Page:Sparrow, the tramp (IA sparrowtramp00wess).pdf/103

 hands, sobbing; and the sparrow noticed that her bare feet were cut in many places from walking over the sharp stones. They were red and swollen too. He flew down and perched on a bush in front of her, for the good-hearted fellow longed to comfort her.

"Dear me!" said the little girl, "how my feet do ache!" and she took one of them in her hands, and rocked herself backward and forward with the pain.

The sparrow gave a cheerful twitter, and the child looked up.

"Why, I do believe it's Billy come back!" she cried, almost smiling through her tears. "Why, you're a naughty bird to leave your wife and babies so long!"

Billy twittered and chirped, and tried hard to tell her how glad he was to see her.

"I've had a hard time, Billy, since you went away," she said, "and it's a comfort to have you back again, for it always seemed