her, do you suppose
he's hungry?"

"Bless us! Just as likely as not. Wait, I'll send Joey for some milk
at once," touching an electric button just above the seat. "I see Mr.
Parrot has his dinner in his cage. Well, shall it be Hafiz?"

"I believe that will do," returned Faith slowly, "and what will you
name your bird, Hope?"

"Oh, I'm not going so far for a name as all that, only to America, and
I shall call him Texas."

Her father, smiling at her ideas of distance, joined Faith in her
surprised question, "But why?"

"Why? Because I've always thought, from things I've read about Texas,
that it's a jolly, wide-awake state, but not over-refined, perhaps. It
has always seemed to me they did rather dreadful things there, but in
an off-hand, good-natured sort of way, that made them seem more funny
than really bad. I don't think I can make it quite plain to you, but
that's the way my parrot acts. He is not so wicked as he seems, and I
shall certainly call him Texas."

At this instant the boy, who had been electrically summoned, appeared.
He was a Japanese, with a good face, now in a broad smile as he
received his orders, and the quick glance by which he took in the
pretty room and its lively occupants was alert and well pleased. He
had waited upon the captain for years, spoke perfect English, and was
the most faithful and good-tempered of lackeys. He soon reappeared
with some rich-looking milk, which poor Hafiz eagerly began to lap, so
soon as Faith had poured some into a saucer, and for the first time a
soft purring sounded from his white-collared throat.

"There!" said his little mistress, watching him in great satisfaction,
"he really was half starved. Now, don't you see how like our Persian
poet he is, father? You remember Hafiz liked to sing of all
comfortable things--good living, and so on. Here is my Hafiz doing the
same thing."

"Only his language is not entirely comprehensible," laughed her sister.

"Could you have understood the real poet any better?" was the arch
response, and Hope had to acknowledge that, for all practical purposes,
the Angora Hafiz was as intelligible as his namesake.

CHAPTER IV.

INTRODUCTIONS.

When they went back upon deck Faith had the pacified Hafiz in her arms,
and was inclined to sympathize with her sister, who could not carry
Texas about in that manner. But Hope needed no consolation. "Possibly
I cannot, yet," she allowed, "but wait a while. I intend