I _. 
 
 
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 the Qua 
 
 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
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 6^- Remember, this Magazine 
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 ; ill ii ii any other juvenile maga- 
 xine published. 
 
 ' Specimen copies sent free by mail on appli- 
 ij cation. 
 
 "These are by far the most instructive books ' 
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 taining throughout enough of excitement and ad- : 
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 tion conveyed mpecttng the history, natural fea- : 
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 contain." Gazette. f 
 
 ^ LEE & SHEPARO, PuMishew, Boston. 
 
 LEE SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. ^
 
 OLIVER OPTIC'S 
 
 LAKE SHORE SERIES. 
 
 Six VOLS., ILLUST. PER VOL., $1.25. 
 
 Or, The Young Engineer of the Lake 
 'road. 
 
 Through by Daylight ; 
 
 Or, The Y 
 Shore Rail 
 
 Lightning Express; 
 
 Or, The Rival Academies. 
 On Time ; 
 
 Or, The Young Captain of the Ucayga 
 Steamer. 
 
 Switch Off; 
 
 Or, The War of the Students. 
 
 Brake Up ; 
 
 Or, The Young Peacemakers. 
 Bear and Forbear ; 
 
 Or, The Young Skipper of Lake Ucayga. 
 
 Oliver Optic owes his popularity to a pleasant 
 style, and to a ready sympathy With the dreams, 
 hopes, aspirations, and fancies Jf the young people 
 lor whom lie writes. He writes like a wifelover- 
 grown boy, and his books have therefore a fresh- 
 ness and raciuess rarely attained by his fellow 
 scribes. Christian Advocate. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC'S 
 
 STARRY FLAG SERIES. 
 
 Six VOLS., ILLUST. PER VOL., $1.25. 
 
 The Starry Flag; 
 
 Or, The Young Fisherman of Cape Ann. 
 
 Breaking Away; 
 
 Or, The Fortunes of a Student. 
 
 Seek and Find ; 
 
 Or, The Adventures of a Smart Boy. 
 
 Freaks of Fortune ; 
 
 Or, Half Round the World. 
 
 Make or Break; 
 
 Or, The Rich Man's Daughter. 
 
 Down the River; 
 
 Or, Buck Bradford and his Tyrants. 
 
 These books are exciting narratives, and full of 
 stirring adventures, but the youthful heroes of the 
 stories are noble, self-sacriflcing, and courageous, 
 and the stories contain nothing which will do 
 injury to the mind or heart of the youthful reader. 
 -Webster Times. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC'S 
 
 BOAT CLUB SERIES. 
 
 Six VOLS., ILI.UST. PER VOL., $1.25. 
 The Boat Clnb ; 
 
 Or, The Bunkers of Rippleton. 
 All Aboard ; 
 
 Or, Life on the Lake. 
 
 Now or Never ; 
 
 Or, the Adventures of Bobby Bright. 
 Try Again; 
 
 Or, The Trials ar.d Triumphs of Harry 
 West. 
 
 Poor and Proud; 
 
 Or, The Fortunes of Katy Redburn. 
 Little by Little ; 
 
 Or The Cruise of the Flyaway. 
 
 Boys and girls have no taste for dry and tame 
 things; they want something that w'ill stir the 
 blood and warm the heart. Optic always does 
 this, while at the same time he improve the taste 
 and elevates the moral nature. The coming gen- 
 eration of men will never know how modi tliev 
 an- indebted tor what is pure and enobllng to hi 
 
 writing'.. K. I. Schoolmate. 
 
 a LEE & 8HEPARO, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC'S 
 
 WOODVILLE STORIES. 
 
 Six VOLS., ILLUST. PeR VOL., $1.25. 
 
 Rich and Humble; 
 
 Or, The Mission of Bertha Grant. 
 
 In School and Out; 
 
 Or, the Conquest of Richard Grant. 
 Watch and Wait; 
 
 Or, The Young Fugitives. 
 
 Work and Win ; 
 
 Or, Noddy Newman on a Cruis. 
 
 Hope and Have; 
 
 Or, Fanny Grant among the Indians. 
 
 Haste and Waste; 
 
 Or. The Young Pilot of Lake Cham- 
 plain. 
 
 Oliver Optic Is the apostolic successor, at the 
 ' Hub." of Peter Parley. H* has just completed 
 
 he "Wo.KlviiV S -." by the pnbUoufon of 
 
 Haste and Waste." The best notice to give of 
 them is to mention that a couple of youngsters 
 pulled them out of the pile two hours since, and 
 an> vi-t devoiirini; them out in the summer-house 
 (nlbcit autumn leaves cover it) oblivious to muffin 
 time. - -V. T. Leader. < 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. *j
 
 NKLLY'S TEMPTATION. Page 144.
 
 THE PROVERB SERIES. 
 
 FINE FEATHEES 
 
 DO NOT MAKE FINE BIRDS. 
 
 KATE J. NEILY, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE 'WHITE KITTEN," " ELLIE RANr>OI.l>H," " MABION'S 
 8UN1)AT8," " TUB COCOAUUT BASKET," ETC. 
 
 BOSTON : 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 LEE, SHEPAHD AND DILLING11AM. 
 1872.
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1SGS, by 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massaclu
 
 THE PROVERB SERIES. 
 
 TO BE COMPLETED IN SIX VOLS. 
 
 1. BIRDS OF A FEATHER. 
 
 2. FINE FEATHERS DO NOT MAKE FINE 
 
 BIRDS. 
 
 3. HANDSOME IS THAT HANDSOME DOES. 
 
 (Others in preparation.) 
 
 (5)
 
 FIKE FEATHERS 
 
 DO NOT MAKE FINE BIRDS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THERE was great excitement in Public 
 School No. 8, that 236 of December. 
 The usual soldier-like order and drill seemed 
 entirely suspended ; and all through the great 
 building, from the Primary Department, through 
 the Intermediate, and away up to the Gram- 
 mar divisions, a bustle and confusion prevailed, 
 which showed that something very unusual was 
 going on. 
 
 A peep through any of the great glass doors 
 revealed the occupants of each class-room busy, 
 not with lessons, but with a great deal pteasanter 
 work, in their opinion at least, if one might 
 judge by the eager importance of each sunny 
 face. The desks, the long benches, and even 
 the floor, were heaped with great boughs of 
 
 (7)
 
 8 FlSE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 evergreens ; broad branches of pine, with its 
 needle-like leaves ; clustering bunches of laurel 
 and hemlock ; traifing wreaths of ivy and myrtle ; 
 and sprigs of holly, with its glossy, sharp-pointed 
 leaves and ruby-like berries. The whole air w r as 
 fragrant with their spicy perfume, and the chil- 
 dren were as busy as bees in clover, twining 
 them into garlands, with which to wreathe every 
 post and pillar, every window, and door. The 
 teachers were there, of course, to direct them ; 
 and the older girls, and even some of the boys, 
 had already become tolerably skilful in their 
 graceful work ; so that now, at two o'clock in 
 the afternoon, the great bare school-room had 
 begun to be transformed into fairy bowers of 
 evergreen bloom. 
 
 The large audience-room in front looked espe- 
 cially well ; the principal's desk was quite like 
 a throne, all draped in scarlet cloth, bordered 
 with shining holly, and overhung with cluster- 
 ing boughs. A heavy green wreath was sus- 
 pended- from the arch above, and a beautiful 
 flag of silk, mounted with silver, was gracefully 
 draped before it. 
 
 Some of the taller girls were busy twining the 
 chandeliers with slender wreaths of myrtle ; and
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 9 
 
 Ned White, the head boy of the school, and a 
 regular six-footer, was mounted on a ladder, and 
 nailing upon the wall great card-board letters, 
 which he himself had cut in the most florid 
 German text, and sprinkled thick with pow- 
 dered cedar, cemented with paste. These let- 
 ters were grouped into all sorts of appropriate 
 mottoes: ''Merry Christmas;* ''Welcome td 
 our Friends;" " Hurrah for, the Holidays I" 
 ''''Peace on Earth, Good Will to j\fen" and ever 
 so many more. And the children watched, with 
 great interest, the process of fastening them upon 
 the walls. 
 
 Everybody was busy, and everybody of course 
 was noisy accordingly. Not that the children 
 were allowed to run from class to class, or 
 really to jump and shout ; but there was a great 
 deal of going back and forth with twine, and 
 tacks, and hammers, and a great many directions 
 to be given. Neither was talking in a low tone 
 among themselves forbidden to the children ; so 
 that any of my little readers who have ever at- 
 tended a great public school can imagine what 
 a busy and noisy scene I have invited them to 
 look in upon. 
 
 Miss Kavanagh's room was the quietest of all,
 
 IO FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 for Miss Kavanagh was one of those faithful 
 laborers in the Master's vineyard, who " sow 
 beside all waters ; " and she never missed an 
 opportunity to plant the seed of a good thought 
 in the hearts of her scholars. She was talking 
 to them now, in her pleasant way, not a bit like 
 a sermon or a lecture, about Christmas, and the 
 reason why the whole Christian world unite to 
 make it a season of joyousness and kindly feeling 
 a time for the interchange of good wishes and 
 loving gifts. Not that it was the real birthday 
 of Christ : no one could tell that precisely ; but 
 it was a day set apart in remembrance of his 
 coming to bring peace on earth, good will to 
 men, and therefore the brightest, and happiest, 
 and most blessed day of the whole year. Not 
 that there was no true peace on earth before 
 Christ came, Miss Kavanagh said. Everybody 
 had evil hearts then, as now ; but, although God's 
 mercy brought salvation to all who trusted in 
 him, the eye of faith looked for the prom 
 ised Messiah. And, at last, the Son of God, 
 graciously pitying the sad condition of men, 
 consented to leave his glorious home in heaven, 
 where he sat enthroned at the right hand of the 
 Father, and humble himself to be born of a
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. II 
 
 woman ; to come down and dwell upon earth ; 
 to live among the poor and lowly, often having 
 no roof to cover his head ; to pass his life in 
 teaching men what they must do to be saved 
 from the wrath of God, and in doing good to 
 all ; and finally, to give up that precious life, to 
 bear the shameful death of the cross, that he 
 might be the propitiation for our sins, and that, 
 by taking our punishment upon himself, we might 
 be saved from the doom of eternal death ; so 
 that now, all we needed to do was to feel that 
 we were really sinful, that we deserved God's 
 anger, and that of ourselves we had no power 
 to help ourselves ; and to be willing to be saved 
 entirely for Christ's sake ; after that, to try, by 
 the help of his Spirit, to lead a life after the pat- 
 tern of Him who went about doing good. 
 
 It was the thought of all this wonderful work, 
 which Christ had done for them, which made 
 real Christians feel such a holy pleasure in 
 Christmas Day, Miss Kavanagh said ; and she 
 wanted all her scholars to add this sacred joy to 
 the mirth and gayety of the season. It would 
 not take from their merriment at all, but add a 
 sweeter and purer zest to it ; the memory of 
 that first Christmas Day, so many, many years
 
 12 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 ago, when the child Jesus, who had come to be 
 the Savior of the world, lay, a tiny infant, by his 
 mother's side, in his manger-cradle. 
 
 All this, and more Miss Kavanagh said, while 
 her fingers were busy twining holly and bay, and 
 her eyes here and there, over her class ; and she 
 spoke so pleasantly, although seriously, as be- 
 came such solemn truths, that the girls did not 
 get tired at all, but listened with much interest, 
 going on with their work all the time, and feel- 
 ing a truer spirit of Christmas coming into their 
 happy little hearts. 
 
 Only one little girl, with eyes as black as sloes, 
 sfnd long black hair braided tightly about her 
 smart little head, was very plainly not interested 
 at all in what her teacher was saying, or even 
 in the pretty wreath of myrtle and " creeping 
 Jenny " that was growing beneath her fingers. 
 She fidgeted and twisted, jerked the sprigs of 
 evergreen about, flashed impatient glances at 
 Miss Kavanagh, and at length, when that lady 
 had finished talking, whispered to the girl next 
 her, almost loud enough to be heard, 
 
 " There, she has done her long lecture at last." 
 
 Her companion looked up in surprise. 
 
 " Why, Nelly," she said, " it wasn't a bit like
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 13 
 
 a lecture. I like to hear Miss Kavanagh talk, 
 and I like her." 
 
 " Well, I don't, then, I can tell you ; and I 
 shouldn't think you would, Maggie Lang, after 
 her keeping you in till four o'clock, the other 
 day, about your grammar lesson." 
 
 Maggie's fair cheek reddened, but she an- 
 swered, stoutly, 
 
 " It was my own fault ; I could have learned 
 it in fifteen minutes, if I had chosen ; but I was 
 sulky, and wouldn't. She had a better right to 
 be -angry with me for keeping her here so long, 
 waiting for me." 
 
 " O, O ! I've pricked my finger ! " was Nelly's 
 only answer to this speech ; " see, Maggie, it 
 looks like one of the holly berries doesn't it? " 
 And she held up her little brown forefinger, 
 where a drop of bright red blood had followed 
 quickly the puncture of the sharp-pointed leaf. 
 
 "O, that's too bad! Doesn't it hurt, Nelly? 
 Here, let me wrap my handkerchief round it," 
 said kind-hearted little Maggie, with ready sym- 
 pathy. " I haven't pricked myself yet, but my 
 fingers are all sticky with this pine. ' Pitch, tar, 
 and turpentine,' as the geography says. I don't 
 think I shall forget, after to-day, that they come 
 from pine trees."
 
 14 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 " O, don't talk of geography now ! " exclaimed 
 Nelly, impatiently. " All that is done for one 
 blessed week, anyhow. I'm so glad Christmas 
 is coming aren't you, Maggie? Just to get rid 
 of school." 
 
 " Yes, to be sure, I'm glad Christmas is com- 
 ing ; but I like school too," said Maggie, stanch- 
 ly. " I don't wan't to grow up a dunce ; and, 
 besides, I shouldn't know what to do with my- 
 self, staying at home all the time." 
 
 " Shouldn't you ? " said Nelly, disdainfully. 
 " Indeed I should, then. I'd do fancy work ; 
 embroider my under-clothes. I hate to wear plain 
 things, and mother says it's all nonsense, and 
 won't do it for me. And then I'd practise doing 
 my hair after the patterns in the fashion-plates. 
 O, I do love to see hair oTone up in new styles, 
 and when I'm a young lady, I'll never wear 
 mine the same way twice." 
 
 Nelly tossed her glossy black head with a 
 proud consciousness of having beautiful hair 
 outside of it, which was to her of a great deal 
 more importance than the quantity of brains 
 inside of the same ; and Maggie looked half 
 admiring, and half doubtful, and said, 
 
 " I don't think I should care to take so much 
 trouble."
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 15 
 
 " Trouble? Better take trouble about your 
 looks than about those stupid lessons, / think," 
 said Nelly, in her usual pert, positive way. " And 
 that reminds me, Maggie : how are you going to 
 \vearyour hair to-morrow?" 
 
 " To-morrow? to the school reception? I don't 
 know. I haven't thought about it ; just as it is 
 now, I suppose, only with my new net on." 
 
 " O, but nets are so old-fashioned now don't 
 you know? Do have it put up in papers, or 
 something. I'm going to wear mine, as I did at 
 my birthday party, all loose down my back 
 French style, you know. I've had it braided up 
 tight for a week, and to-morrow it '11 crinkle 
 beautifully, and it comes away below my waist. 
 If it only was the fashionable color, golden, you 
 know, I'd be so glad ! But I can't help it ; and 
 anyhow, I expect the fashion will change before 
 I'm grown, and everybody be wishing for black 
 hair." 
 
 " O, Nelly, fashion in the color of one's hair ! " 
 said Maggie, laughing, but secretly pleased to 
 think that her hair, even if it was too 'short to 
 " crinkle," and wear floating over her shoulders, 
 was of the " stylish " color a true sunny yellow. 
 
 " Yes, indeed, fashion in everything, nowa-
 
 1 6 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 days," said Nelly, with an air of conscious su- 
 periority to simple-minded little Maggie. " But 
 you haven't told me what dress you're going to 
 wear to-morrow.'* 
 
 " My Sunday one, of course. You know it a 
 blue and green plaid poplin ; and I've a ribbon to 
 match for my hair." 
 
 u Whatl" exclaimed Nelly, in surprise and 
 disdain ; " going to wear that dull, woollen 
 thing to a public reception ? Why, Maggie 
 Lang ! I shouldn't think of wearing my church 
 dress, though it's a bright red merino, and a great 
 deal more suitable than yours. / am going to 
 wear my white Swiss, the one I had made for 
 . my party, with my bronze boots, and my corn- 
 colored sash.'* 
 
 "Well, Nelly, you'll freeze. Your mother '11 
 never let you." 
 
 "No, I shan't freeze; the school-rooms are 
 warm, and my hair '11 be as thick as a shawl over 
 my shoulders. As for my mother, /'// manage 
 that." 
 
 Nelly nodded her smart little head, with a 
 knowing look, and Maggie, still unconvinced, 
 objected. 
 
