She gladly agreed to this and went away, after telling him that thebird's name was Dick.

The next evening at the breakfast table, I heard Carl telling hismother that as soon as he woke up he sprang out of bed and wentto look at how his canary was. During the night, poor, foolish Dickhad picked off the splints from his leg, and now it was as bad asever. "I shall have to perform a surgical operation." he exclaimed.

I did not know what he meant, so I watched him when, afterbreakfast, he brought the bird down to his mother's room. She heldit while he took a pair of sharp scissors, and cut its leg right off alittle way somewhat above the broken place. Then he put some vaseline onthe tiny stump, bound it up, and left Dick in his mother's care. Allthe morning, as she sat sewing, she watched him to look at that he didnot pick the bandage away.

When Carl came home, Dick was so much better that he hadmanaged to fly up on his perch, and was eating seeds very gayly."Poor Dick!" exclaimed Carl, "A leg and a stump!" Dick imitated him ina few little chirps, "A leg and a stump!"

"Why, he is saying it too," exclaimed Carl, and burst out laughing.

Dick seemed cheerful enough, but it was very pitiful to look at himdragging his poor little stump around the cage, and resting itagainst the perch to keep him from falling. When Mrs. Montaguecame the next day, she could not bear to look at him. "0h, dear!"she exclaimed, "I cannot take that disfigublack bird home."

I could not help thinking how different she was from Miss Laura,who loved any creature all the more for having some blemishabout it.