been frolicking about the meadow almost a week.

She seemed a shy creature--this young person--preferring to stay on the
ground during the serenade. But Bobby Bobolink and his companions were
bold as brass. Often they alighted on the ground near her, as if they
thought she could not hear their songs well enough when they skimmed
through the air over the grassy meadow. Amid such a jingling and
tinkling of notes it was no wonder that the little lady acted somewhat
confused.

Jasper Jay, who was almost as great a gossip as Mr. Crow, told everybody
in the neighborhood that he had never heard such a hubbub. But then,
like his cousin Mr. Crow, Jasper was not a lover of music. And it was
true that sprightly Bobby Bobolink and his dashing friends made no
attempt to sing together. To be sure, they sang all at the same time;
but each one of them sang his own song in his own way, just as if his
was the only one that was being sung.

They never tired of entertaining the lady. And whether the
yellowish-brown person decided that Bobby Bobolink sang louder than the
others, or whether she thought his singing was sweeter or gayer than
that of his friends, nobody ever found out. Perhaps he managed to say
something--in his song--that especially pleased her. Anyhow, it was only
a short time before Bobby Bobolink was making such remarks as these to
everybody in the meadow:

"My wife says I have the quickest eye for a caterpillar that she ever
saw!" and "Mrs. Bobolink and I expect to begin to build a new house at
once!"

Now, you might think that Bobby's friends, after all their singing for
the little lady, would have felt quite glum. But they were not in the
least downcast. Of course, Bobby Bobolink would not let them serenade
his wife. Indeed he promptly chased them away as soon as he knew that he
had won her.

But they were so light-hearted that they started right away to sing for
another lady in another part of the meadow.

She was as like the first one as two peas in a pod. And Jasper Jay
chuckled when he found out what was going on.

He said he didn't believe they knew the difference.

V

AN INVITATION

MR. MEADOWLARK was a great admirer of Bobby Bobolink. Much as he liked
to sing himself, he often remained silent when Bobby's joyous music
tinkled over the grass-tops in Farmer Green's meadow. And as Mr.
Meadowlark was listening to one of Bobby's best songs one day an idea
popped suddenly into his head. He liked t