 " But, Nelly, no one else will wear white, I
 
 MAKE FIXE BIRDS. If 
 
 am sure ; and how queer you'll feel being the 
 only one ! " 
 
 " Sure, arc you ? Well, then, I'll just tell you 
 something ; but mind, it's a secret, and you 
 mustn't tell. When Miss Kavanagh sent me into 
 the front room for a ball of twine, a while ago, I 
 saw ever so many of the first class girls standing 
 under the chandelier, fixing a wreath. I passed 
 close to them, and they didn't see me, and I 
 stopped to hear what they were saying ; and 
 Annie Arthur said, ' I'm going to wear a white 
 alpaca ; ' and Sue Remscn said she was going 
 to wear a white barege ; and Lucy Grant said 
 she had a. light blue grenadine. So you see, 
 Miss Maggie, the girls in the first class are going 
 to dress in party style, and I shall do the same. 
 They think they're very smart, and that they'll 
 come here to-morrow looking better than any one 
 else ; but they'll find I'm too sharp for them. 
 And if I were you, Maggie, I would be so too ; 
 I'd wear a light dress of some kind, and not be 
 like the little dowdies in the lower classes." 
 
 Maggie shook her head sorrowfully, and her 
 childish blue eyes looked ready to fill with tears. 
 This was dreadful, to look like a dowdy, she 
 thought. 
 
 2
 
 1 8 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 " I've got a beautiful white muslin," she said ; 
 " but I know my mother won't let me wear it." 
 
 " Wear it without her knowing it, then ; that's 
 what /expect to have to do," said Nelly, boldly ; 
 and then, seeing her companion's look of con- 
 sternation, she added, hastily, " O, that's only 
 my fun ; of course I wouldn't do such a thing. 
 I mean, coax your mother, as I intend to ; " and 
 then she began to empty her lap of the bits and 
 twigs of greens. 
 
 " I'm tired of working at this stupid wreath. 
 I'm going to ask Miss Kavanagh to let me help 
 her," she said, and went hastily off, leaving poor 
 little Maggie alone at her desk, and very low- 
 spirited indeed.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 19 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 POOR little Maggie! good-tempered and 
 right-principled though she was, she had 
 some feminine vanity, and liked to look as well 
 as her neighbors. So the idea of sitting in her 
 high plaid frock beside her desk-mate, all gor- 
 geous in white muslin and corn-colored ribbons, 
 took all the pleasure out of her anticipations of 
 the morrow, and she felt as if she had almost 
 rather not come to the reception at all. 
 
 She had no faith in the "coaxing" which 
 Nelly had suggested. She knew her mother 
 always considered carefully the right and pro- 
 priety of a matter, and was not apt to change 
 her mind when once it was made up. Still she 
 knew also that her mother liked to make her little 
 daughter happy ; and while there was life there 
 was hope ; so with this comforting thought 
 simple little Maggie brightened up, and went on 
 with her wreath, wishing, meanwhile, that the 
 time for dismissal would come soon, that she
 
 2O FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 might hurry home, and make an appeal to her 
 mother's heart on the matter that lay nearest 
 her own. 
 
 She was heartily glad when it was all over, 
 the wreaths, the emblems, and the mottoes all 
 put up, and the great rooms left to the janitors to 
 be swept and dusted for the rnorruw. Even then, 
 however, she could not go home, for Miss Kava- 
 nagh wanted her class to come into the library, 
 and rehearse the " piece," as the children called 
 it, which was to form their share in the enter- 
 tainment of the visitors at the reception. 
 
 It was Poe's famous poem of " The Bells ; " 
 and each verse, the Sledging Bells, the Wedding 
 Bells, the Fire Bells, and the Funeral Bells, was 
 to be recited by a different girl, selected for the 
 purpose, while the whole class chimed in most 
 musically, in the "tintinnabulation" of the bells 
 in the chorus. 
 
 Nelly Morgan had the verse about the Funeral 
 Bells. Her voice was uncommonly deep and 
 strong for a little girl, and she rolled out the 
 solemn lines, 
 
 " Hear the tolling of the bells, 
 
 Iron bells ! 
 What a world of solemn thought 
 
 Their monody compels ! "
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 21 
 
 in a hollow, resonant tone, which was really 
 very expressive, and added greatly to the effect 
 of the recitation. 
 
 Maggie Lang, with her merry blue eyes, and 
 bright, silvery voice, was the very one for the 
 merry sledging bells ; and it was really quite a 
 musical treat to hear her repeat the crisp, ring- 
 ing lines,- 1 - 
 
 " How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, 
 
 On the icy air of night, 
 While the stars that oversprinkle 
 All the heavens, seem to twinkle 
 
 In a crystalline delight," 
 
 and then the whole class chime in, 
 " Keeping time, time, time," 
 
 and so on, through the whole of the wonderful 
 and fascinating poem. 
 
 Indeed, all the parts had been carefully dis- 
 tributed and diligently practised, and Miss Kav- 
 anagh seemed quite satisfied with the success 
 of the rehearsal this afternoon. 
 
 " Be sure you all come early to-morrow morn- 
 ing," she said, as the girls bade her good after- 
 noon, " and we'll try this over once more before
 
 23 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 the exercises begin, just to make sure that none 
 of your little bells have lost their tongues ! " And 
 they all laughed, and promised they would be 
 on the spot, and up to time; and then they ran 
 off, eager to tell their mothers how beautiful the 
 rooms looked, and what a grand time they were 
 sure to have at the Christmas Eve celebration. 
 
 Maggie Lang only started off with a slow step 
 and a heavy heart ; for, impatient as she had 
 been to get home and prefer her request, now 
 that the time had come, she felt really ashamed 
 to ask of her mother what she felt in her own 
 wise little heart was such a very silly and im- 
 prudent thing. Her clouded face, as she entered 
 the house, was so unlike her usual sunny looks, 
 that her mother noticed it at once, and asked, in 
 surprise, what had happened, and what ever San- 
 ta Claus would say to such a doleful phiz as that 
 on the day before Christmas Eve. 
 
 But Maggie did not smile at this jest, as she 
 would ordinarily have done ; she pouted a little 
 instead, and rejoined, rather pertly, 
 
 " There's no such person as Santa Claus, at 
 all. I should think I ought to know that, when 
 I'm eleven years old. And, besides, Miss Kav- 
 anagh told us all about Christmas this afternoon,
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 23 
 
 and the true reason why it ought to be such a 
 happy time ; and it was a great deal nicer than 
 about any Santa Clans." 
 
 Mrs. Lang looked at her little daughter in 
 surprise at her sharp, almost disrespectful tone ; 
 but she saw the troubled look in the usually sun- 
 shiny face, and how the blue eyes were all misty 
 with tears, bravely kept back, but waiting their 
 chance to shower down. So she uttered no word 
 of reproof, but said, gravely, 
 
 " I am very glad, Maggie, to think that you 
 understand what should make the real joy of 
 Christmas ; but I should like, too, to see that you 
 feel it. You don't look very happy this after- 
 noon. What has happened?" 
 
 Maggie colored with shame at her own pettish- 
 ness and her mother's kindness, and one bright 
 tear forced itself out, and twinkled on her eye- 
 lash. Still she tried to answer in an indifferent 
 tone, 
 
 " O, nothing has happened ; only Nelly Mor- 
 gan has made me feel as if I was going to look 
 so mean at the reception to-morrow. She's 
 going to wear her Swiss muslin, and she says 
 all the girls in the first class intend to wear 
 white too, and I expect ever so many will in our
 
 24 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 division ; and I'd rather stay at home, for I don't 
 want to look like a dowdy, in a thick, dark dress ; 
 and I think you might let me, mother, now ! " 
 
 "Might let you what?" answered Mrs. Lang, 
 scarcely able to keep from laughing at the puck- 
 ered up face, and the incoherent speech poured 
 out faster and faster, and ending at last in that 
 almost spasmodic " now," which was a great 
 word with Maggie when she was excited. 
 
 " Might let me wear my white dress, too," 
 said Maggie, half laughing herself, amid her 
 tears. 
 
 " That is to say, might let you have a 
 first-rate chance to get the croup, and the diph- 
 theria, and the pneumonia, and the pleurisy, and 
 I don't know how many more terrible tilings 
 in those great, chilly rooms to-morrow ! Why, 
 Maggie, your father would think we were both 
 crazy if you were to come down to breakfast in 
 a low white dress ! " 
 
 " But, mother, Nelly said " 
 
 " But, Maggie, Nelly said a great deal more 
 than she knew, no doubt. I don't believe the 
 teachers will allow any such nonsense and im- 
 prudence at school to-morrow, and I want you 
 to have as much faith in your mother as in such
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 25 
 
 n vain and silly girl as I'm sorry to say I think 
 Nelly Morgan is. I never sent you anywhere 
 yet looking 'like a dowdy' did I, Maggie?" 
 
 "N-no, but " said Maggie, hesitatingly ; but 
 her mother interrupted her, cheerily, 
 
 u Then trust me that I shall not do it to-mor- 
 row either ; and now, if you have got nicely 
 warm, I'll tell you what we will do. We'll go 
 out to the florist's, and see if we can't have him 
 make up a pretty bouquet for you to take to Miss 
 Kavanagh to-morrow. You say all the teachers 
 have them don't they? Would you like 
 that?" 
 
 The clouds cleared up on Maggie's face in a 
 moment ; the rain-drops dried, and the sun shone 
 out as bright as ever. 
 
 " O, mother, how nice of you ! " she ex- 
 claimed, in delight; "I never gave Miss Kav- 
 anagh anything, and she's so kind ! O, that's a 
 great deal nicer than wearing a white dress ; and 
 there shall be roses, and geraniums, and helio- 
 trope, and everything! shan't there, mother?" 
 
 "Not quite everything, I'm afraid, Maggie," 
 said her mother, smiling, "but whatever you 
 like best in Mr. Budd's greenhouse; and now
 
 26 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 you mind baby, and I will go and put my 
 things on." 
 
 So Maggie sat down, with her foot on the 
 rocker, happy ^s could be, while Mrs. Lang went 
 to her room glad at heart that at least her little 
 daughter was not sullen or selfish.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MEANWHILE, Nelly Morgan, as she 
 walked home from school, was arranging 
 a very artful plan in her own mind for the carry- 
 ing out of her wished-for project. She knew 
 that her mother would not consent, any more 
 than Maggie's, for her to run the risk of taking 
 a serious cold by making such a decided change 
 in her dress in midwinter ; but yet she was 
 quite determined in some way, by fair means if 
 possible, if not, by foul, to fulfil her purpose, and 
 enjoy the triumph of dazzling the whole school 
 by her brilliant toilet, and proving to the older 
 girls, whose ranks she ardently desired to join, 
 that, if she did only belong to the second class, 
 she was quite as much of a young lady as the 
 tallest of them. 
 
 How fortunate it was, she thought, as she went 
 slowly along by herself, not joining any of the 
 groups of merry chattering girls, nor stopping to 
 look in at any of the bright shop windows, so
 
 28 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 tempting just now in the glory of their Christ- 
 mas adornment, how fortunate that her little 
 baby brother was only a week old, and so her 
 mother could not be present at the reception, 
 nor even leave her room to superintend Nelly's 
 dressing in the morning ! 
 
 " I'm always lucky." thought Nelly, exult- 
 ingly ; " but that's the luckiest thing that ever 
 did happen to me. " She'll never know what I 
 wear ; and now, if I can only manage to keep 
 Anne out of the way, and those troublesome 
 little young ones, Jennie and Frank, why, I 
 shall be all right. And I -will manage it some- 
 how or other see if I don't. But first, I've 
 got to be terribly good, and put everybody in a 
 good humor ! " 
 
 By the time she had reached this virtuous 
 conclusion, Nelly found herself at her own door, 
 and was about to run up the steps and ring the 
 bell as usual. Then she remembered her idea 
 of putting everybody in a good humor, and 
 turned and went in at the basement door. When 
 she got in the hall, she made such a noise wiping 
 her feet on the door mat, that Anne, the ser- 
 vant, came to the kitchen door to see what it 
 was.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 29 
 
 " Dear me ! how very careful yiz are all of a 
 sudden, miss ! " she said, as she saw Nelly busily 
 cleaning her shoes. " An' you raally did man- 
 age to come in the airy way, an' save me the 
 throublc of answerin' the dhoor did yiz?" 
 
 " O, well, it's Christmas times, and people 
 ought to be obliging, Anne, you know," an- 
 swered Nelly, with a smile of pretended good- 
 nature ; and the Irish girl said, " Yis ; blisscd 
 be the howly Christ for it," and went back to 
 her work, thinking Miss Nelly must surely have 
 " met with a change." 
 
 Very lightly, so as to make no noise, Nelly 
 ran up stairs, and, laying off her cloak and 
 hat in her own room, went straight to her 
 mother's. Very softly she opened the door, 
 to show how careful she was not to disturb either 
 mother or baby if they should be asleep ; and 
 very gently she went up to the bedside, and in- 
 quired how they were, and if baby had had any 
 more colic, or mother any more backache, and 
 what there was that she could do for either of 
 them. 
 
 It was not usually Nelly's way to be so thought- 
 ful and tender, and Mrs. Morgan was pleased to 
 see her little daughter so affectionate and ready to
 
 30 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 be of use. So she gave her the baby, who was 
 a little fretful, to hold for a while ; and Nelly sat 
 in a low chair by the fire, nursing the little soft, 
 wriggling thing on her lap, cooing to it, and 
 caressing it, and, between whiles, amusing her 
 mother with a description of the day at school, 
 the making of wreaths, and trimming of rooms, 
 while her mother looked on, and listened, and 
 was pleased to see Nelly so kind and cheerful. 
 
 The "troublesome little young ones," too, 
 Jennie and Frank, who were too small to go to 
 the great public school, but belonged to a little 
 " kindergarten" nearer home, gathered round her 
 chair to hear what she was saying, and to tell in 
 their eager way about the Christmas doings that 
 were to take place at their own school ; and Nelly 
 did not seem to find them troublesome at all, 
 but listened with an appearance of intei'est to all 
 they had to say, and talked to them in a low 
 tone, which had the effect of quieting them. 
 
 Then, when the little wee baby had wriggled 
 and " snoozled " itself to sleep, and Mrs. Morgan 
 began to look rather tired with all the talking, 
 she laid the little live bundle softly back in the 
 bed, and invited the children so pleasantly to 
 come down to the sitting-room with her, and
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 31 
 
 hear all about Kriss Kringle, that they went off 
 at once in delight, and Mrs. Morgan turned on 
 her pillow to take a little nap before her husband 
 should come home, thinking what a good daugh- 
 ter Nelly could be when she tried, and hoping 
 that during the coming new year she would per- 
 haps try oftener. 
 
 When Nelly got down stairs, however, out of 
 her mother's sight, her extraordinary good-nature 
 proved very short-lived. She soon grew tired 
 of talking to Frank and Jennie, and began to 
 find them " troublesome young ones " again ; 
 and after answering, in a rather impatient way, 
 some of their innumerable questions about " St. 
 Nick," she summed up the whole matter by 
 reading to them, as fast as she could speak, 
 their favorite poem, 
 
 " 'Twas the night before Christmas," 
 
 and then, coaxing them to go off to the nursery, 
 she set them down to building towers and castles 
 with their blocks. 
 
 When she saw them really busy and interested, 
 she breathed a long sigh of relief, and saying to 
 herself, " Thank goodness ! now I can go and 
 attend to my own affairs for a little while ! " she
 
 32 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 slipped softly away across the hall to the " spare 
 room," and proceeded to make sure of no inter- 
 ruptions by locking the door. When all was 
 secure, she moved quietly over the floor, so as 
 not to attract the attention of her mother, whose 
 room was just below, and paused in front of the 
 bureau. She hesitated a moment, and then, 
 saying half aloud, as if to encourage herself, 
 "Pooh! who cares? they're my own things, 
 and I've a right to do what I please with 'em ! " 
 she opened one of the drawers, and took out a 
 large package, carefully pinned up in tissue- 
 paper. Unfastening this, she shook out of its 
 folds the pretty muslin dress which had been 
 made for a birthday party, and never worn 
 since. 
 
 After stopping to admire it a good while, and 
 to think, with a flush on her cheek and a flash in 
 her eyes, how she would outshine all her class 
 to-morrow, and how envious Maggie Lang would 
 be, she spread it out carefully on the high, white 
 bed, and turned to the drawer again. She took 
 out next the pretty bronze boots, the worked 
 stockings, the broad sash, and little embroidered 
 handkerchief, which belonged to the costume, 
 handling each article of finery with tender touch,
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 33 
 
 and gazing upon it with fond, proud eyes, as 
 though it was the object of her dearest aflec- 
 tion. 
 
