“If a bird could talk,” pursued the lame girl, “what a revelation it could make.  What lovely things it could tell us of that upper kingdom of the air where it floats and the distant land it sees!  What sweet secrets of nature it knows that man with all his wisdom can never find out.  And then its gift of song!  Why, if thousands and thousands of dollars were spent in training the finest voice in the world it could never equal the notes of a bird.  A woman who could perfectly imitate a lark’s carol would make her fortune in a month.  The world would go wild over her.”

“But as she can’t do that she has the lark killed to stick on her hat, and then she goes wild over it,” interrupted Miss Kathy.

Her sister smiled at this outburst and continued:  “While I was working at that morning-glory wreath to-day I couldn’t help but watch this bird of Polly’s with its innocent little antics, and it made me see more than ever how wrong it is to cage and kill them.  I just felt as though I ought to do something to help save the birds and, Kathy, I wonder if we were to invite some of our friends here some evening and call 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.”