sound."

Peggy and Alice went across the street and they ran along until they
thought they had reached a spot that might appeal to Sol. This was the
Thornton place, which was a bower of green with its partly open foliage.

"I'm sure he'll be here," said Peggy. "I'd come here if I were a canary.
Oh, Alice, listen!" From somewhere, far, far above them, there came
delicious trills and the joyous sound that Peggy longed to make herself.
Nothing but a canary could sing like that. "Spring has come and I am
free; and the world is too beautiful for anything," he seemed to say.

"It is Sol; I know his voice," Peggy cried. "It seems 'most too bad to
put him in prison again--only I'm sure he'll be homesick when the dark
night comes."

"And it might rain and get his feathers all draggled," said Alice.

"And perhaps the other birds would be horrid to him because he's so
different," said Peggy. "Anyway, we've got to get him if we can. Look,
Alice!" Far up at the top of the maple tree, the leaves of which were
partly open, was a tiny golden ball, and from its throat came forth the
glad spring song. "Stay and watch him, Alice, while I go over to Mrs.
Butler's and get the cage."

Alice stood rooted to the spot, watching the little creature, like a
yellow sunbeam among the green opening leaves. It seemed a long time
before Peggy came back. Mrs. Butler was with her, creaking along
heavily. She was carrying the cage.

"Of course, he won't come back now he's free," said Mrs. Butler. "Dear
help us, but it's him that's singin'!" she said. "I thought you'd just
mistaken a song sparrow for him." She looked up and saw her favorite in
the tree-top.

Peggy took the cage out of Mrs. Butler's hand.

"I'll climb up," she said, "and I'll leave his house-door open, for he
hasn't any latch-key."

"Well, if that isn't the limit," said Mrs. Butler with a laugh. "To
think of Sol with a latch-key!"

"But I said he didn't have one," said Peggy.

Peggy, in her blue frock, climbed up into the maple tree, and her yellow
hair looked almost as sunshiny as the canary. Mrs. Butler handed the
cage up to her. There was some of the bird's favorite seed in the cage
and water for him to drink.

"I guess he'll go home when he gets hungry," said Peggy.

Mrs. Butler kept laughing to herself and saying over and over, "He
hasn't any latch-key; if that don't beat all."

Peggy scrambled down again, and they all stood waiting to see what would
happen next; an