leman
he was.

"I didn't mean to frighten Mrs. Bobolink," he explained. "I was only
trying to mock you. But there's something wrong with my voice. I think
I'll have to go and see Aunt Polly Woodchuck, the herb doctor."

Bobby Bobolink only laughed harder than ever.

"There's nothing the matter with you!" he cried. "There isn't anybody
that can imitate my songs--unless it's one of the Bobolink family. I
sing too fast for you--that's the trouble."

Well, Mr. Catbird looked vastly relieved.

"I'm glad to know that," he said. "And I'll never try to mock you
again."

"I should hope not!" Mrs. Bobolink told him. "For I never heard such a
frightful noise in all my days."

XV

HAYING TIME

BY the time the Bobolink youngsters were beginning to learn to fly
Mrs. Bobolink noticed something about her husband that caused her
some uneasiness. Bobby Bobolink was unusually jolly. And since his
wife didn't know of anything to make him feel happier than he had
always been, she couldn't help worrying for fear something was
troubling him. For Bobby Bobolink almost never let anything dash
his high spirits. He often said that there was nothing so uplifting
as a rousing song--unless it was a good pair of wings!

Mrs. Bobolink thought and thought. But so far as she could see
everything was going smoothly. Already the children gave promise
of becoming fine fliers, taking as naturally to the air as ducks
to water. And it was a great year for grasshoppers; so Bobby
Bobolink couldn't be worrying about a scarcity of food.

Bobby's wife thought of this, that and the other thing. But she could
hit on nothing that wasn't exactly as it should be. So at last she
decided to ask her husband what it was that was troubling him and
making him so remarkably cheerful.

"I don't like to upset you, my dear," he said in response to her
question. "But I may as well tell you that we ought to move at the
earliest possible moment."

"Move!" she cried. "Oh, no! I don't want to move. I'm quite contented
with this house. It's in just the place I like."

"I'm sorry," said Bobby. "But we shall have to move all the same. And
when I tell you why, I think you'll agree with me that the sooner we
move the better it will be for us."

Little Mrs. Bobolink replied very firmly that she would have to hear a
good reason before she would consent to move an inch.

So Bobby told her. "Haying time has come!"

"What of that?" his wife inquired. "Farmer Gre