 They were laid carefully, one by one, upon 
 the bed beside the gauzy pile of muslin that lay 
 there like a white cloud ; and then Nelly took out 
 still another parcel from the drawer, which was 
 the shrine of her most precious possessions. 
 Very delicately she unpinned the wrappings of 
 soft paper, and revealed to view the wreath of 
 pink daisies, the white gloves, and dainty little 
 silk fan, which had been the gifts of an indulgent 
 auntie, on the grand occasion of Nelly's first par- 
 ty. She looked at these with longing eyes, and 
 *vished she only might dare venture to wear 
 them. She even tried the wreath over her black 
 braids, and stood before the glass, fluttering the 
 little feathery fan, and putting on all the airs of 
 a mincing young lady ; but, delightful as was the 
 view to Nelly's self-admiring eyes, her common 
 sense interfered to prevent her from being too 
 ridiculous. 
 
 "Ah, no! I suppose it really won't do to 
 wear a wreath and white gloves to the school- 
 house ; and as for the fan, I'm afraid it will be 
 rather too chilly for me to need- it," she de- 
 3
 
 34 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 cicled at last ; and so, with a long sigh, and with 
 loving, lingering fingers, she pinned them again 
 into their folds of tissue paper, and placed them 
 back in the drawer. 
 
 There were still her clean underclothes to be 
 laid out ; and by the time all was ready the tea- 
 bell rang, and Nelly started, like a guilty thing, 
 and hastened out of the room at once, locking 
 the door carefully behind her, and almost flying 
 down stairs, so as to be at the table ready to pour 
 out her father's tea before any one could possibly 
 inquire where she was. 
 
 Her hand trembled a little as she lifted the 
 cup, for she was conscious of a wrong and se- 
 cret purpose; but she had presence of mind, 
 enough to control her agitation, and to remem- 
 ber just how much milk and how many lumps 
 of sugar her father liked in his tea. She waited 
 on him so nicely, and was so kind to the children, 
 that Mr. Morgan was quite pleased, and said it 
 was almost as good as having the dear mother 
 herself at the table ; and Nelly's face flushed at 
 his prajse, half in pride, half in shame, as she 
 remembered how she was only acting a part, 
 and all the time plotting in her heart to de- 
 ceive bath him and the mother who lay ill and 
 helpless in her bed.
 
 MAKE FIXK BIRDS. 35 
 
 This thought did not serve to weaken her pur- 
 pose, however ; and she went on carrying out 
 her plan of being very kind and useful, and 
 making it difficult to suspect her of doing wrong. 
 She arranged her mother's tea nicely on a tray, 
 and carried it up to her herself; then took the 
 baby while the nurse went down to get her own 
 supper ; and by and by, when little Jennie said 
 she was sleepy, she offered at once to put her to 
 bed, and was altogether so thoughtful and so 
 good that everybody was quite delighted ; and 
 Airs. Morgan said she did not feel so very badly 
 now about being sick, and leaving the house 
 entirely to the tender mercies of Annie. 
 
 As Nelly kissed her mother good night, she 
 said, in an indifferent tone, as though it were a 
 matter of very little consequence to her, 
 
 " I suppose it doesn't make any difference to 
 you, mother, does it, what I wear to-morrow?" 
 And her mother, suspecting nothing, said, kind- 
 
 iy. 
 
 " O, no, my dear; wear just what you like 
 only be sure that you look neat and tidy." 
 
 Nelly's black eyes sparkled with triumph as 
 she heard these words. She knew very well 
 that her mother did not dream of her wearing a
 
 36 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 thin white dress, but merely meant to allow her 
 to choose from her winter wardrobe her scarlet 
 merino, or her last year's plaid, or even the blue 
 checked silk, which was her best summer dress, 
 but was made high, with long sleeves, and, 
 therefore, warm enough in a warm room. But 
 Nelly did not care for the real truth of the mat- 
 ter : all she wanted was some 'word from her 
 mother which she could claim as an excuse if 
 she were ever detected in what she intended to 
 do ; and having got this word, she felt safe, and 
 gave no thought either to the right or the 
 wrong. 
 
 So her heart was full of nothing but pride in 
 the success of her cunning plot, and of gratified 
 vanity as she stood before the mirror in her 
 room, in her night dress, uubraidiug her thick 
 black hair, and screwing it up again into tighter 
 plaits than ever, that it might be sure to " crin- 
 kle " well to-morrow. 
 
 No thought of the real meaning of Christmas 
 came into her mind ; no remembrance of Miss 
 Kavanagh's talk, only that afternoon, about the 
 heavenly Babe who came to earth, not arrayed 
 in fine raiment, and dwelling in kings' palaces, 
 but
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 37 
 
 "Meanly wrapped in swaddling bands, 
 And in a manger laid." 
 
 No thought of the Savior, who had given up 
 the glories of heaven to wander about the earth, 
 homeless and poor, clad in coarse garments, 
 4k despised and rejected of men, a man of sor- 
 rows and acquainted with grief," all for her sake, 
 and that of sinners like her. No ; no thought 
 of anything but her own -silly vanity ; and she 
 laid her head upon her pillow and went to sleep, 
 to dream of the morrow's triumph, with never a 
 prayer to Him who alone could preserve her 
 through the dark night, and add another mor- 
 row to her life.
 
 38 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 "Y T THEN Nelly awoke next morning, it was 
 V V broad daylight ; and she sprang out of 
 bed, and began to dress as quickly as possible, 
 for she had two toilets to make, and a great deal 
 of managing to do, and it was necessary to 
 have plenty of time. As soon as she was ready 
 she went down stairs to hurry Anne with the 
 breakfast, and then flew up again to hasten the 
 dressing of the children. She was so energetic 
 that she inspired every one else to be brisk, and 
 by half past seven she had them all seated at the 
 table, and everything going on famously. Only 
 once she was a little disconcerted, when her 
 father, noticing that she wore her every-day 
 dress, said, 
 
 "Why, how's this, little woman? I thought 
 I should see you come out as a red bird this 
 morning ! Isn't there some sort of fandango at 
 school to-day ? " 
 
 But she answered, quickly, " O, yes, there is ;
 
 MAKE FIXE BIRDS. 39 
 
 but I was afraid I might soil my dress pouring 
 the coffee or something;" and Mr. Morgan 
 only smiled at her extra carefulness, and never 
 noticed how hastily she spoke, or how her 
 cheeks burned as red as the scarlet dress. 
 
 Breakfast was over at last ; her father gone off 
 to his business, her mother's tray sent up, and 
 the children coaxed to go and play in the nursery ; 
 and Nelly was free to run up to the spare room, 
 and begin again to offer her devotions at the 
 shrine of vanity. 
 
 She had no time now to linger to admire 
 either her finery or herself. Her shpes were ex- 
 changed rapidly for the delicate bronze boots; 
 her hair let down in a black, rippling mass over 
 hor shoulders, and the white muslin dress duly 
 put on. She had hard work managing the hooks 
 and eyes, the clasps of her coral, and the bow of 
 her sash, alone ; but perseverance conquers all 
 things, and Nelly's persistence was worthy of a 
 better cause. She overcame every difficulty by 
 patient effort, and was all ready before nine 
 o'clock, even to the rubber boots, which were 
 to conceal her thin shoes, and the water-proof 
 cloak, which was long and full, and covered her 
 dress entirely.
 
 4O FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 The only.thing now was to get off without her 
 deception being detected ; and this was not diffi- 
 cult, as it happened. The children were safe in 
 the nursery ; Anne was busy clearing up the 
 breakfast things ; nurse was dressing the baby ; 
 and only her mother was at liberty to notice her 
 dress. This, however, Nelly did not intend to 
 give her a chance to do. Drawing up the hood 
 of her wa^er-proof over her head, gathering in all 
 the mass of waving hair, she ran down stairs as 
 if in the greatest haste, just put her head in at 
 her mother's door, and saying, breathlessly, 
 
 "Good by, mother! I haven't a minute to 
 stop ! Miss Kavanagh wants us for something 
 particular, and I'm late already ! " was off down 
 the stairs, and out of the front door, never stop- 
 ping to hear her mother's kind " Well, my dear, 
 good by, and be sure to have a nice time." 
 
 How merry and Christmas-like the streets 
 looked as Nelly stepped out upon them ! the 
 white snow lying everywhere ; the sleighs dash- 
 ing swiftly by with jingling bells; the people 
 hurrying along with eager faces, already busy 
 with the Christmas Eve shopping ; the windows 
 gay with all manner of pretty things, and sur- 
 rounded by admiring groups of children.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 41 
 
 But Nelly didn't stop to look to the right hand 
 or the left. She would not feel quite safe until 
 she was really in the school-room; and so she 
 hurried on, scarcely stopping to take breath, 
 until she found herself within the school-house, 
 and away up stairs in the long wardrobe, where 
 the girls took off their wrappings before entering 
 the class-rooms. The merry hum of voices 
 within showed Nelly that she was one of the 
 last comers ; and she took off her cloak in a hur- 
 ry, her cheeks flushing quick with gratified van- 
 ity at the murmur of surprise that broke from 
 the t\vo or three stragglers in the wardrobe. She 
 took it for admiration and envy ; and, noticing 
 that they liad on high dark dresses and high boots, 
 she felt quite a friendly pity for them. She only 
 stopped to shake out the folds of her gauzy 
 dress, to settle her sash, and to give one or two 
 final twitches to her curls, and then, with glow- 
 ing cheeks and sparkling eyes, she marched 
 proudly into the school-room. 
 
 It was not quite nine yet, and none of the 
 classes were in order. The girls were scattered 
 here and there, laughing and chatting; the teach- 
 ers were standing in a group, talking to each 
 other ; and naturally every one looked round at
 
 42 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 the rustle of such an imposing entrance as Nel- 
 ly's. She fluttered up the long, narrow aisle, 
 through rows of staring children, to her own 
 class-room, quite conscious that every eye wAs 
 upon her, and quite delighted with the conscious- 
 ness. She spread out her stiff skirts as she sat 
 down, as a peacock spreads his tail, and looked 
 round her with as complacent an air as that con- 
 ceited bird fs assumed always to wear ; but the 
 next moment her look of satisfied vanity was 
 suddenly changed to one of surprise and chagrin. 
 
 The rooms were filled with girls ; all the 
 young ladies of the first class were present, and, 
 to Nelly's amazement and mortification, not one 
 of them was dressed in white. There was every 
 variety of color, blue, and green, and crimson, 
 purple, and garnet, and fawn, but all made 
 high, with sleeves to the wrist ; and she alone 
 found herself fluttering in gauzy-white draperies, 
 with uncovered neck and arms. 
 
 Now, Nelly was vain enough to like to surpass 
 other girls ; but she was not independent enough 
 to like to be entirely different from them ; and 
 even if they had not all stared and tittered so, 
 she would have found it very unpleasant to be 
 so conspicuously singular on such a public occa- 
 sion.
 
 i
 
 MAKE FIXE BIRDS. 43 
 
 But then they did stare and titter very much 
 indeed, as school-girls will, no matter how 
 much they are lectured ; and the glow of tri- 
 umph on Nelly's face quickly deepened into a 
 burning blush of shame and anger as she caught 
 one and another teasing whisper from those 
 around her. 
 
 " I say, girls," said one little mischief in Nel- 
 ly's own class, " we've made a mistake ; this is 
 a full-dress party, not a school reception ; the 
 shutters will be closed, and the gas lighted pres- 
 . ently ; we'd better hurry home, and get on our 
 kids while there is time." 
 
 Of course this sally, though not very brilliant, 
 set the girls into a giggle, and another and an- 
 other uttered some comical speech, which Nelly 
 could not help hearing; and the children, full 
 of fun and spirits, would laugh and draw away, 
 pretending they were afraid of crushing her 
 finery, until the quick-tempered girl could stand 
 it no longer. She sprang up from her seat, her 
 eyes snapping, and her cheeks flaming with 
 anger, and cried out, in a rage, 
 
 " You're a poor, mean, miserable set ; you've 
 got nothing fit to wear yourselves, and you're 
 only jealous of those who have. I shall go
 
 44 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 right home, and tell my mother of you. And 
 you may get along the best you can with 
 your piece, for I won't, stay to say it with you 
 now ! " 
 
 And in a moment she had swept down the 
 aisle, and slammed out of the door. 
 
 The teachers looked round at the noise, and 
 Miss Kavanagh came down the room to see what 
 was the matter in her class. The girls all began 
 to speak at once, and it was some time before 
 she could quiet them in their excitement, and 
 find out the true state of the case. When she 
 discovered that Nelly Morgan, for whom she had 
 been waiting to begin her rehearsal, had really 
 come and gone again, with the determination 
 not to return, she was very much annoyed and 
 perplexed. 
 
 "Dear, dear! what is to be done?" she said, 
 in a vexed tone. " Didn't you know, girls, as 
 often as you have been told, that it was very rude 
 to laugh at a companion for anything? You had 
 much better have come and told me she was 
 here, and I would have made her put on a scarf, 
 or something, and we would have gone on with 
 our rehearsal. Now we shall have to give up 
 our exercise altogether, for we can't possibly do
 
 MAKE FINE RIRDS. 45 
 
 without her. I depended on her not only for her 
 own verse, but to lead the chorus, and I shall 
 not undertake it without her." 
 
 " O, O, Miss Kavanagh ! " began a chorus of 
 disappointed voices; and Maggie Lang jumped 
 up and said, " I know where she lives, Miss 
 Kavanagh ; let me run after her and coax her, 
 or beg her^mother to send her back. I'll tell 
 her we're all sorry, and I'll be sure to bring her. 
 May I go, please?" 
 
 " O, yes. Miss Kavanagh, let her go, please ! " 
 echoed the chorus of voices again ; but their 
 teacher hesitated. 
 
 ' I never like to send my scholars on errands, 
 you know," she said, " and it is within a minute 
 of nine o'clock ; but, as you all feel so badly 
 about giving up your recitation, you may go, for 
 once, Maggie. I don't think it will be of any 
 use, however ; Mrs. Morgan will naturally be 
 offended at the way in which Nelly was treated. 
 I hope it will be a lesson to you all. It is a very 
 vexatious affair altogether." 
 
 Miss Kavanagh looked thoroughly displeased 
 as she rose to go and inform the principal that 
 the exercise of her class would probably have to 
 be omitted from the programme. Maggie Lang
 
 46 FIXE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 slipped quietly out on her errand, and the other 
 girls waited her return in very uncomfortable 
 silence. 
 
 Meanwhile the principal's bell rang for order, 
 and the little buzz and flutter ceased throughout 
 the rooms, and each class presented a beautiful 
 array of silent and motionless girls, prettily 
 dressed, and with bright, expectant faces. Vis- 
 itors began to pour in from the lower rooms, 
 where they had been attending the Christmas 
 exercises of the male department ; the audience- 
 room was soon filled with parents and friends of 
 the pupils, and the trustees of the school ; and 
 the business of the morning began with a merry 
 song of welcome, which the whole tuneful 
 throng, numbering hundreds of girls, sang 
 standing to the spirited accompaniment of the 
 piano. Under cover of all this burst of song, 
 and screened from view by the rows of tall girls 
 in the front classes, little Maggie slipped up the 
 long aisle, and, in a low voice, reported the 
 success of her mission to her teacher. 
 
 " I went to Nelly's house," she said, half out 
 of breath with the haste she had made, " and I 
 asked the girl at the door if I couldn't see Nelly. 
 And she looked astonished, and said Nelly was
 
 MAKE FIXE BIRDS. 47 
 
 gone to school long ago ; and I told her, yes, but 
 she had. gone home again ; and she said she was 
 sure she wasn't in the house, for she couldn't 
 have come in without her hearing her. And she 
 said she hoped Nelly wasn't up to any mischief, 
 for her mother was very sick, and it would worry 
 her so much. So I thought I wouldn't say any 
 more, for fear she'd tell Mrs. Morgan, and make 
 her worse ; and so I said, maybe there was some 
 mistake, and came right back. But it's too bad 
 isn't it, Miss Kavanagh, for Nelly to behave 
 so, and for us to lose saying our pretty piece, 
 after we've taken so much trouble practising it?" 
 " It is too bad," said Miss Kavanagh, looking 
 both'vcxed and anxious; "and I only hope, too, 
 that Nelly may not be doing anything wrong. I 
 can scarcely believe that Mrs. Morgan but no 
 matter ; " and she checked herself suddenly, 
 not thinking it right to communicate her sus- 
 picions to her pupils. " At any rate we shall 
 have to give up our recitation ; and I do hope it 
 will be a lesson to you all to make you remember 
 the Golden Rule a little better. No matter how 
 ridiculous any of you might ever chance to 
 appear, you would not like to be laughed at 
 any more than Nelly."
 
 48 FIXE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 Maggie withdrew to her seat, looking very 
 crestfallen ; for, though she had said nothing 
 teasing to Nelly, she had joined in the general 
 laugh raised by the whole class at the sight of 
 her finery and her airs. She had felt, too, a little 
 throb of exultation to think that it was Nelly, 
 and not herself, as Nelly had predicted, who had 
 appeared ridiculous in the eyes of the school ; 
 but now she felt ashamed to remember that she 
 had indulged such a wrong feeling, and thought 
 sorrowfully how poor a way this was to enter 
 upon the real joy of Christmas, of which Miss 
 Kavanagh had talked only yesterday'. 
 
