rtune."

"We've been with the eagle," said the girl. "He saved our lives and
carried us away from where the dreadful men were."

"We have had sad doings in the forest today--very sad, indeed,"
declared the bluejay, in a grave voice. "The hunters did even more
damage than usual. They killed Jolly Joe, the brown bear, and Sam Fox,
and Mrs. 'Possum and her babies, and Wisk the squirrel; so that the
animals are all in mourning for their friends. But our birds suffered
greatly, also. Mrs. Hootaway is dead, and three pigeons belonging to a
highly respected family; but the saddest of all is the murder of Mr.
and Mrs. Goldfinch, both of whom were killed by the same shot. You may
remember, my dears, that they were at your reception yesterday, and as
gay and happy as any of the company present. In their nest are now five
little children, too young and weak to fly, and there is no one to feed
them or look after them."

"Oh, that is dreadful!" exclaimed Twinkle. "Can't Chubbins and I do
something for the little goldfinches?"

"Why, that is why I was so anxious to find you," answered Policeman
Bluejay. "You haven't laid any eggs yet, and have no one to depend upon
you. So I hoped you would adopt the goldfinch babies."

"We will," said Chubbins, promptly. "We can feed them out of our
basket."

"Oh, yes," chimed in the girl. "We couldn't catch grubs for them, you
know."

"It won't be necessary," observed the policeman, with a sly wink at the
eagle. "They're too young yet to know grubs from grub."

[CHAPTER XI] _The Orphans_

The eagle now bade them good-bye and flew away in search of prey, while
the bluejay and the child-larks directed their flight toward that part
of the great forest where they lived.

"Are you sure the men have gone?" asked Chubbins.

"Yes," replied the policeman; "they left the forest as soon as they had
shot Jolly Joe, for the brown bear was so heavy that they had to carry
him on a pole resting across their shoulders. I hope they won't come
again very soon."

"Did they take Mrs. Hootaway with them?" asked Twinkle.

"Yes; she will probably be stuffed, poor thing!"

Presently they passed near the rosy glow that lighted up the center of
the forest with its soft radiance, and the girl said:

"That is the Paradise Land, where the Birds of Paradise live. The eagle
has promised to ask one of those birds to let us visit their country."

"Oh, I can do better than that, if you wish to visit the Parad