ed. It does not hurt the linnets half so much to be shot dead in one
second, as it does the gophers to be caught in the cats' claws, and torn
to pieces sometimes while they are yet alive. The shot-gun kills in a
second."

"I don't care," said Rea. "It seems different; the linnets are so
pretty."

"That is not a reason for pitying them any more," said Anita gravely.
"You did not find those old Indians you saw yesterday pretty. On the
contrary, they were frightful to look at; yet you pitied them so much
that you shed tears."

"Oh, yes!" cried Rea, "I should think I did; and, Anita, I dreamed about
them all night long. I am going to ask Uncle George to build a little
house for them up in the canon. There is plenty of room there he does
not want; and then nobody could drive them out of that place as long as
they live; and I could carry them their dinner every day. Don't you
think he will?"

"Bless your kind little heart!" said Anita. "That would be asking a
great deal of your Uncle George, but he is so kind, perhaps he will. If
somebody does not take compassion on the poor things, they will starve,
that is certain."

"I shall ask him the minute he comes in," said Rea. "I am going down on
the piazza now to watch for him." And taking Fairy in her arms, Rea
hurried downstairs, went out on the veranda, and, climbing up into the
hammock, was sound asleep in ten minutes.

She was waked up by feeling herself violently swung from side to side,
and opening her eyes, saw Jusy standing by her side, his face flushed
with the heat, his eyes sparkling.

"O Rea!" he said. "We have had a splendid hunt! What do you think! Jim
has shot twenty linnets in this one morning! and that Skipper, he's
eaten five of them! He's as good as a regular hunting dog."

"Where's Uncle George?" asked Rea sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "I want
Uncle George! I don't want you to tell me anything about the cats'
eating the linnets. I hate them! They're cruel!"

"'Tisn't cruel either!" retorted Jusy. "They've got to be killed. All
people that have orchards have to kill birds."

"I won't, when I have an orchard," said Rea.

"Then you won't have any orchard. That will be all," said Jusy. "At
least, you won't have any fruit orchard. You'll have just a tree
orchard."

"Well, a tree orchard is good enough for anybody," replied Rea half
crossly. She was not yet quite wide awake. "There is plenty of fruit in
stores, to buy. We could buy our fruit."

"Are y