le_ of the celebration of his birthday,
that began shortly after daylight. The Infant, in order to be early
enough to give him the first of his thirty-three kisses, came the night
before, and though she has camped out with us at intervals all summer,
the novelty has not worn off. She has a happy family of pets that,
without being caged or in any way coerced or confined, linger about the
old barn, seem to watch for her coming, and expect their daily rations,
even though they do not care to be handled.

Punch and Judy, the gray squirrels of the dovecote, perch upon her
shoulders and pry into the pockets of her overalls for nuts or kernels
of corn, all the while keeping a bright eye upon Reddy, the setter pup,
who, though he lies ever so sedately, nose between paws, they well know
is not to be trusted. While as for birds, all the season we have had
chipping-sparrows, catbirds, robins, and even a wood-thrush, leader of
the twilight orchestra, all of whom the little witch has tempted in turn
by a bark saucer spread with leaves and various grains and small
fruits, from strawberries to mulberries, for which she has had a daily
hunt through the Opal Farm land the season through.

Toward the English sparrow she positively declines to harden her heart,
in spite of my having repeated the story of its encroachments and
crimes. She listens and merely shakes her head, saying, "We 'vited them
to come, didn't we, mother? When we 'vites people, we always feed 'em;
'sides, they're the only ones'll let me put them in my pocket," which is
perfectly true, for having learned this warm abiding-place of much oats
and cracked corn, they follow her in a flock, and a few confiding
spirits allow themselves to be handled.

At the birthday dinner party, arranged by the Infant, a number of these
guests were present. We must have looked a motley crew, in whose company
Old King Cole himself would have been embarrassed, for Bart wore a
wreath of pink asters, while a gigantic sunflower made my head-dress,
and the cake, made and garnished with red and white peppermints, an
American and an Irish flag, by Anastasia, was mounted firmly upon a
miscellaneous mass of flowers, with a superstructure of small yellow
tomatoes, parsley, young carrots, and beets, the colour of these
vegetables having caught the Infant's eye.

The pony, Ginger, had a basket of second-crop clover flowers provided
for him; Reddy some corned-beef hash, his favourite dish, coaxed from