“Why, you saw her! That fat one with diamonds all over her fingers.”
“Aw!” Blue’s expression told the rest. “So she come sneakin’ round to try to get that bird!”
“She said ’t would help mother.”
“Help mother?” Blue was mystified.
“The money,” Doodles explained. “She’ll give twenty dollars for him!”
“Twenty dollars!” scorned Blue. “Not much! Why, Sandy Gillespie said he was worth two hundred!”
Doodles sat up straight, his eyes big with wonder.
“Two hundred! You never told that before!”
Blue laughed. “Didn’t mean to now. I thought it was safer not to.”
“Two hundred dollars!” repeated Doodles under his breath. He looked across at the mocking bird with incredulous eyes.