 The rest of the class, who were still standing, 
 singing their song of welcome, had, however, 
 kept their eyes fixed upon their teacher and 
 Maggie ; and, although they could not hear 
 what was said, they read very plainly on their 
 faces the fate of their share in the day's enter- 
 tainment. The ill-tidings were confirmed by a 
 decided shake of Miss Kavanagh's head in reply 
 to their eager looks of inquiry as they took their 
 seats ; and, though they had to accept their dis- 
 appointment in silence, the pleasure was all 
 gone out of the morning for them, and a very 
 dark cloud hung over the usually bright-faced 
 and orderly second division.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 49 
 
 And yet it was a very pleasant reception. 
 There were a great many guests, and they were 
 entertained by recitations and declamations, 
 compositions and dialogues, music of all kinds, 
 grave and gay, solos, duets, and chorals ; 
 and, prettiest of all, with graceful and healthful 
 exercises in calisthenics. The two hours sped 
 rapidly away, and the final addresses had been 
 made, all sorts of nice compliments and Christ- 
 mas greetings been paid to teachers and pupils, 
 and the visitors had taken their departure ; every 
 face was full of smiles and Christmas cheer, and 
 every one in high good humor, except the unfor- 
 tunate second class. 
 
 They felt decidedly cheated, and looked dis- 
 consolate enough in the midst of the general 
 complacency. They brightened up a little, how- 
 ever, when, after all the guests had departed, and 
 only the pupils remained in their seats waiting 
 for dismissal, Mr. Thurston, the chairman of the 
 school committee, rose on the platform, and said 
 he had just one more word to whisper in their 
 ear. The little stir and bustle in the room was 
 quieted at once, for the children always liked to 
 hear what Mr. Thurston had to say. He had 
 such a good and genial face, such pleasant blue 
 4
 
 5O FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 eyes, and such a cordial smile, that one could 
 not but be sure of his having a kind heart; then 
 he always talked so that they could understand 
 him, never forgetting to throw in a merry word 
 to brighten them in the midst of his good advice. 
 So, though they were often horribly bored by 
 the pompous, stupid harangues which were fre- 
 quently inflicted upon them by gentlemen visit- 
 ors, the^r were never tired of listening to Mr. 
 Thurston. 
 
 And, indeed, they could not well help oeing 
 interested to-day, for his "one word more" was 
 to tell them that he and the whole committee had 
 been very much pleased with what they had 
 heard of their industry and good conduct during 
 the past term ; and that now, as Christmas was at 
 hand, when every one was expected to feel 
 happy, and as the committee wished the chil- 
 dren to have the pleasantest of associations con- 
 nected with their school, these gentlemen had 
 provided an entertainment, different, it was true, 
 but he trusted quite as agreeable, as the feast of 
 reason and the flow of soul which the children 
 had furnished to them that morning. If the 
 teachers would allow them to adjourn to the 
 play-room below, he thought they would make
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 51 
 
 a discovery which could not fail to give them 
 pleasure ; that is, if they were anything like him, 
 when he was a little boy, or a little girl either, 
 for that mattor. 
 
 Applause was rather contrary to the order of 
 things in a public school ; but this was too much 
 for the children's powers of restraint. Moreover, 
 Christmas was a privileged time, and with one 
 accord, as Mr. Thurston finished speaking, the 
 children started in their seats ; eager hands went 
 clap, clap, clap ! glad feet went stamp, stamp, 
 stamp ! and a good, generous hurrah ! for the 
 committee, with a tiger for the chairman, rang 
 from room to room of the great building. 
 
 The gentlemen bowed their acknowledg- 
 ments, and a touch of the principal's bell re- 
 stored silence at once. With eager, beaming 
 faces the school waited for orders ; a teacher took 
 her place at the piano, and struck up the liveliest 
 of marches ; and class by class, in regular mili- 
 tary order, though on the double-quick, filed 
 down the long staircases, away, away down to 
 the very ground floor, where an immense play- 
 room occupied the entire space. 
 
 This had been gayly decorated with evergreens 
 by men whom the committee had sent there the
 
 52 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 evening before ; and that very morning, while 
 the children were busy with their songs, their 
 speeches, and their gymnastics, a whole army of 
 waiters had been just as busy, ptitting up im- 
 promptu tables, covering them with cloths, and 
 spreading them with all manner of Christmas 
 cheer. 
 
 There were turkeys O, how many ! just as 
 many as eight hundred children could possibly 
 dispose of; and geese and chickens besides ; mince 
 pies, and pumpkin pies, and apple pies ; baskets 
 full of cake, and others heaped with motto can- 
 dies, nuts and raisins, oranges and apples ; and 
 just as much lemonade as any one wanted. 
 Many of the children had never sat down to such 
 a feast before ; and never did Christmas Eve shine 
 upon happier faces than were gathered round 
 those long tables in the great school play-room. 
 
 The gentlemen of the committee staid and took 
 luncheon with the children, and felt themselves 
 fully repaid for their generosity in witnessing 
 the pleasure they had given. The principal and 
 teachers were also there, of course, to share the 
 feast, and keep the youngsters from being entirely 
 carried away by their high spirits. 
 
 Not that there was much effort at order at-
 
 MAKE FJNE BIRDS. 53 
 
 tempted, however. When the repast was con- 
 cluded, and every one had eaten as much as he 
 wished, and each child had been furthermore de- 
 lighted with the present of an orange, and a cor- 
 nucopia of candy, to take home to a little brother 
 or sister, the waiters came in again, and packed 
 up the dishes in great baskets, and carried them 
 off. Then the boys fell to work, and took apart 
 the tables, which were only boards laid upon 
 trestles ; and in double-quick time the great room 
 was cleared, and the word was given that all 
 who chose might remain an hour or two longer, 
 and engage in whatever games they liked. 
 
 This announcement was received with another 
 burst of applause ; and, of course, every one chose 
 to stay. The teachers, who enjoyed it all as much 
 as the children, took a general superintendence of 
 things, suggesting games, and separating the little 
 ones from the great ones, so that they would be 
 in no danger of being run down in the midst of 
 the frolic. Very soon all manner of merry plays 
 were going on all over the great hall. Of course, 
 there were the old favorites, " Oats, peas, beans, 
 and barley grow," "Sister, O Phoebe," "Here 
 we tread the green grass," " Fox and geese," and 
 so on ; besides " Sell the button," " Turkish
 
 54 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 merchant," and various "guessing games," for 
 the quieter ones. 
 
 Everybody joined in, and everybody was in 
 the best of humors ; so that, altogether, it was 
 one of the very happiest days that any of them 
 could remember, even to the second class, who 
 had forgotten all about the disappointment of the 
 morning ; and all went home in high spirits, 
 delighted with their " Surprise Party," grateful 
 to the gentlemen who had so kindly planned it 
 for them, and prepared ever after to connect a 
 most agreeable association of Christmas with 
 school.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 55 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 AS the girls were gathered in the long 
 wardrobes, putting on cloaks and hats, 
 and chattering, like so many magpies, over the 
 delights of that most delightful day, some one 
 called out, 
 
 " Here's a pair of rubber boots, tucked up in 
 the corner here; who owns them? Nobody? 
 Well, then, let's put them up at auction. Who 
 bids for this fine pair of rubber boots, warranted 
 to keep out everything? " 
 
 " Even the feet," said another laughing girl, 
 as the little mischief held the unclaimed boots 
 high above her head ; and another cried met- 
 rily,- 
 
 " Let's settle it as they did about the little glass 
 slipper. Let's all try them on, and see who is 
 the Cinderella amongst us." 
 
 But by this time Maggie Lang had got a 
 glimpse of the boots about to be so unceremoni- 
 ously disposed of, and she recognized them at
 
 56 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 once as belonging to her deskmate, Nelly Mor- 
 gan. 
 
 " Have they got blue straps inside to pull them 
 on with ? " she asked : " yes, I thought so ; I knew 
 they were Nelly Morgan's ; I've seen her dry 
 them at the register many a time. Give them 
 to me, and I'll take them home to her ; she'll 
 be sure to want them before the holidays are 
 over, and the school-house will be locked up, 
 you know." 
 
 " Take them home to her?" repeated one of 
 the girls, in surprise. " Indeed, I wouldn't take 
 any such trouble for such a mean, disobliging 
 creature." 
 
 "Yes, if it hadn't been for her, we wouldn't 
 have had to appear so stupid that we couldn't 
 take any part in the reception exercises," said 
 another ; and still another chimed in with a 
 laugh of ridicule. 
 
 " O, well, girls, she came in as the show-piece, 
 you know. Everything is spectacular, nowa- 
 days, as my father says, when he puts on his 
 glasses." 
 
 A burst of laughter followed this brilliant sally 
 from the " witty " young lady of the first class ; 
 and, under cover of the noise, Maggie went up 
 and took possession of the boots.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 57 
 
 It was too bad, thought the kind-hearted little 
 girl, that poor Nelly should lose the use of her 
 rubbers all through the holiday week, when she 
 would want to be going out more than usual, and 
 when the* melting snow would be sure to make it 
 muddy, as well as to have lost all the pleasure of 
 that happy day. It must have been a very dull 
 day to her, indeed, thought Maggie, going home 
 with such bitter feelings as she had done, and 
 not a bit like Christmas Eve. And she felt quite 
 glad that she had an excuse to go round to 
 Nelly's house, and tell her how sorry she felt, and 
 perhaps cheer her up a little, by telling her what 
 merry times they had had in the great play-room, 
 and how much she had wished for her there. So 
 she wrapped up the boots in a piece of paper, and 
 started off with them tucked under her arm. She 
 stopped at her own home first, of course, and ran 
 up stairs to tell her mother all the wonderful 
 history of the day ; and Mrs. Lang was quite as 
 much interested and pleased as Maggie could 
 desire. 
 
 " I concluded something special must be going 
 on at the school, when you staid so long," she 
 said ; " for I knew my Maggie would not go off 
 anywhere else without asking mother. Well, it
 
 58 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 certainly was very kind of Mr. Thurston and the 
 other gentlemen ; and I hope you, for one, Mag- 
 gie, will show that you remember it, by trying 
 to be more diligent than ever next term. ' Those 
 horrid, horrid sums ' Maggie ;" and Mrs. Lang 
 smiled significantly at her little daughter. Mag- 
 gie colored a little, and answered, quickly, " Yes, 
 indeed, mother, I shall study harder than ever, to 
 please the gentlemen and dear Miss Kavanagh, 
 too. O, mother, she was so pleased with the 
 bouquet I brought her ; it was the prettiest one 
 she had ; but, mother, she was vexed with me, 
 too, to-day with all of us ; and it was about the 
 strangest thing. I'll tell you all about it." 
 
 So then came all the story of Nelly Morgan's 
 strange performances; of her sudden appearance 
 in glory, and her equally sudden disappearance 
 in shame ; of Maggie's going to her house, and 
 not rinding her there, and of the disappointment 
 with regard to their recitation. 
 
 " So the bells didn't ring in your class to-day, 
 in spite of its being Christmas Eve ! " said Mi's. 
 Lang, with a smile, as Maggie finished her story ; 
 but for all that, she looked grave, and in her own 
 mind felt tolerably certain that there was some- 
 thing wrong connected with Nelly's behavior.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 59 
 
 She did not say so, however, and Maggie went 
 on to tell about the finding of the rubbers. " I 
 have them hei'e, mother," she said, " and if you 
 don't mind, I'd like to run round and take them 
 to Nelly, and tell her how sorry I am she missed 
 all the fun, and give her this paper of candy, if 
 she'll have it. It's only four o'clock, and I 
 won't stay long. May I go ? " 
 
 Mrs. Lang hesitated a moment ; she did not 
 like to have her little daughter, intimate with a 
 girl who, she feared, was not possessed of very 
 strict principles of right ; but neither could she 
 bear to check her in her kindly impulse; so she 
 said, "Yes, you may go ; but don't stay very 
 long." And Maggie pi'omised, and tying on her 
 hood again, started off on her kindly errand. 
 
 We must hasten on before her, however, and 
 find out how it has fared with Nelly all through 
 this Christmas Eve, which she had thought was 
 going to be such a proud and happy day. She 
 was in such a tempest of rage when she rushed 
 out of the school-room that she scarcely knew 
 what she was doing. Her chief desire was to 
 get away as quickly as possible from the scene 
 of her mortification and disappointment ; and 
 she had thrown on her wraps, and rushed off
 
 60 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 in such mad haste that she had entirely forgotten 
 her overshoes ; nor did she remember them until, 
 as she ran along the street, not noticing, in her 
 blind passion, where she was going, she felt the 
 snow, which lay in pools of melting slush on 
 every crossing, penetrating the delicate kid of 
 her pretty boots, and wetting her feet to the skin. 
 Then she remembei-ed, in consternation, that 
 water would spoil the bright bronze coloring ; 
 and, looking down at her feet, she discovered, to 
 her despair, that her beautiful shoes were entire- 
 ly ruined ! 
 
 Tears of sorrow and of fear rushed to her 
 eyes. Her beautiful bronze boots! they were 
 so handsome, and so costly ! She had never 
 had such a pair before, and they fitted her so 
 perfectly, and every one admired them so much ! 
 How could she bear to give them up? And, 
 worst of all, how could she account to her 
 mother for their condition? how could she tell 
 her of the deception she had practised upon her, 
 and of the mortification in which it had ended? 
 
 " It will never do ; she would tell father, and 
 he would be, O, so angry !"" thought the unhappy 
 girl, still hastening along the sloppy streets, and 
 trying to force back her tears, that people might
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 6 1 
 
 not stare at her for crying. " I must hide them 
 away when I get home, and I must try somehow 
 or other to earn the money to buy another pair 
 just like them. I can knit sontags and breakfast 
 shawls, and I'll take the dollar my father always 
 gives me at Christmas to buy the worsted for the 
 first one. Thank fortune, they're party shoes, 
 and mother won't know but that they're safe in 
 the drawer. I only hope I shan't be asked to a. 
 single party this winter." 
 
 With this not very cheering hope for her only 
 comfort, the miserable girl reached her home, 
 and stole in at the basement door, trembling for 
 fear that Anne should suddenly come out of the 
 kitchen, and starting like a guilty thing at every 
 sound she heard. She met no one, however, on 
 her way up stairs. The children had not yet re- 
 turned from their little school, and the nurse was 
 taking care of Mrs. Morgan and the baby in their 
 own room ; so that Nelly made her way, unseen 
 and unheard, up to the empty guest chamber, 
 which had been the scene of her triumphant 
 vanity only an hour or two before. 
 
 There, with very different feelings 'from those 
 with which she had put them on, she took oft' her 
 fine clothes, and began to lay them, with tears of
 
 62 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 shame and anger, back in the drawer. But when 
 she went to fold up her dress, she found not only 
 that it was considerably tumbled by the heavy 
 cloak, but that worse and worse the inside of 
 the hem, all across the back breadth, was spotted 
 with mud which had splashed up underneath in 
 her mad race home through the slush. 
 
 This was too much, and Nelly dropped, all 
 undressed as she was, into a chair, and sobbed 
 aloud. What should she do with this fresh mis- 
 fortune? The shoes she might possibly replace ; 
 but how could she ever account to her mother for 
 the splashes on a dress which, as she supposed, 
 had never been worn out of the house? She did 
 not dare wash them ofF, for Swiss muslin always 
 showed when it had been washed, as it lost in 
 the water the peculiar pale bluish tinge which it 
 has when new ; besides, the starch would come 
 out, and that breadth would look all limp and 
 unlike the others ; and O, her mother would be 
 sure to notice the difference, and what should she 
 do? Poor Nelly ! it never occurred to her to do 
 the only safe, because the only rigJit thing go 
 to her mother, acknowledge her fault, tell all its 
 unhappy consequences, and ask forgiveness, in 
 real penitence of heart, and determination never 
 to attempt to deceive again.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 63 
 
 It did not occur to Nelly because she did not 
 feel real sorrow for her fault ; she only felt anger 
 at the failure of her plans, and fear of discovery ; 
 and she attached so much more importance to 
 fine dress herself than to truth and honor, that 
 she could not believe her mother would be will- 
 ing to let the accident to the shoes and the frock 
 pass unpunished, merely because she was honest 
 enough to confess how it had happened. She 
 had not yet experienced the truth of the sweet 
 promise, 
 
 "If -we confess our sins, God is faithful 
 and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse 
 us from all unrighteousness" 
 
 And thus she felt only the cowardice of the 
 guilty, with none of the trustful courage of the 
 penitent and believing. 
 
 So, as the poor girl sat shivering in the cold, 
 any way and every way except the right way of 
 getting out of her trouble came into Nelly's 
 mind. She could think of nothing better, how- 
 ever, than letting the mud dry on the dress, and 
 then trying to rub it off with a brush. So she 
 spread out the gauzy white skirt on tiie backs 
 of two chairs, looked at it in a helpless sort of 
 way, and then put on her every-day dress, and
 
 C>4 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 wrapped her cloak around her ; for there was no 
 fire in the spare room, and Nelly began to find it 
 very cold indeed. 
 
