrs. Pepper; but seeing the look on her face, she
changed her tone for one more cheerful. "Well, hurry and get him some
now; he'll be all right, poor little thing, in a minute. There, there,"
she said, nodding persuasively at the cage, "you pretty creature you! so
you sha'n't be starved."

At the word "starved," Polly winced as though a pin had been pointed at
her.

"There isn't any, mamsie, in the house," she stammered; "he had the last
yesterday."

"And you forgot him to-day?" asked Mrs. Pepper, with a look in her black
eyes Polly didn't like.

"Yes'm," said poor Polly in a low voice.

"Well, he must have something right away," said Mrs. Pepper, decidedly.
"That's certain."

"I'll run right down to Fletcher's and get it," cried Polly.

"Twon't take me but a minute, mamsie; Jasper's gone, and Thomas, too, so
I've got to go," she added, as she saw her mother hesitate.

"If you could wait till Ben gets home," said Mrs. Pepper, slowly. "I'm
most afraid it will rain, Polly."

"Oh, no, mamsie," cried Polly, feeling as if she could fly to the ends
of the earth to atone, and longing beside for the brisk walk down town.
Going up to the window she pointed triumphantly to the little bit of
blue sky still visible. "There, now, see, it can't rain yet awhile."

"Well," said Mrs. Pepper, while Phronsie, standing in a chair with her
face pressed close to the cage, was telling Cherry through the bars "not
to be hungry, please don't!" which he didn't seem to mind in the least,
but went on screaming harder than ever! "And besides, 'tisn't much use
to wait for Ben. Nobody knows where he'll get shoes to fit himself and
Joe and Davie, in one afternoon! But be sure, Polly, to hurry, for it's
getting late, and I shall be worried about you.

"Oh, mamsie," said Polly, turning back just a minute, "I know the way to
Fletcher's just as easy as anything. I couldn't get lost."

"I know you do," said Mrs. Pepper, "but it'll be dark early on account
of the shower. Well," she said, pulling out her well-worn purse