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 and very grateful for what she did for him. Bad people are not grateful, you know."

"I wish he would settle down and become steady," said Mrs. Polly, "but I'm afraid there's no hope of that. Yesterday a friend of his flying by stopped and had a few minutes' chat with me. He says the sparrow has a wife and several children, but that he's away half the time, and neglects his family dreadfully, though he's good enough to them when he's at home. It's just as I suspected,—he's lazy and shiftless."

"Well, I confess, that's just what I thought of him," said the barn-cat. "I never did fancy his looks from the first; but he's useful to us, and we must put up with his failings."

A slight rustling in a neighboring bush made them all look in that direction; and there sat the subject of their conversation, and judging from the roguish twinkle in his