d, noisy tongue
out his empty head." She actually brought him a new knuckle-bone at
dinner time, which greatly modified his hostility. No puppy can resist
a knuckle-bone.

Roy had been with Molly four days, and they had been the sweetest days
of the crippled girl's life. He had got so that he would play with his
bones on the floor, rolling them as a child does a ball. He would come
when Molly called him, and would play with her, and he slept on her bed
beside her. One day he walked out of the room and went down the steps.
Molly called and called, but to no purpose. He had disappeared; he was
gone. Molly's heart was almost broken. Her room suddenly became a
prison; her life was too dark to bear.

Mildred had prayed and prayed in vain that Roy might come back to her,
and had at length confided to Mammy that she did not believe he was
coming, and she was not going to pray any more. She was sure now that
she was the most wretched child in the world. She took no pleasure in
anything, even in the finest new doll she had ever seen. However, she
was playing with her doll on the front portico that morning when Roy
came walking up the steps as deliberately as if he had just gone out.
She gave a little shriek of delight, and ran forward. Seeing her, he
came trotting up, twisting himself as he always did when he was
pleased. She called her mother. There was a great welcoming, and Roy
was petted like the returned prodigal. Mildred determined never again
to let him get out of her sight.

Looking out of her little window next day Molly saw her little girl on
the white gallery romping with a dog, and her heart was bitter with
envy. She glanced down at the cage below her, and the mocking-bird,
which, whilst she had the puppy she had almost forgotten, was drooping
on his perch.

Mildred, however, though she watched Roy closely, did not have a wholly
easy time. After this Roy had a wandering fever. One day he was
playing in the yard with Mildred, who was about to give him a roll she
had. Near where they were playing stood a rose-bush covered with great
red roses. Mildred thought it would be great fun to take a rose and
tease Roy with it. So she turned and broke off from the bush one of
the finest. It took some little time, and when she turned back, Roy,
whether offended at being neglected or struck by some recollection, had
squeezed through the fence, and started down the street. Mildred
called after him, but h