from her
pocket, "if it does sprinkle, you get into a car, Polly, remember."

"Oh, yes, I will," she cried, taking the purse.

"And there's ten cents for your bird seed in that pocket," said Mrs.
Pepper, pointing to a coin racing away into a corner by itself.

"Yes'm," said Polly, wild to be off.

"And there's a five-cent piece in that one for you to ride up with,"
said her mother, tying up the purse carefully. "Remember, for you to
ride up with. Well, I guess you better ride up anyway, Polly, come to
think, and then you'll get home all the quicker."

"Where you going?" asked Phronsie, who on seeing the purse knew there
was some expedition on foot, and beginning to clamber down out of the
chair. "Oh, I want to go too, I do. Take me, Polly!"

"Oh, no. Pet, I can't," cried Polly, "I've got to hurry like
everything!"

"I can hurry too," cried Phronsie, drawing her small figure to its
utmost height, "oh, so fast, Polly!"

"And it's ever so far," cried Polly, in despair, as she saw the small
under lip of the child begin to quiver. "Oh, dear me, mamsie, what shall
I do!"

"Run right along," said Mrs. Pepper, briskly. "Now, Phronsie, you and I
ought to take care of Cherry, poor thing."

At this Phronsie turned and wiped away two big tears, while she gazed up
at the cage in extreme commiseration.

"I guess I'll give him a piece of bread," said Mrs. Pepper to herself.
At this word "bread," Polly, who was half way down the hall, came
running back.

"Oh, mamsie, don't," she said. "It made him sick before, don't you know
it did--so fat and stuffy."

"Well, hurry along then," said Mrs. Pepper, and Polly was off.

Over the ground she sped, only intent on reaching the bird store, her
speed heightened by the dark and rolling bank of cloud that seemed to
shut right down suddenly over her and envelop her warningly.

"It's good I've got the money to ride up with," she thought to herself,
hurrying along through the busy streets, filled now with anxious crowds
homeward rushing to avoid the threatening shower. "Well, here I am," she
said with a sigh of relief, as she at last reached Mr. Fletcher's big
bird store.

Here she steadily resisted all temptations to stop and look at the new
arrivals of birds, and to feed the carrier-pigeons who seemed to be
expecting her, and who turned their soft eyes up at her reproachfully
when she failed to pay her respects to them. Even the cunning
blandishments of a very attractive monke