 She did not dare, however, to go down into a 
 warm room, for fear her mother would hear that 
 she wa~s at home, and want to know why she 
 had left school so early. She did not even dare 
 to walk about to keep herself warm, lest she 
 should be heard ; and there was nothing for her 
 to do but wrap her cloak tight around her, and 
 sit down in the great cushioned rocking-chair, 
 and tuck her poor little cold feet under her, to 
 keep them from getting quite numb. 
 
 There were no books in the room that Nelly 
 cared to read, no work, no playthings ; and O, 
 how drearily this Christmas Eve passed by to 
 the disappointed, and mortified, and anxious 
 girl ! While her classmates were passing the 
 hours so pleasantly, she had nothing to do but 
 chafe her chilly iTands, and look disconsolately at 
 her ruined finery, and listen for every sound, 
 every footfall, so as to spring and hide it away 
 if any step should be heard approaching the 
 room ; no companions but her own bitter, and 
 angry, and fearful thoughts, and no memory of 
 the day which was not inexpressibly painful.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 65 
 
 And yet this was Christmas Eve, and held 
 sacred by the whole Christian world, in memory 
 of that wondrous Eve, hundreds of years ago, 
 when the wise men beheld the Star in the East, 
 that heralded the birth of the Prince of Peace, 
 and when the angels sang the triumphant song, 
 
 " On earth peace good will to men ! " 
 
 But there was no peace, no good will to men, in 
 our poor foolish Nelly's heart that day. 
 
 Never was the sound of the great City Hall 
 bell, booming out twelve o'clock, more welcome 
 than it was to this poor little half-frozen prisoner 
 of her own misdeeds ; for that was the hour 
 when school was to have been dismissed, and 
 now she might appear before her mother without 
 exciting any remark. The light splashes of mud 
 on the dress were now quite dry, too ; and Nelly 
 took a clothes-brush from the bureau, and tried 
 very carefully to rub them off. To her great re- 
 lief, she was able to efface them almost entirely. 
 Only a few slight stains remained, and Nelly 
 trusted to her quick wit to prevent them from 
 being noticed the next time she had occasion to 
 wear the dress. 
 
 The shoes now remained to be disposed of. 
 5
 
 66 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 These 'were still quite Wet, and entirely dis- 
 colored ; and Nelly looked at them with a pang 
 of regret, not for her sin, but for their loss. She 
 had decided that the safest place in which to hide 
 them was a certain hole in the plaster of the 
 attic wall ; and accordingly she stole up the nar- 
 row stairs in her stocking feet, creeping softly 
 as a cat, and listening, and looking sharply, for 
 fear that Anne might be up in her room and 
 hear her. 
 
 But no sign of any one appeared, and Nelly 
 climbed up on a chair, and thrust the proofs of 
 her deception safe out of sight, drawing back her 
 hand hastily, lest a hungry rat, mistaking it for a 
 piece of cheese, might nibble a bit of it for his 
 Christmas dinner. Then she crept down stairs 
 again, folded away her dresses, tidied the room, 
 and, taking her cloak and hood, closed the door, 
 and stole softly down to the front hall. There 
 she changed her ' manner very suddenly. She 
 opened the street door and shut it again with a 
 bang; burst out into a snatch of a Christmas 
 carol, and then ran noisily up stairs, singing all 
 the way, as though happy as a child ought to 
 be on Christmas Eve. When she reached her
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 6*j 
 
 mother's door, she stopped her song, as though 
 afraid of disturbing her or baby, and, turning the 
 knob softly, she entered the room, and presented 
 herself before her mother as having just arrived 
 from school.
 
 68 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " T T TELL, my daughter," said Mrs. Morgan, 
 V w turning over in the bed, and greeting 
 Nelly with a smile, " you come in singing; so 
 I suppose you've had a very pleasant time. 
 But, child," she went on, as she noticed Nelly's 
 pale and strange looks, " you're blue with the 
 cold, and your teeth are chattering. Is it so 
 very cold out?" 
 
 " It was chilly in the school-room," answered 
 Nelly, evasively ; " but never mind me, mother ; 
 I'll soon get warm here before your bright fire. 
 How are you, and how is baby ? I scarcely had 
 time to peep at you this morning." 
 
 " O, doing nicely as can be ; the little fellow 
 
 sleeps 
 
 ' As if he were fed on dormouse pie, 
 With sauce of sirup of poppy.' 
 
 But tell me what kind of a morning you've 
 had." 
 
 " O, pretty nice just like all the receptions.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 69 
 
 Stupid things, I think, they are. I was glad 
 when it was over." 
 
 " I'm afraid you don't feel very well," said Mrs. 
 Morgan, anxiously, as Nelly answered in this dull, 
 listless way. " I hope you haven't taken cold. 
 I think the janitor ought to have the rooms prop- 
 erly warmed, at least. You shall have some of 
 my warm gruel, if you will. I expect you 
 rushed off with half a breakfast this morning." 
 
 But Nelly declined the gruel. Her mother's 
 kindness made her feel uncomfortable, conscious 
 as she was of planning to deceive her ; and she 
 wanted to escape from it by quitting the room. 
 So she said, 
 
 " No, thank you, mother. I won't rob you 
 of your sick dainties. I guess I'll go down in 
 the dining-room, and see what Anne can give 
 me for lunch." 
 
 She got up to go, and Mrs. Morgan only stopped 
 her to beg that she would keep near the fire 
 until she had got thoroughly warmed through ; 
 and Nelly smiled, and said yes, and stopped to 
 kiss the sleeping baby, who lay all rolled up in a 
 puff-ball, as she went out ; but when the door had 
 closed behind her, the smile vanished from her 
 face, and the tired and sullen look came back.
 
 70 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 " That ain't much of a Christmas face you've 
 brought back from the school wid ye, Miss 
 Nelly," said the good-natured Anne, as she 
 came, bringing the tea-tray into the dining- 
 room, where Nelly sat cowering gloomily over 
 the fire. " An' sure, an' I should think ye'd 
 look as bright as a button to-day, seein' the great 
 turkey yer father's sent home for the dinner to- 
 morrow, an' the raisins and currants for the 
 puddin', an' the oranges and nuts for dessert ; for- 
 bye the bit o' Santa Claus he'll be sure to fetch 
 home in his pockets to night for all of yez. In- 
 dade, an' I think it's a fine Christmas Eve, an' 
 blissed be the name o' Jesus, that gives us a hap- 
 py time once a year ! " 
 
 Nelly did not look up, or make any answer to 
 this cheerful speech of the simple-hearted Irish 
 girl ; and Anne came close up to her, and saw 
 how pale she looked. 
 
 "Is it sick, thin, ye are?" she asked, with 
 ready sympathy. " O, but that's too bad intirely 
 on Christmas Eve. It's chilled through I think 
 ye've got ye look all of a shiver. Here now, 
 here's a cup o' nice hot tay, strong enough for 
 grown folks, and some nice apple fritters : you 
 like apple fritters. Eat and drink a bit, Miss
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 7 1 
 
 Nelly, an you'll feel better," said the kind-heart- 
 ed girl, drawing up a chair between the fire and 
 the table, and almost forcing Nelly to sit down 
 in it. 
 
 " And there's the other childer poundin' at the 
 door ; I must go an' let 'em in ; but you take 
 your lunch comfortable all by yourself, Miss 
 Nelly, while I take off their cloaks and mit- 
 tens." 
 
 She went out, and shut the door behind her ; 
 but even her kind good-nature could not make 
 Nelly feel " comfortable." 
 
 She felt both cold and hot ; quick chills ran 
 through her frame, succeeded by as quick flashes 
 of heat ; her head ached ; her limbs were stiff; 
 and she found, when she attempted to eat, that 
 her throat was so sore that it was painful to 
 swallow. It was evident that she had taken a 
 severe cold from wetting her feet, and then sit- 
 ting for hours in a fireless room ; and poor Nelly 
 had the added pains of illness to all the miseries 
 of that most wretched day. She could not 
 enjoy even her favorite apple fritters, but drank, 
 with an effort, part of a cup of tea, and then 
 went and lay down on the dining-room lounge, 
 too tired and uncomfortable to sit up, and yet
 
 ^2 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 not wishing to go up stairs, where she would be 
 likely again to meet her mother's watchful and 
 anxious glance. 
 
 The children came rushing in, in a few min- 
 utes, their cheeks rosy, and their eyes bright with 
 their race home in the snow, and instantly be- 
 sieged Nelly with eager histories of their day at 
 the kindergarten, and as eager inquiries about 
 her morning at school. 
 
 . " O, Nelly, it was such fun ! " said little Frank, 
 his round face all in a glow with excitement ; " we 
 had such a cunning little Christmas tree, with 
 such a jolly old Santa Claus on top of it, all 
 powdered with snow, and wagging his head, 
 and laughing to us " 
 
 " Yes, and we each had an orange and some 
 candy," interrupted Jennie, and Frank broke in 
 again ; " and every fellow had a present, and 
 every girl, too ; see, here's mine ! " putting a tin 
 trumpet close to Nelly's ear, and blowing a terrific 
 blast. But Nelly did not laugh. 
 
 " Get away, you naughty boy ! How dare you 
 do such a thing?" she cried, raising herself on 
 the couch, and giving her little brother a hearty 
 push. " Don't come near me again, either of 
 you ; I'm sick, and I want to be let alone.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. ?3 
 
 Make haste, and eat your lunch, and go up stairs. 
 I don't want you down here. I'm sick, I tell 
 you." 
 
 " Well, you needn't be so awful cross about it 
 if you are," answered Frank, angrily ; " and 
 mind how you push a fellow about next time, 
 please." 
 
 " Stop saying ' fellow ' so much ; you know 
 mother doesn't like it ! " said Nelly, sharply ; 
 " and eat your lunch, I say, and go. I'm tired 
 of your noise." 
 
 " How cross you are to-day, Nelly, and you 
 were so nice yesterday ! " said Jennie, in a com- 
 plaining tone ; but before her sister could answer, 
 Anne appeared to bring in more fritters. 
 
 u Come now, be good childer," she said, " and 
 don't tease yer sister ; she don't feel well to-day, 
 and you must lave her alone. Sure, Miss Nelly, 
 an' ye'll get yer death o' cold lyin' there with 
 nothin' over ye ; just let me fetch my shawl ; it's 
 hangin' in the hall since I came in from the gro- 
 cery." And the good-natured girl went for it 
 immediately, and spread the warm plaid all over 
 the poor little, unhappy figure that lay shivering, 
 even in this tire-lit room, on the lounge. 
 
 The children, who were good-hearted little
 
 74 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 things, accepting Anne's word that there really 
 was something amiss with their sister, quieted 
 down into a low, confidential chat over their 
 fritters ; and when the last of the smoking pile 
 had disappeared, they jumped down, and ran up 
 stairs, to coax nurse to let them into their moth- 
 er's room, that they might pour the story of the 
 day's delights into her more sympathetic ear. 
 
 Meanwhile Anne cleared the table, tidied the 
 room, stirred the fire, and, bidding Miss Nelly to 
 " lay still, and take a bit of a nap," went off into 
 the kitchen, and left her to her repose. 
 
 But Nelly did not find it such an easy thing to 
 go to sleep. Her body was too full of aches, 
 and her heart too full of bitter and anxious 
 thoughts, for that. The events of the day, from 
 her first eager springing up to this her dreary 
 lying down again, would keep passing in and out 
 of her mind, scene after scene shifting to and fro, 
 like a kaleidoscope, in spite of her efforts to put 
 away the memory of it all ; and her head ached, 
 and the soreness in her throat amounted to pos- 
 itive pain. Worst of all was the ever-returning 
 thought, which would not be driven awa$r, that 
 her misfortunes were all caused by her own 
 wrong-doing ; and a verse she had learned at
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 75 
 
 Sunday school " The way of the transgressor 
 is hard" kept sounding in her ears all the 
 time. 
 
 It grew fainter, hpwever, at last; and the 
 changing images of the day settled into one 
 indistinct mass, and kind sleep came at length 
 to the weary and heavy-hearted girl, and she 
 " forgot her sorrow, and remembered her misery 
 no more." 
 
 Her mother" sent Jennie down to inquire why 
 she did not come up stairs, and Anne sent back 
 word that she was sleeping so nicely it was a 
 pity to disturb her ; and so the hours of the 
 Christmas Eve wore away quietly enough in 
 that house, while out of doors the streets were 
 alive with the rushing of sleighs, the jingling of 
 bells, the shouts of merry children, and the 
 hurrying to and fro of eager shoppers ; in many 
 a happy home Christmas trees were being planted 
 and hung with their own peculiar fruit in locked 
 rooms by loving mammas and aunties ; kind- 
 hearted people were packing baskets of pro- 
 visions and warm clothing to be sent to the 
 houses of the poor and the needy ; and the whole 
 Christian world seemed to have paused an instant 
 in the eager race of toil and of pleasure, to
 
 76 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 draw breath, and be glad, and thank God, if 
 only by a cheerful face and a kindly mood, for 
 the gift of His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. 
 
 It was after four o'clock, and Nelly was still 
 sleeping, when a little girl knocked at the base- 
 ment door, and asked to see her. 
 
 " I have brought her rubber boots, which she 
 forgot, and left at school to-day," she said ; and 
 Anne exclaimed aloud, 
 
 " There, then, that's what's the matter with 
 her, then ! Sure, an' it's no wonder she's choked 
 up with cold, if she come home without over- 
 shoes in all this slush ! She'll be much obliged 
 to ye, miss, I'm sure, an' " But just there 
 she was interrupted. 
 
 Even in her sleep Nelly was not unconscious 
 of her deception, and the danger of its being 
 found out ; and the sound of voices, in connec- 
 tion with her name, and school, and overshoes, 
 startled her like a" thunder-clap. She sprang up 
 from the lounge, her cheeks pale and her hair 
 disordered, and rushed out into the hall, eager 
 to prevent Maggie from making any disclosures. 
 
 " Why in the world didn't you ask the young 
 lady in out of the cold ? " she asked, sharply, of 
 Anne, who stared 'at her in amazement. " A
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 77 
 
 pretty way to treat my company, to be sure ! 
 Come into the dining-room, Maggie ; I'm very 
 much obliged to you, indeed, for bringing home 
 my boots." 
 
 And she took Maggie's hand, and drew her in 
 almost by force, while the little girl looked at 
 her in surprise at her excited manner ; and Anne 
 muttered, as she '"'went back to the kitchen, 
 
 " Sure, an' she's the disagree'blest spoken 
 child iver I see, whin she's a mind to be ! 
 Ketch me cover in' her up wi' my best shawl 
 again in a hurry ! " 
 
 The warmth of Nelly's hospitality cooled 
 down, however, as soon as she had got Maggie 
 safely out of Anne's hearing. She decided at 
 once to treat her so coldly that she would not 
 be likely to visit her again ; and so, pushing a 
 chair carelessly towards her little guest, she 
 threw herself back upon the lounge, and groaned 
 out, in a vexed tone, 
 
 " O, dear, dear ! how my head aches ! I was 
 asleep, and the noise at the door woke me with 
 such a start ! " 
 
 " Why, I'm sure there wasn't such a great 
 deal of noise," said Maggie, merrily ; " I guess 
 you couldn't have been very sound asleep, Nelly.
 
 78 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 And, anyhow, what are you doing asleep on 
 Christmas Eve? The very idea of such a 
 thing ! " 
 
 " Don't speak to me of Christmas ! I hate the 
 very sound of the word ! " exclaimed Nelly, so 
 bitterly that Maggie started back shocked and 
 frightened. 
 
 " O, don't say that, Nelly," she said, coaxing- 
 ly ; " you mustn't mind what happened this morn- 
 ing so much. Of course you had a right to wear 
 whatever you and your mother chose, and it 
 was very rude in us girls to tease and laugh at 
 you. I've felt sorry about it all day, Nelly, and 
 I was real glad to find your boots, so that I might 
 have a chance to come round and tell you so." 
 
 "Much good it does to be sorry, after my 
 whole day is spoiled," said Nelly, sullenly. " I 
 wonder how you'd have liked it to be made fun 
 of in that way. I guess you'd have been mad 
 enough to go off and forget your rubbers, too. 
 And now I've* taken cold, getting my feet soak- 
 ing wet, and I suppose I shall be laid up all the 
 holidays. And you talk to me about merry 
 Christmas ! " 
 
 " It is too bad. I'm just as sorry as I can be," 
 said Maggie, in a real distress of sympathy. " But
 
 MAKE FIXE BIRDS. 79 
 
 maybe you'll get over it in a day or two, if you 
 take some medicine right away. And your 
 shoes, Nelly, your beautiful bronze shoes, 
 did they get all spoiled with the mud ? " 
 
 Nelly started, and the blood rushed to her face. 
 She was afraid "to let any one know what had 
 happened to the shoes, and she wished heartily 
 that Maggie Lang, with her troublesome ques- 
 tions, would go away, and never come to see her 
 again. 
 
