ld hear his voice raised louder and louder.

Peggy could see Mrs. Butler putting her handkerchief up to her eyes.
"She's crying," said Peggy in an awed voice. "Oh, let's see if we can't
find the canary-bird."

"Find it!" said Gilbert scornfully. "You might as well look for a needle
in a haymow."

"Perhaps if we put the cage out he'd come back into it," said Peggy.

"Do you suppose anything clever enough to get out of prison would be
fool enough to go back again?" said he. "Well, there seems to be
nothing doing now and I guess I'll go home."

Gilbert and his brother Ralph and the other boys went toward the
village, and so did the girls who lived in that direction. But Peggy and
Alice and Anita Spaulding still lingered.

"I'm going to tell them that I'll come back as soon as dinner is over
and find the bird for them," said Peggy. "I know I can find it."

"Oh, Peggy, maybe mother won't let you come," said Alice.

"She's a sensible mother; I know she'll let me come," said Peggy, as she
ran up the steps.

Mrs. Butler came to the door. Her eyes looked very red and she still
seemed quite upset.

"Oh, Mrs. Butler," said Peggy breathlessly, "I know I can find the
canary-bird--I know I can. I'll come right straight back as soon as I've
had my dinner."

Alice and Peggy ran home and Peggy explained breathlessly about the
canary. "Mother dear, Mrs. Butler has lost Sol; and I know I can find
him. So please give us our dinner quick."

"Who is Sol?" Mrs. Owen asked.

"The canary--I know I can find him. I can tell him by his song, and then
I can climb up and put his cage in a tree and get him back into it."

"He won't come back once he's free: Gilbert says he won't," said Alice.

"Don't you pay any attention to what Gilbert says," said Peggy.

Mrs. Owen was very much interested. "Peggy is right," she said. "I once
knew of a canary-bird that escaped and went back into his old cage. If
you can only find him it is not impossible."

"There, I told you she was a sensible mother," said Peggy.

She could hardly wait to finish her dinner, and thought of going off
without any dessert. But when she found it was rice pudding with
raisins, she changed her mind. The two little girls went so fast to Mrs.
Butler's it was almost like flying.

"We've come to find Sol," said Peggy.

Mr. Butler was just finishing his dinner. "I tell you what," he said,
"I'll give five dollars to any one who'll bring back that canary-bird
safe and