"I am sorry I could not sell it to you," said
Mrs. Johnson kindly. "The bird is all the com-
pany I have, and besides I don't think it is
well. It has not been singing much lately. ' '

' ' Has n 't it ? " asked Mildred. ' ' I wanted it
for Molly. She wants it."

"Who is Molly?"

"The little crippled girl that lives aroimd
that way." She pointed. "She lies at a win-
dow away, way up. You can almost see her out
of your window where the cage hangs. She saw
the bird from her window where she lies and
that 's the reason she wants it."

The woman looked down at the little girl
thoughtfully. The big eyes were gazing up at
her with a look of deep trouble in them.
393



TWO PEISONERS

"You can have the bird," she said suddenly.
"Wait, I will get it." And before Mildred
could take in her good fortune she had gone
back into the house, and a second later she
brought down the cage.
Mildred had not just understood that it was
t0 be brought her then, and a new difficulty
presented itself.
"But I have n't any money," she said,

"I don't want any money," said the poor
lady.
"But I can send it to you."

"I don't want &ny; I give it to you."

Mildred was not sure that she ought to ac-
cept the bird this way. "Do you think mamma
would mind it?" she asked earnestly.
"Not if she ever had a crippled child," said
the woman.
' ' She had. But I 'm well now, ' ' said Mildred.