 " No," she said presently, speaking very impa- 
 tiently ; " they're not spoiled at all ; only the 
 soles got wet they're so thin. O, dear, how 
 my head aches ! " 
 
 "I'm so glad to hear it I mean that the 
 shoes were not hurt not that your head aches, 
 Nelly," said the unsuspecting Maggie ; " though, 
 indeed, I don't see how you could help wetting 
 the sides, too ; you must have Jlown home, Nel- 
 ly. But what did your mother say when you 
 came back so early : did you tell her the girls 
 laughed at you, Nelly?" 
 
 " Of course I did ! " said Nell}', sharply ; " and 
 she was angry enough, I can tell you. I don't 
 think she'll ever want to lay eyes on any of 
 them again."
 
 So FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 Maggie crimsoned with shame and wounded 
 feeling. " You needn't be afraid," she said, 
 proudly ; " I shall not trouble your mother with 
 my presence, nor you, either, since you feel so 
 bitter about it. I've told you, over and over again, 
 how very sorry I was for what little share I 
 had in making you miss such a pleasant day, the 
 grand surprise, and all ; and I must say that, con- 
 sidering it was mostly your own fault, you're 
 very unkind about it. I'm not sorry I brought 
 you your boots, but I shall not trouble you with 
 any more visits, Nelly." 
 
 Maggie rose with much dignity, and was 
 about to take her departure ; but Nelly's curi- 
 osity was roused, and, though she was really 
 glad she would not be likely to come again with 
 questions and remarks that might betray all her 
 own deception, still she did not want her to go 
 until she had told her all about the day at school. 
 So she endeavored to assume a cordial tone, and 
 said, 
 
 " O, no, Maggie, don't go yet ! I'm sure it 
 was very good of you to bring my boots, and I'm 
 much obliged. My head aches so it makes me 
 feel cross ; but you mustn't mind it. What do 
 you mean by the 'grand surprise'? What 
 happened at school after I went away?"
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 8l 
 
 " O, sure enough, you haven't heard about 
 what a fine time we had ! What a pity you 
 missed it, Nelly ! " And the good-natured Mag- 
 gie sat down again, and began to tell of the 
 grand dinner, and the famous sport in the great 
 play-room. But Nelly did not listen with pleas- 
 ure ; her face grew darker than ever with jeal- 
 ousy and anger, and she broke out, at last, 
 
 " It is too, too mean ! There never was any- 
 thing meaner than that / should have been the 
 only one to be kept out of all the fun, and made 
 sick into the bargain." 
 
 " It is too bad, Nelly," began Maggie, in a 
 pitying tone ; but Nelly interrupted her sharply. 
 " There, I don't want to hear any more about 
 it," she said, savagely. " I wish I need never 
 go to the old school again, or see anybody that 
 ever belonged there. I hate it all." 
 
 Maggie rose again, this time really indignant. 
 " Good by, Nelly," she said. " I hope you will 
 not be very sick, but I shall not take the liberty 
 to come and inquire." 
 
 " Nobody cares if you don't," muttered Nelly, 
 
 turning over on the lounge, and covering her face 
 
 with the. shawl. And Maggie walked oft", her 
 
 little round face all in a flush of wounded feeling. 
 
 6
 
 82 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 Her indignation had begun to melt into com- 
 passion for poor Nelly's unhappiness, however, 
 befoi'e she reached her home ; and when she met 
 her father on the stoop, his pockets all bulged 
 out with mysterious-looking parcels, she forgot 
 everything but that it was Christmas Eve, and 
 that she, at least, was very happy.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 83 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MEANWHILE, while Maggie was merrily 
 guessing at the contents of the myste- 
 rious-looking parcels, and her father was as 
 merrily declaring all her guesses to be wrong, 
 Nelly lay still on the lounge in the now darken- 
 ing room, thinking over and over all the troubles 
 of the day, and feeling more bitter than ever, 
 now that she knew how much enjoyment she had 
 missed. Presently Anne came in to light the 
 gas and lay the cloth for supper ; and Nelly rose 
 slowly, and made her way, painfully, with stiff* 
 and aching limbs, up stairs. 
 
 Her father, too, had just come in, and was 
 taking oft' his overcoat in the hall. His pockets 
 bulged out suspiciously also ; but Nelly felt too 
 ill to care what they contained, and was only 
 anxious to escape his questions as to why she 
 looked so dull, and if that was the kind of face 
 for Christmas Eve. 
 
 She had to run^another gantlet of questions
 
 84 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 when she went into her mother's room ; and she 
 was thankful when supper was at last over, and 
 she could creep off to bed. Not that the night 
 brought her much relief; her temples throbbed 
 with pain ; her limbs ached, and the choking 
 sensation in her throat grew worse and worse, 
 so that by morning she was scarcely able to 
 speak, and felt quite too ill to rise. Her father 
 was alarmed when he came in to see her, and 
 went immediately for the doctor, who came and 
 pronounced the disease to be a decided case of 
 diphtheria, which would necessitate confinement 
 to her room for at least a fortnight. 
 
 " A pretty idea this, for you to be getting sick 
 on Christmas Day ! " said the good doctor, with a 
 kindly smile. " I guess you must have run and 
 romped too much at the school, yesterday. My 
 little daughter was telling me you youngsters had 
 a grand Panjandrum there eh, Miss Nelly?" 
 
 Nelly grew, if possible, paler than she was 
 already. She had quite forgotten that Dr. Law- 
 son's little daughter Annie went to No. 8 ; and 
 now surely all the shameful story about her 
 would come out. For a moment her heart 
 seemed to stop beating with terror, and she 
 turned her eyes imploringly, first on the doctor,
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 85 
 
 and then on her father. But with the next in- 
 stant came the remembrance that little Annie 
 Lawson belonged to the Primary Department, 
 and wouldn't be likely to know the cause of her 
 leaving school, even if she had happened to 
 notice that she was absent. The blood came 
 back again to her heart and her cheek, and she 
 answered, hoarsely, 
 
 " O, no ; that isn't the reason, doctor, for I 
 didn't stay to play at all. I didn't feel very well, 
 and I came home quite early." 
 
 " O, that's it," said the doctor, cheerily. 
 " Well, well, you've taken a pretty bad cold 
 somehow or other, my child ; but we'll pull you 
 safely through it, God willing. And even if 
 you can't be up and about, enjoying what Santa 
 Clans brought you, and can't even have your 
 share of the turkey and mince pies, which is 
 pretty hard, I confess, why, still you've a good 
 deal to make it a 'Merry Christmas' for you. 
 Here's your good papa, now, ready to do any- 
 thing in the world for you ; you've got a snug 
 room, and a warm fire, while many poor chil- 
 dren, as sick as you, are shivering with the cold ; 
 and the blessed sun is shining as bright as if it
 
 86 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 was bran new ; and the church bells are ringing, 
 and all the world is happy, keeping Christ's 
 birthday ; and you must Jry to be as patient as 
 you can won't you, my little maid? and I'll be 
 in again this evening, to see how you're getting 
 along." 
 
 He was off, with a kind good by, and Anne, 
 who had just come in with some arrowroot for 
 Nelly, said, " What a nice gintleman, for sure, 
 Dr. Lawson was ! " But Nelly thought sullenly 
 that it was very easy for those who were well 
 and happy to preach to others that they ought to 
 be so too, and swallowed her breakfast in no 
 very cheerful mood. Meanwhile her father, who 
 had accompanied the doctor down stairs, came 
 back, bringing his hands full of pretty Christmas 
 gifts, which he spread out on the bed around her. 
 
 There was a handkerchief-box, of beautifully 
 ornamented card-board, from her mother, who 
 knew that Nelly's handkerchiefs were very apt 
 to lie scattered over her drawer, in anything but 
 an orderly way ; and a little scent-bag, smelling 
 as sweet as a bed of violets in spring time, was 
 put in as little Jennie's present to her sister; a 
 whole set of the " Meadowgrass Stories," six
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 87 
 
 dainty volumes in green and scarlet, crimson 
 and brown, purple and buff, from her father ; a 
 coral bracelet, to match her necklace, from the 
 aunt who had given her that and a little straw- 
 berry emery cushion as Frank's present. 
 
 Santa Clans had certainly not forgotten Nelly ; 
 and yet his gifts did not afford much pleasure to 
 the unhappy girl. Her face lit up for a moment 
 at the sight of the bracelet, which appealed to 
 her strongest passion, love of dress, and she 
 clasped it languidly round her wrist for a mo- 
 ment ; but she was suffering too much to be 
 able to enjoy even an ornament, which, at an- 
 other time, would have filled her heart with 
 rapture, and she asked presently to have all the 
 things taken away. 
 
 Then she asked that the blinds might be shut, 
 and the shades drawn down ; she did not want 
 to see the sunshine, nor to hear the merry sound 
 of the bells ; and then she turned her face to the 
 wall, and drew the covers close up to her chin, 
 as though she wanted to be alone ; and her father 
 went out, hoping that she would be able to go 
 to sleep. Then, after stopping to see how the 
 mother and baby were getting on, and to report 
 that Nelly was a little more comfortable, he took
 
 88 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 Frank and Jennie, who were beginning to feel 
 that it was rather dull in the house with so many 
 sick people, round to the church to share in the 
 Christmas-tree festival there. 
 
 Nurse came in and out to give Nelly her med- 
 icine, and to bring her loving messages from her 
 mother, who felt it rather hard that she and her 
 daughter should have to be separated in their ill- 
 ness, but begged Nelly to bear it bravely, as she 
 was trying to do. Anne took special pains to 
 flavor her food as nicely as possible ; " it was 
 too bad, anyway, the pore little craythur should 
 be havin' to ate sick messes on Christmas Day, 
 whin there was the turkey brownin' so beau- 
 tiful, and the puddin' jist as full o' plbms as it 
 could stick ! " said the good-natured handmaiden. 
 Everybody, indeed, was as kind as could be ; 
 but still the day passed very heavily by to the 
 sick girl. 
 
 The pain of her illness would have been hard 
 enough to bear of itself, but when to this was 
 added a heart full of such unhappy thoughts, it 
 was hard indeed. And the doctor's words had 
 brought yet another anxiety. Diphtheria ! that 
 was a dangerous disease. Nelly had had a little 
 cousin die of it a year or two ago ; and only last
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 89 
 
 winter two of her schoolmates had been brought 
 to the grave, after only a single night's illness, 
 with this terrible disease. What if this should 
 be her fate if she should die? Was she 
 ready to die? 
 
 Ah, no never! and least of all, just now, 
 with this bui-den of sin and deception on her 
 soul. Nelly was obliged to acknowledge this in 
 her own secret heart. Now, in the possible near 
 approach of death, she could no longer pretend 
 to excuse herself for what she had done, and she 
 felt keenly enough how false, and mean, and 
 wicked she must appear in the sight of God. 
 She knew, too, that she had no right to hope for 
 his forgiveness until she was willing to confess 
 her fault to her mother, and acknowledge all the 
 falsehoods, spoken and acted, of which she had 
 been guilty ; all the evil tempers, the anger, and 
 jealousy, which had filled her heart with bitter- 
 ness since yesterday morning. 
 
 But this she was not willing to do unless she 
 was obliged to. It would cost her infinite shame 
 and mortification, and, perhaps, after all, it might 
 not be necessary. She did not believe she was 
 going to die this time, and, after she got well, she 
 would go hard to work, and replace the spoiled
 
 90 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT. 
 
 shoes ; and then no one need ever know what 
 she had done. And, meanwhile, she felt quite 
 sorry enough without having to lose the confi- 
 dence of her father and mother, and she was 
 resolved never to do such a thing again. She 
 supposed it ivas wrong, as every one kept telling 
 her, to be so fond of dress ; and after this she 
 would try never again to care aborft anything 
 except to be neat and nice. Indeed, she would 
 be quite a different girl every way, and even try 
 to become a Christian ; and what more could be 
 expected of her? 
 
 So the poor foolish girl deluded herself, and 
 deceived her own heart with false promises of 
 great things to be done in the future, while she 
 refused to do the duty near at hand to tell her 
 mother all the story of yesterday. And, though 
 her mind was far from being at rest, and her 
 conscience troubled her continually, still, as the 
 disease grew no worse, and the dread of possible 
 death became fainter and fainter, she closed her 
 ears to its warnings, and persisted in her sinful 
 silence. 
 
 Thus the Christmas week passed by, merrily 
 enough to the world outside, amid the sunshine, 
 the bustle, and the gay jingling of sleigh-bells,
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 91 
 
 but drearily enough to Nelly, in her darkened 
 chamber, with her cheerless thoughts. New 
 Year's Day, too, came, with its added gayety ; 
 everywhere the sidewalks were crowded with 
 gentlemen, hastening from house to house to 
 renew the last year's friendships, and bid to all 
 a Happy New Year ; everywhere the streets 
 thronged with flying sleighs, and every door 
 opening and reopening at the sound of the 
 calling bell. 
 
 Still Nelly was confined to her own room, and 
 could not even see her mother or the baby ; for, 
 though the first day of her illness had been the 
 worst, and she was daily getting better, the 
 doctor thought it best that she should run no 
 risk of taking fresh cold, and that no one else 
 should be exposed to the possibility of sharing 
 her disease. So another long, dull week dragged 
 slowly by, and at length the freedom of the house 
 was granted to her ; and, with a sigh of inexpres- 
 sible relief, she found herself no more a prisoner 
 in her dark, close room, and felt at last entirely 
 safe from her haunting fear of death. 
 
 Did she remember now all the promises which 
 she had made, in the hour of her dread, to God 
 and her own soul? 
 
 We shall see.
 
 92 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE anxiety about the shoes was, of course, 
 never absent from Nelly's mind ; and now 
 that her strength was coming back, and she felt 
 able to work, she persuaded Anne to go out and 
 invest for her the dollar which had come as 
 New- Year pocket money from her father in 
 sundry packages of gay-colored worsteds ; and 
 for a while she almost forgot the disagreeable 
 object of the work in her pleasure in sorting 
 and winding the bright shades of scarlet wool. 
 Nelly had always preferred what she called 
 " fancy work " to plain sewing ; and she could 
 crochet and knit with considerable skill and taste. 
 She had decided on making a breakfast cape ; she 
 saw a great many of them always hanging in 
 the windows of shops where worsted work was 
 sold, and knew that they were an article of very 
 general wear with ladies on cold winter morn- 
 ings. She thought she could easily sell it for at 
 least four dollars, the retail price in the shops
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 93 
 
 was five, and if she failed in that, she would 
 persuade the girls in her class to club together, 
 and buy it for Miss Kavanagh, whose birthday, 
 she knew, was near at hand. 
 
 To her mother she said forgetting all her sol- 
 emn vows never again to be guilty of deception 
 that she intended to present it to her teacher, 
 herself; and Mrs. Morgan, always pleased at 
 any manifestation of interest in school on Nel- 
 ly's part, and glad that she should have some 
 pleasant occupation to beguile the tedium of her 
 confinement, approved entirely of the plan, and 
 watched the progress of the work with a very 
 kindly interest. 
 
 The little shawl grew apace under Nelly's busy 
 fingers, and was at last finally completed, fringe, 
 tassels, and all, and very handsome and comforta- 
 ble looking in its warm shades of red, the very 
 evening before the day on which it was decided 
 that Nelly was well enough to return to school. 
 
 She wrapped it up carefully, and took it to 
 school with her, to present to Miss Kavanagh, 
 as she told her mother, to try and get the longed- 
 for money which should replace her shoes, and 
 save her from detection, as she told herself. She 
 had to pass, on her way to school, several small
 
 94 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 shops where needles and thread, trimmings, 
 worsted work, and such things were sold ; and 
 she thought she had better go in at once, and see 
 if she could dispose of her precious parcel. 
 
 Nelly was not generally a timid child, and she 
 had not supposed she should mind doing this at 
 all ; but when she had opened the shop door, 
 and the loud tinkle of its bell had summoned the 
 woman who kept it to the counter, she began to 
 feel that going into a store to offer to sell things 
 was very different from entering with money in 
 the purse for the purpose of buying. 
 
 Nelly felt her cheeks burn, and her tongue 
 refused to utter the words she wished ; she 
 fidgeted about, and remained silent, until the wo- 
 man, who had not yet had a chance to finish her 
 breakfast, and whose baby was screaming aloud 
 in the little back shop, demanded impatiently 
 what she wanted. 
 
 " Breakfast shawls," stammered Nelly, scarcely 
 knowing what she was saying ; and the woman, 
 looking as though she didn't' have much faith 
 in the prospect of selling one to such a child, 
 turned to the shelves, and tossed down two or 
 three rather coarse-looking shawls upon the 
 counter.
 
 MAKE FIXE BIRDS. 95 
 
 " How much are these ? " asked Nelly. 
 
 "Four dollars'and a half," said the woman. 
 
