“My darling, my darling,—if you want the bird so much, I’ll try to let you have him. I’ll think about it.”
“And, mama, may I go and sit by the basket and put my hand on his feathers?”
“Let her come and sit with me,” said the boy; “she seems tired, and I may be able to amuse her.”
“Thank you. Yes, she is very tired. We have come a long way,—from San Antonio,—and she’s been very good and patient.”
The boy made room for his charming little companion next the window, and after lowering the blind, so that the bird could not escape, he took the pet from the basket, and placed him in Lady Jane’s arms.
“See here,” he said, “I’ve sewed this band of leather around his leg, and you can fasten a strong string to it. If your mama allows you to have him, you can always tie him to something when you go out, and leave him alone, and he will be there quite safe when you come back.”
“I should never leave him alone. I should keep him with me always,” said the child.
“But, if you should lose him,” continued the boy, spreading one of the pretty wings over Lady Jane’s plump little arm, “I’ll tell you how you can always know him. He’s marked. It’s as good as a brand. See those three black crosses on his wing feathers. As he grows larger they will grow too, and no matter how long a time should pass without your seeing him, you’d always know him by these three little crosses.”
“If mama says I can have him, I can take him with me, can’t I?”
“Certainly, this basket is very light. You can carry it yourself.”