“I know he does, and I can put it on again after a while, but mother says I have no right to make him uncomfortable, and to keep him from playing when he wants to, so it will have to come off, and when he gets sleepy I can put it on again. Oh, what’s that?”
Adele ran to the window and drew aside the curtain. “Why, it’s Eb,” she exclaimed. “He is pecking at the window. He wants to come in. Shall I open the window, Jessie?”
“Why, yes. It won’t do any harm to let him stay with us. I wonder how he found his way. You might leave the window open, Adele. It is real warm to-day and then he can go out when he wants to.”
“I see how he came,” said Adele looking out the window.
“He couldn’t fly as high as this with his wings clipped.”
“No, but he could fly as high as the smokehouse door. It is open, you see, and then he could fly on the roof, and from there to the branch of that big tree. He could walk along the branch, you see, and get up here.”
“So he could, quite easily, and I suppose that is the way he came. It is the first time he has found us. See how pleased he is,” for Eb was walking about in the most insinuating manner, dipping and curtseying and making enticing little sounds. “Don’t let him drink the paint water, Adele; it might make him ill. No, Eb, you can’t have that,” for Eb, attracted by the bright colors in the box, was trying to peck at them. Jessie shut her box, and Adele did likewise. Then Eb spied the kitten and sidled up to him. The girls watched the two in their funny antics until they heard Minerva calling at the foot of the stairs.
Jessie ran down to her, and presently came back with a little apple pie which she set on the table. “Doesn’t it look good?” she said. “Shall we eat it now?”
“We might as well,” returned Adele.
“I brought up some milk for the kitten,” said Jessie, “so he can sit on one side the table and Eb on the other. I have a stale crust up here that I will soak in the milk and give to Eb. He will like that.” So the funny company sat down together, the kitten perched on a high box with a small saucer of milk before him, Eb with his soaked crust on a piece of pasteboard, and the two girls, each with half a pie. Eb was the first to finish his meal and then he flew down to see what other entertainment the place afforded. He went prying around for a few minutes before he spied Adele’s paint brush which she had neglected to put away. The piece of bright metal at one end attracted him and in a moment he was upon the window sill with the brush in his beak. Jessie spied him just as he was about to take flight.