 Nelly thought how much handsomer was hers 
 in its soft, warm shades of scarlet, and said, hesi- 
 tatingly, 
 
 " I didn't want to buy one ; I have one here to 
 sell, which is a great deal nicer than these, and 
 which you may have for four dollars. You can 
 easily sell it for five. Will you look at it, 
 ma'am?" 
 
 But the woman's face darkened in an instant. 
 
 " I might ha' known you weren't a going to 
 buy anything ! " she said, angrily ; " what do 
 you come here botherin' me for nothin'? No, I 
 won't look at your shawl ; I can't sell half I've 
 got on hand now ! " 
 
 She was going off at once, but Nelly inter- 
 rupted, pleadingly, 
 
 " But mine is a great deal handsomer than 
 these; just look at it won't you? I'm sure 
 you can sell it " 
 
 " If it's as handsome as you're sassy, it must be 
 a beauty ! " replied the woman, coarsely ; " will 
 you go off now about your business?" 
 
 And Nelly went at once, full of anger and 
 shame, and beginning to feel not a little anxious
 
 96 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 lest she should not be able to dispose of her work 
 at all ; and then what would become of her ? 
 
 Very timidly, and looking round stealthily, 
 lest any of her schoolmates should happen to 
 be coming that way, she entered the next shop 
 whose window displayed worsted work. 
 
 A nice-looking old lady sat behind the counter 
 here, and she got up, pushed back her glasses, 
 and looked pleasantly at Nelly, while waiting to 
 hear what she wished. Nelly felt encouraged by 
 her kind face, and stated her business with less 
 hesitation than in the other shop ; but, while the 
 old lady showed no displeasure at all, she 
 looked very doubtful, and Nelly felt her heart 
 sink again. 
 
 " Let me see your work, my dear," she said ; 
 and Nelly opened her parcel eagerly, and dis- 
 played the pretty shawl, all glowing with bright 
 color, and the old lady took it up and examined 
 it kindly. 
 
 "How much did you expect to get for it?" 
 she asked. 
 
 " I thought it was worth four dollars," said 
 Nelly, timidly, and the shopkeeper shook her 
 head and smiled. 
 
 " It is very pretty," she said, " very nicely
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 97 
 
 shaded, and very evenly knit ; but there isn't 
 more than twelve shillings' worth of worsted in 
 it wholesale, and a good knitter could make it in 
 a day. I'm afraid you wouldn't get more than 
 two dollars and a half for it at any of the shops, 
 if you sell it at all." 
 
 " And you sell shawls no larger, nor prettier, 
 for just double the money ! " exclaimed Nelly, 
 indignantly. 
 
 " Yes, but you must remember we have to pay 
 the rent of our stores, our taxes, to be paid for 
 our time and labor waiting orr customers, and to 
 live on our profits ; and we find it hard enough 
 work doing it in these times, even when we 
 charge double what we pay. I'm afraid you 
 will not get more than twenty shillings for it, 
 my dear." 
 
 " Well, will you give me that for it?" asked 
 Nelly, getting quite desperate. " I must have 
 some money some way ! " 
 
 " Why, you don't look as if you were in need 
 of anything," said the old lady, glancing at Nel- 
 ly's comfortable dress and general air of being 
 well taken care of; and then, looking a little 
 curiously at the girl's face, which, all of a sud- 
 den, flamed as scarlet as the shawl. 
 7
 
 90 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 " That's none of my business, however," she 
 went on, pitying her confusion ; " and I'm sorry, 
 my dear, that I've got such a large stock of 
 breakfast shawls on hand that I don't like to buy 
 any more, particularly as the season is nearly 
 over. Til tell you what I'll do, though," con- 
 tinued the good-natured shopkeeper, seeing how 
 disappointed her little customer looked. " Since 
 you want the money so badly, and have taken the 
 trouble to make the shawl so nicely, it is a pity 
 it should be left on your hands ; you may leave 
 it here, if you like, and I'll show it with my own, 
 and sell it for you if I can." 
 
 Nelly considered a moment, and then answered, 
 hesitatingly, " You're very kind, ma'am, and I'm 
 very much obliged to you, indeed ; but I want 
 the money just as soon as I can get it, and I think, 
 maybe I can sell it somewhere else. Anyhow, I 
 think I'll try." 
 
 " Very well, my dear," said the old lady, just 
 as kindly as before ; " try, and I hope you'll suc- 
 ceed ; but if you don't, you may still bring it 
 here, if you like, and I will do the best I can for 
 you." 
 
 " Thank you, ma'am ; you're very, -very kind," 
 said Nelly, quite touched to gratitude; "and
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 99 
 
 now, good morning;" and the old lady nodded 
 and smiled, and Nelly went out of the shop, and 
 started off again on her errand, not very hopeful 
 of success. 
 
 She had no time, either, to make any further 
 effort now, for she was already in sight of the 
 school-house, and knew, by the way the girls were 
 hurrying in at the great gate, that it must be 
 nearly nine o'clock. As she did not wish to be 
 late on the first day of ^her reappearance at 
 school, she, too, quickened her steps, and soon 
 merged into the throng of children that swarmed 
 on the sidewalks, in the lobby, and on the stairs 
 of the great building. 
 
 She met several of her own class-mates in the 
 wardrobe, but they did not give her a very cordial 
 greeting ; and Nelly read in their altered looks 
 that they had not forgotten the disappointment she 
 had caused them on reception day. Neither had 
 she forgotten or forgiven all that their thoughtless 
 ridicule had made her suffer, and for a moment 
 her black eyes flashed with something of the old 
 angry light, and she was about to return their 
 cool glances with looks of haughty scorn ; but 
 she remembered that she had a favor to ask of 
 them that day, and that it would not do to display
 
 IOO FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 her real feelings, no matter how much she might 
 be tempted. 
 
 Nelly had practised to deceive so much of late, 
 that it was becoming quite easy to her ; and so 
 she readily controlled her anger, greeted the girls 
 with a pleasant smile, and a friendly word, and 
 went on into her class-room, looking as natural 
 and cheerful as though nothing unpleasant had 
 occurred since she had last been there. 
 
 School was not yet opened, and the girls not 
 obliged to be in strict order. A low murmur of 
 " There's Nelly Morgan come back ! " ran round 
 the class ; and Nelly's quick ear detected that 
 there was no gl:id welcome in the tone. Still 
 she would not appear conscious of anything dis- 
 agreeable, but went quietly up to Miss Kavanagh, 
 bade her a respectful good morning, and inquired 
 if she was to resume her old seat at the desk with 
 Maggie Lang. 
 
 Her teacher hesitated a moment, and then 
 said, " I suppose so, Nelly ; though I think you 
 scarcely deserve a seat so near the front do you, 
 after leaving your post and your duty, as you did 
 on reception day? I know it was very wrong in 
 the girls to laugh at you, but it was very silly in 
 you to mind them, especially as you might have
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. IO1 
 
 known your dress would excite remark ; and it 
 was very wrong and very daring in you to go 
 away without asking permission, or even inform- 
 ing me of your purpose, when you knew you 
 were so much needed. You gave us all a very 
 unpleasant disappointment ; still you probably 
 were quite as much disappointed yourself when 
 you heard what a delightful day the whole school 
 had. At any rate, you have been punished quite 
 enough by your long illness, and we must all 
 forgive you now, and welcome you back among 
 us. Only, Nelly, my dear child, you must let it 
 be a lesson to you, to teach you that fine clothes 
 have nothing to do with real happiness; we find 
 that only in the way of our duty. You may take 
 your old seat, and Maggie will show you the 
 lessons for the day." 
 
 Miss Kavanagh had spoken in a low, kind 
 tone ; but Nelly's proud spirit rebelled at even so 
 gentle a rebuke. " Give her my shawl ! Not if 
 I know it ! " she thought, scornfully, remember- 
 ing what she had told her mother ; but she was 
 careful not to show any irritation, and, with a 
 quiet bow, left her teacher's desk, and walked to 
 her former seat. Maggie Lang made room for 
 her politely, though she had not forgotten Nelly's
 
 IO2 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 rudeness at their last meeting, and, to tell the 
 truth, would have preferred any other desk-mate. 
 
 But she was a good-hearted little thing, and 
 when she saw how gentle and quiet Nelly was, 
 how pleasantly she said good morning, and how 
 well she behaved all through the opening exer- 
 cises of school, instead of trying to make her 
 laugh in prayer-time, as she had often done be- 
 fore, why, Maggie's little bit of hurt feeling quite 
 melted away ; she reminded herself that Nelly 
 was sick when she had spoken to her so un- 
 kindly, and decided that it was quite too bad 
 that the poor girl should be treated coldly by her 
 class, after having spent her holidays so dole- 
 fully ; and so, at recess, when the girls were 
 allowed to go about the room, and talk with each 
 other, Maggie took it upon herself to plead the 
 cause of the offender. 
 
 " You know, girls," she said, going over to a 
 corner, where a group of the most influential mem- 
 bers of the class were gathered, discussing that 
 same individual " you know the poor thing lost 
 all the fun on reception day, and all the nice times 
 at Christmas, and was sick in bed through 
 the whole holidays. I think she's had it hard 
 enough, myself, and that it would be rather mean
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 103 
 
 in us to tfeat her badly now. We must think 
 how we'd like it, ourselves, you know. Come 
 over, Annie, you and Alice, and speak to. her 
 now, with me." 
 
 The girls hesitated a moment, and questioned 
 a little among themselves ; but Maggie's sweet 
 kindliness had made its impression upon them, 
 and they presently consented to obey the Golden 
 Rule, of which she had reminded them, and "do 
 as they would be done by." They crossed the 
 room with her, and went over to the desk where 
 Nelly sat alone, hiding her anger and morti- 
 fication at being thus left to herself, under the 
 pretence of studying busily, and spoke to her 
 pleasantly, though a little uncertain how she 
 would receive them. 
 
 In her heart, Nelly had no welcome for them, 
 for she knew that they had come only through 
 Maggie's persuasions. She was not generous 
 enough even to feel grateful to her for forgiving 
 her so sweetly, and using her influence in her 
 behalf; but the thought of the shawl and the 
 shoes made her careful to conceal her feelings; 
 and she lifted her head from her book, and 
 answered .the girls with a bright smile, so like 
 that of the ojd Nelly who used to be the leader
 
 IO4 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 of the class in all sorts of fun and frolic^ that they 
 forgot, on the moment, their cause of complaint 
 against her, and were quite ready to restore her 
 to her old place in their favor. 
 
 Nelly was not slow to take advantage of the 
 good impression she saw she had made, and 
 said, lightly, 
 
 " I know you were all angry with me on re- 
 ception day, girls, and I know I gave you cause ; 
 but, then, you must remember / had cause to be 
 angry, too, and I think I had the worst of it, in 
 the long run ; so now let's not think any more 
 about it. "Tisn't likely it'll ever happen again. 
 Tell me all about the holidays. What did you 
 have for Christmas, and what were you doing 
 while poor I was lying sick in bed, and couldn't 
 even eat a Christmas dinner." 
 
 " It was too bad," exclaimed the girls, now 
 quite full of sympathy for Nelly's misfortunes ; 
 and then they began, all talking together, to give 
 the history of their various experiences during 
 vacation ; but just then, peal, peal ! went the 
 principal's silver bell, and their conversation was 
 cut short at once. Each girl sought her own 
 seat immediately ; the monitors took their places 
 at the doors ; the teacher at the piajio struck up
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. IO5 
 
 a lively march ; the crowd of scholars, who had 
 gone down for a run in the play-ground during 
 recess, filed into their class-rooms ; the great 
 glass doors glided together to the sound of soft, 
 slow music, and the machinery of school was 
 once more put in motion. 
 
 But at noon came a longer intermission, when 
 Miss Kavanagh was in the habit of allowing 
 those of her class who did not go home to dinner 
 to go into a small side room which adjoined hers, 
 and eat their luncheon, and talk freely among 
 themselves, under the charge of a monitor only, 
 selected from their own number. As soon as 
 they had assembled there, to-day, Annie, and 
 Alice, and Maggie gathered round Nelly again, 
 eager to tell to some new person all the pleasant 
 story of their Christmas. The rest of the class, 
 following the example of their leaders, crowded 
 round, too ; and Nelly found herself, by one of 
 those sudden revulsions*of popular feeling com- 
 mon to the school-room as well as to the state, 
 surrounded by a circle of friends and admirers, 
 all eager to talk and to listen, to hear and to be 
 heard. The conversation ran mostly on Christ- 
 mas and Christmas gifts ; and Nelly thought that 
 this was a capital opportunity to introduce the 
 subject of the shawl.
 
 IO6 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 " Do you know, girls," said she, cunningly, 
 " one of the things that made me so cross at 
 school, Christmas Eve, was because I saw our 
 present to Miss Kavanagh was just about the 
 meanest one in any class. As I passed through 
 Miss Somers's and Miss Browning's classes, I saw 
 such pretty things lying on their desks ! beautiful 
 glove-boxes, and trinket-stands, and ever so many 
 nice things ; and Miss Kavanagh just had some 
 kind of a stupid book. Now, I know her birth- 
 day comes the last of this month, and I think 
 we ought to club together and buy her something 
 handsome. I'll give half a dollar towards it 
 myself. What do you say, girls ? " 
 
 The girls looked at one another doubtingly. 
 They had thought their Christmas token of 
 affection to their teacher a handsome illus- 
 trated edition of Tennyson's Poems a very nice 
 present indeed ; but, now that Nelly spoke of it so 
 slightingly, they began to be afraid that perhaps 
 it was rather shabby. They had public spirit 
 enough not to wish their teacher to be less hon- 
 ored than another ; and, moreover, they loved 
 her well enough to wish to give her pleasure. 
 But the holidays were just over ; the time of 
 gifts seemed past for the present, and their store
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. IOJ 
 
 of pocket-money had been exhausted by Christ- 
 mas demands. They did not like to ask their 
 parents for more just now ; and so the glance 
 which the girls exchanged at Nelly's unexpected 
 proposition was a very doubtful one. 
 
 But Nelly did not give them a chance to re- 
 fuse at once. 
 
 " We won't decide about it now," she said, 
 lightly ; " think it over, and we'll talk about it 
 again to-morrow. Only I feel mean about that 
 trashy book, and I know that some of the other 
 classes think us dreadfully stingy. Besides, I 
 know of something which it would be a real 
 gharity in us to buy a beautiful scarlet break- 
 fast-shawl, which a poor little girl brought into a 
 shop where I stopped on my way to school this 
 morning, and offered to sell for five dollars. It's 
 just what Miss Kavanagh needs, on chilly days, 
 here in school, and ten cents apiece from us fifty 
 girls would buy it. Just think ten cents! 
 Who would grudge that much to please a good 
 teacher like ours?" 
 
 And Nelly looked round the class with an air 
 of scornful triumph, as though quite sure no one 
 tJiere could be so mean ; but, unfortunately, just 
 then the principal's bell pealed forth again, and 
 once more the consultation was broken up.
 
 IO8 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THERE was no opportunity, after school 
 was dismissed in the afternoon, for Nelly 
 to say anything more to the class in general on 
 the subject of the proposed present to Miss Kav- 
 anagh, for no pupils were allowed to remain in 
 the school-house after three o'clock, except those 
 who were detained by the teachers. She spoke 
 of it again, however, to Annie and Alice, whose 
 way home lay partly the same as hers ; and 
 they agreed with her so entirely, that she felt 
 quite confident of accomplishing her purpose, 
 and went home with a lighter heart than she 
 had had since that unhappy Christmas Eve. 
 
 Her mother noticed the change with pleasure, 
 when Nelly ran up into her room, and she said, 
 kindly, 
 
 " I think it has brightened you up, my dear, 
 to get back to school, and see the girls again. 
 Were they glad to see you? and how did Miss 
 Kavanagh like her shawl?"
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. lOp 
 
 " She couldn't help liking it, of course," an- 
 swered Nelly, shortly, and turning away so that 
 her mother could not see how the blood sprang 
 to her face, as she added this implied falsehood 
 to the long list of her deceptions ; and Mrs. Mor- 
 gan, knowing how irritable Nelly had been since 
 her illness, forbore to notice her ungracious 
 manner, or to press her with- questions as to its 
 'cause. 
 
 Meanwhile, although Nelly felt a little uneasy 
 at the thought of this new deceit, she comforted 
 herself with the sure hope that the morrow would 
 put an end to the possibility of any of her false- 
 hoods being discovered. Miss Kavanagh would 
 have the shawl, and her mother would never 
 know but that it was Nelly's own free gift ; she 
 would have the money to replace the shoes, 
 would buy them on her way home that very 
 afternoon, and put them away in the drawer, 
 just where the others had been kept ; and there, 
 at last, would be the happy end of all her 
 troubles and all her anxieties. 
 
