ll their
attention to the subject, and explain the wrong to them, if we couldn't
do some good that way? Maybe they'd decide not to wear birds on their
hats."

"We might try, sister, I would be perfectly willing to try; but I'm
afraid it wouldn't do much good, for we have but little influence. As
long as fashionable and wealthy ladies will do it, the poorer classes
will not give it up very readily."

"But they have hearts which can be appealed to. They have feelings
which can be roused," answered the lame girl eagerly. "Being alone so
much I have more time to think over these things than the shop girls
who are hurried and busy all day, and perhaps nobody has ever tried to
show them how wrong it is; but I really believe some of them could be
influenced, if once they would seriously think of the wrong they are
doing. That is the reason, Kathy, I suggested to get a lot of them
together to talk about saving the birds."

The gentle cripple had never even heard of the great Audubon. She did
not know that societies existed in many States called by the name of
the distinguished naturalist, engaged in the same merciful work.

Miss Katharine drew from the satchel the paper clipping and handed it
to her sister, saying: "This is a coincidence surely; I cut this out of
the daily paper at the store some time ago, intending to give it to
you, but I always forgot it. It is an account of the proceedings of a
convention in one of the big cities. You will see by reading it that
somebody else has been thinking your identical thoughts."

"How lovely that is!" exclaimed Eliza when she had carefully read the
notice. "How I should have enjoyed being at that meeting. We will
help those people all we can, Kathy, by stirring up our acquaintances
here. You invite the girls for tomorrow night and I'll have the house
ready for them."

That I had been an inspiration to this gentle girl in her work of mercy
was a great joy to me, and all the next day I was constantly bursting
into a round of cheerful twitters and I swung myself in my hoop as fast
as I could make it go.

The best room was swept and dusted with the greatest care, and a few
extra chairs moved in from other parts of the house. My cage was
transferred from its usual hook to the parlor, and about eight o'clock
the guests thronged in and soon every seat was filled. They were
principally girls who were clerks in stores, or worked in shops and
offices, and many of them wer