“No, no, laddie, that guess is wide of the mark,” laughed Mr. Lilburn in return, while little Elsie Raymond exclaimed, “Two Pollies! and we have only one at our house.”
“Why, it’s very odd,” remarked Lulu. “I really thought my Polly was the only one in this neighborhood.”
“I think the voice of the first one was hers,” said Mary Keith, “and the same too that we heard at Ion; I recognized it when I saw and heard her at Woodburn; but the other voice is a little different.”
“Yes, a little harsher,” said Rosie, “like a male voice. Polly must have hunted up a mate somewhere.”
“Two cups of coffee!” screamed the first voice. “Polly wants her breakfast.”
“Not breakfast, Polly, but supper,” laughed Walter. “You don’t seem to know the time o’ day.”
“Supper! Polly wants her supper,” croaked the second voice. “Polly’s hungry.”
“Just wait a bit,” laughed Walter; “we’ll all be getting ours presently, and if you are good birds probably you’ll get some too.”
At that moment a bell rang.
“There’s the call to it now,” said Calhoun. “Walk in, ladies and gentlemen—children too—and the pollies shall have theirs if they will follow with the crowd.”