Page:Ned Wilding's Disappearance.djvu/209

Rh Can you do a song-sparrow imitation, sonny?"

"Sure," replied John, and he trilled some sweet high notes.

"My but that's fine!"

From that John proceeded to imitate a robin and a bob-o-link. He had scarcely finished with the last before there was a stir in one corner of the room. It seemed as if some one was trying to get out.

"Maybe Ned's there!" exclaimed Bart to Fenn. "Go over and take a look."

Fenn edged his way through the crowd, but found, instead of some one trying to get out, it was a man trying to make his way closer to where the whistler was. From his appearance the man seemed to have just awakened from a sound sleep on a couple of chairs.

"Where are they?" he exclaimed. "Let me get at 'em!"

"What's the matter?" asked several.

"I want to catch those birds!" the recently awakened sleeper said, rubbing his eyes. "I can put 'em in cages and sell 'em. I haven't made any money lately, now's my chance. Get out of my way, can't you? I used to trap birds when I was a boy. These are fine singers."

John had not yet caught sight of the man