 Nelly felt quite light-hearted and cheerful as 
 she thought over all this, and considered herself 
 really quite a smart and clever girl to manage 
 to get out of her difficulties so easily. She
 
 IIO FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 surprised and delighted her father by letting 
 him hear her singing gayly, as he came into the 
 dining-room to tea ; and he pulled her ear play- 
 fully, and kissed her, and said he was glad to 
 get back his daughter again ; that he thought it 
 had been another little girl staying in the house 
 since Christmas, whom he did not like half so 
 well as his Nelly. 
 
 Nelly tried to laugh at this, but that fatherly 
 kiss, so full of ti'ust and affection, filled her heart 
 with shame at the thought of how she was even 
 then practising to deceive ; but she had to con- 
 ceal this feeling, and keep up her merry manner, 
 and soon she forgot again all about her wrong 
 doing, and was really as care free as she 
 seemed. 
 
 She went to bed that night without a single 
 prayer for forgiveness, with scarcely a thought 
 of needing it, and started off to school the next 
 morning with a light step and a hopeful heart. 
 Several girls were gathered in one corner of the 
 class-room as she entered, discussing something 
 of pleasant interest, evidently, by the eager look 
 on their faces ; and Nelly joined them, hoping 
 that the purchase of the shawl was the matter 
 under consideration.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. Ill 
 
 But she was mistaken ; the topic of interest 
 seemed to be the discussion of a party, which 
 had been promised by her mother to Fanny 
 Archer, one of the oldest girls in the class. 
 Fanny herself was the centre of the group, and, 
 with a very important look on her pretty face, 
 was giving particulars of the coming event in 
 a confidential tone to the circle of admiring 
 friends. 
 
 " I don't want you to talk much about it," she 
 was saying, as Nelly came up, " for I don't want 
 to hurt any one's feelings, and yet, of course, I 
 can't invite all the class. My mother wouldn't 
 wish me to be intimate with some of these girls ; 
 and besides, there would be too many of them, 
 with all my other friends." Then, seeing Nelly 
 approaching, she said, quickly, " Hu-ush ! I 
 haven't decided about her yet ; " and immediately 
 there was a significant" silence, and Nelly found 
 herself received with rather cool looks by the 
 whole company of fickle-hearted adherents. 
 
 How she burned inly with indignation ! But 
 it would be bad policy to betray her feelings ; so 
 she smiled brightly, gave a pleasant good morn- 
 ing to the girls, and then took her seat at her own 
 desk, and soon appeared to be absorbed in study.
 
 112 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 But she was not even looking at her book ; her 
 eyes were full of passionate tears, and she was 
 thinking, angrily, how did any one in that class 
 dare to leave her out in any plan for pleasure, 
 when she had so long been acknowledged as its 
 leader in all such matters ; when she lived in a 
 nicer house, and wore richer clothes, and moved 
 in better society than almost any of them ! 
 These were the standards by which Nelly 
 judged, and she supposed every one else did 
 the same ; and, judging by those, how did Fan- 
 ny Archer dare to hesitate about inviting her to 
 her house? 
 
 Could she possibly knotv anything? Nelly 
 grew pale at the mere thought. But no ; of 
 course she did not; how could she? And she 
 should ask her to her party ; Nelly vowed that 
 to herself ; she would manage it some way ; and 
 when it was all over, she*would manage also to 
 punish the impertinent creature for the slight 
 she had dared even to think of putting upon 
 her! 
 
 Such were the thoughts which surged in Nelly's 
 angry bosom, while she seemed so quietly ab- 
 sorbed in study ; and, meanwhile, the rooms had 
 gradually filled up, and school was about to be
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 113 
 
 opened. She tried at recess to gather the girls 
 round her as she had done yesterday, but suc- 
 ceeded only poorly. Popularity at school is as 
 variable as everywhere else ; and to-day Fanny 
 Archer was the centre of attraction, and Fanny 
 Archer's party the only subject of interest to the 
 chosen ones, to whom she condescended to be 
 confidential about it. 
 
 Nelly had not yet been asked to join her coun- 
 cils, but she knew that the surest way to make 
 herself desirable was to appear quite indifferent ; 
 and so she compelled herself to seem unconscious 
 that anything unusual was going on, though 
 burning all the time with indignation at being 
 left out, and being exceedingly vexed besides that 
 this provoking party should come up just now to 
 turn all the gii'ls' heads, and make it more diffi- 
 cult than ever to interest them about a present 
 for Miss Kavanagh. If she could not manage to 
 speak to them at noon, she was afraid the chance 
 of obtaining relief from her trouble through them 
 would be forever gone ! 
 
 Meanwhile, Fanny Archer had debated the 
 
 question whether or not she should invite Nelly 
 
 to her party, with several advisers, among them 
 
 Maggie Lang ; and, as usual, her kind-hearted 
 
 8
 
 114 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 influence had been thrown in the scale of the 
 good-natured thing, and Fanny had decided that, 
 although Nelly liad certainly behaved in a very 
 selfish and unlady-like way on reception day, 
 still she had been severely punished, and should 
 not have the further mortification of being left 
 out in the cold by her. 
 
 So, as they were passing out of the class- 
 room at their dinner hour, Fanny went up to 
 Nelly, and informed her, in a confidential whis- 
 per, that she would be happy to have the pleasure 
 of her company at her house on Wednesday, the 
 twenty-fifth of January. Nelly's black eyes 
 sparkled with triumph as she heard this, and 
 she thought, exultingly, 
 
 "Ah, she dared not leave me out, after all ! " 
 But she merely expressed her thanks, and said 
 she should be happy to attend, then parting with 
 Fanny, who lived sufficiently near the school to 
 go home to her dinner, she hastened into the 
 little side room, eager for the chance of speaking' 
 to the girls while Fanny was absent. 
 
 But she found it almost impossible to get any 
 one to listen to her. The chosen few, who were 
 conscious of the honor of being on Fanny's list 
 of guests, were too busy discussing, in whispered
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 115 
 
 tones, the all-important subject of what they 
 should wear to the party, and the words " blue 
 tarlatane," " white muslin," " pink silk," and so 
 on, and so on, flew back and forth like shuttle- 
 cocks. The unfortunate many who had not been 
 honored with an invitation, partly guessed and 
 partly overheard what was going on, and with- 
 drew themselves to hold an indignation meeting 
 in one corner of the room, from whence they cast 
 glances of pretended scorn and indifference at 
 their more favored rivals. 
 
 Both parties were too much occupied with this 
 exciting subject to feel inclined to interest them- 
 selves specially about their teacher ; and when 
 Nelly at length took advantage of a comparative 
 lull in the busy buzz of whispering, to say, in her 
 most insinuating tone, "Well, girls, what con- 
 clusion have you come to about the present for 
 dear Miss Kavanagh?" it fell even flatter than 
 yesterday. 
 
 There was an ominous silence for a moment, 
 and then one of the girls said, carelessly, 
 
 " O, we can't be bothered thinking about that 
 now, Nelly. We've got something else on our 
 minds, if you haven't." 
 
 Nelly would not appear to notice the sneer
 
 Il6 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 implied in these words. She only thought, "I 
 hadn't intended to go to the party ; but I'll go 
 now, if I die for it, just to prove to them all that 
 that impudent Fanny Archer did not dare to 
 leave me out." 
 
 " O, I guess you will find that I have the same 
 thing on my mind which is weighing so heavily 
 on yours." she said, with a smile ; " but, then, it 
 needn't hinder us from thinking about the other 
 matter, too. There isn't much thinking neces- 
 sary. It's only to decide what the present shall 
 be, and bring ten cents apiece to pay for it." 
 
 " My father says he don't approve of the schol- 
 ars being taxed so all the time," put in another 
 girl, rather coarsely. " He says his school taxes 
 are heavy erfough already." 
 
 " Yes, and the trustees don't approve of it 
 either," said yet another dissenting voice. "And 
 I don't believe Miss Kavanagh would care about 
 a present that had to be coaxed out of the girls. 
 I know she wouldn't like it if she knew it." 
 
 " And I don't believe she wants a shawl to 
 wear in the house, anyhow," said yet another 
 doubter. " She always laughs, and calls us little 
 old women, when she sees us bundled up in the 
 school-room."
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. II f 
 
 Nelly listened to all these objections with a 
 contemptuous smile. . 
 
 "Then you all really mean to refuse?" she 
 asked, scornfully.' 
 
 " O, well, we've just got through fussing over 
 one present, and we don't feel like beginning it 
 all again. Let's talk of something else," said 
 one of the girls, in a decided tone, as though to 
 put an end to the discussion ; and Nelly, though 
 burning with anger and disappointment, did not . 
 dare express her feelings too openly, for fear of 
 exciting suspicion that she herself had some 
 special ' interest in disposing of the shawl. 
 
 She could only shrug her shoulders, and curl 
 her lip in a contemptuous way, and rise and 
 leave the room. The girls understood this well 
 enough, and various not very complimentary 
 remarks were exchanged about her, as soon as 
 the door had closed. But Nelly knew and cared 
 nothing about these ; the disappointment of her 
 sure hope of obtaining the money that day was a 
 great blow, and she went back to her desk too 
 full of anxiety and wretchedness to think of any- 
 thing else. She made up her mind to try the 
 shops again ; and this she did again and again 
 on her way home, with no better success than
 
 Il8 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 before ; and at length, tired and discouraged, she 
 was glad, as a last resort, to leave the unfortunate 
 shawl in the care of the kind old lady who had 
 promised to dispose of it, if possible, and go 
 home to cry out all her disappointment, and anx- 
 iety, and anger in the solitude of her own room.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 119 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 IF it had not been for the party, now so near 
 at hand, Nelly would not, perhaps, have felt 
 such immediate anxiety to replace the shoes. 
 But, of course, when she came to dress, their loss 
 would be discovered ; and it was thus impera- 
 tively necessary that new ones should take their 
 place before the arrival of the eventful evening. 
 
 Sometimes she thought she would not go ; 
 certainly she did not anticipate much pleasure ; 
 but when she considered how some of the girls 
 had sneered, and insinuated that she had no in- 
 vitation, and how coolly and capriciously they 
 treated her, she felt determined to go at all risks ; 
 to look b<er prettiest and brightest, and make 
 herself the life of the company, so as to show 
 triumphantly what a great mistake Fanny Archer 
 would have made, if she had indeed ventured to 
 leave her out in the cold. Besides, all this dis- 
 agreeable trouble would be over when once the 
 new shoes were bought, and the possibility of
 
 I2O FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 the discovery of her misconduct done away with ; 
 and then it would be a very nice thing to be 
 intimate with Fanny Archer, who had a nice 
 home and very indulgent parents. 
 
 Nelly's mother, too, had taken it for granted 
 that she would go, of course, when the written 
 invitation had been sent in due form. 
 
 " I am very glad indeed," she said, " that you 
 have got an opportunity of spending a pleasant 
 evening,*Nelly, though I don't think parties gen- 
 erally agree very well with a little girl's studies ; 
 but it has been very dull' at home, I know, in 
 all this long sickness of mine, and you have not 
 been in your usual spirits since you were sick ; 
 I am sure it will do you good to go and have a 
 nice time, and everything is all ready since your 
 own party, so that there will be no trouble about 
 your toilet whatever. I am very glad." 
 
 Little her mother knew, thought Nelly, what 
 trouble there would be. Still it could not be 
 helped ; she would have to go nay, she 'wanted 
 to go, and some way must be discovered to sup- 
 ply the shoes in time. Surely, surely, the shawl 
 'would be sold within the fortnight ! 
 
 Every day, either on her way to or from school, 
 Nelly stopped to inquire ; but a good-natur
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 121 
 
 shake of the head was the only reply to her 
 anxious question ; and so the time slipped by, 
 feverishly enough to her, with her long waiting 
 and watching ; and now the very day of the 
 party had arrived. 
 
 Those of the girls who were among the in- 
 vited guests, were in a flutter of happy antici- 
 pation. Fanny Archer herself ktoked proudly 
 conscious of being the heroine of the day ; many 
 and mysterious were the consultations which 
 were held at recess and noon-time, and unusu- 
 ally eager the rush for cloaks and hats when 
 school was dismissed, and the girls gathered in 
 the wardrobe. 
 
 Nelly shared the general excitement ; but, alas ! 
 hers was not the excitement of pleasure, but of 
 anxiety. Before she went home those shoes must 
 be obtained ; but how, and by what means? 
 
 Once more she bent her steps to the little shop 
 where she had left the worsted shawl. The old 
 lady, who sat, as usual, knitting behind the coun- 
 ter, looked up in expectation of a customer, 
 and, seeing it was only Nelly, said, rather impa- 
 tiently, before Nelly could ask her oft-repeated 
 question, 
 
 " No, it isn't sold yet, and I don't much believe
 
 122 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 it ever will be. At any rate, you needn't come 
 again asking about it ; it makes too much trouble. 
 If I sell it, I'll look out for you on your way to 
 school, and tell you ; but you mustn't bother me 
 any more about it." 
 
 Poor Nelly ! How mortified she felt ! She 
 would have liked to give an indignant an- 
 swer, but she did not dare to, lest she should 
 lose her only chance of disposing of her unfortu- 
 nate piece of handiwork ; and she could only 
 leave the shop in silence and in shame, wishing, 
 O, how earnestly ! that she had never been fool- 
 ish enough to bring all this trouble upon herself. 
 Not because she had done -wrong / not because 
 she had sinned against God, against her parents, 
 and her own conscience, in her repeated decep- 
 tions ; but only because; it subjected her to annoy- 
 ance, and disappointment, and fear of exposure. 
 If she had felt one throb of real sorrow for her 
 fault, and all the wicked falsehoods into which it 
 had led her, she would have gone to her mother, 
 and to her God, made full and free confession, 
 and received full and free forgiveness. But, un- 
 happily, Nelly's sorrow was not of that godly 
 sort which worketh repentance ; and she greatly 
 preferred trying to hide her wrong-doing, to the
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 123 
 
 humiliation of acknowledging it, even though 
 that brought pardon and peace. 
 
 " I don't care," she said to herself, defiantly, 
 and setting her teeth hard together, as she came 
 out of the little old lady's shop ; " everybody and 
 everything is in a league to worry me, just as 
 though I had committed the greatest crime in 
 the world in wearing my own things when I 
 chose to. I'll do it again if I like. I'm not a 
 baby any more I'm twelve years old. And I 
 shall go now directly to Mr. Butler's and buy 
 another pair of boots, and have them charged to 
 father. I'll pay for them myself if I can, and 
 if I can't he'll have to, and that's all there is 
 about it." 
 
 In this desperate mood, she turned her steps in 
 the direction of the shoe store, at which her 
 mother was in the habit of dealing, and where 
 the bronze boots, which were the unconscious 
 cause of all her troubles, had been purchased.. 
 
 She went in with a bold and confident air, and, 
 as a clerk approached her, said, in a careless and 
 natural tone, 
 
 " My mother wishes me to be fitted to a pair 
 of kid boots bronze, with buttons like those 
 she bought for me here two or three months ago. 
 Mrs. Morgan, you remember."
 
 124 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 "Yes, I remember," said the clerk, politely; 
 " so your ma liked those boots, did she, miss? 
 Prime article they are, and you're just in time, I 
 do believe, to get the last pair. Let's see : 
 thirteens weren't they? " 
 
 He was opening and shutting one box after 
 another, and Nelly sat waiting, and trembling 
 with a nervous fear, lest, perhaps, even the last 
 pair might be gone, or lest possibly some one 
 whom she knew might come into the shop. 
 
 " Please make haste ; I'm in a hurry," she 
 said, impatiently ; and the clerk rattled the lids 
 of the boxes, and looked anxious, and presently 
 began, " I'm very sorry, miss, but I really am 
 afraid " and Nelly's heart sank like lead. 
 This was a trial she had not expected, and it 
 seemed too much. 
 
 The next moment, however, the young man's 
 face brightened. " O, here they are ! I thought 
 we had one pair left ; " and Nelly's heart 
 jumped up again so suddenly as almost to 
 choke her. 
 
 "Just your number, and just like the others. 
 Allow me, miss," said the clerk, kneeling down, 
 and beginning to uniace Nelly's high school 
 bahnoral ; and Nelly watched the process of
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 125 
 
 fitting on the new boot, and looked at her pretty 
 foot, so trim and dainty in its delicate bronze 
 covering, with a flash of the old triumphant 
 vanity in her black eyes. 
 
 " How pretty they are ! and how nice my foot 
 looks in them ! " she thought, exultingly ; " no 
 one there to-night will look better than I shall. 
 And I shall surely be able to pay for them ; the 
 shawl must be sold ; and I'll get mother to let 
 me help her in her sewing after school hours, 
 and earn money that way. O, it will all come 
 out right, I know." 
 
 And so still another step was taken in the 
 network of deception, whose meshes were al- 
 ready closing so surely around the reckless girl. 
 
 " Those will do very nicely ; you may put 
 them up for me," she said, holding out her foot 
 to have the pretty new boot taken off. And 
 then, as the young man was wrapping them up, 
 she added, with .a voice which it took a great 
 effort to make steady, 
 
 " My mother had not the money in the house, 
 to-day, to pay for these ; she said you were to 
 charge them ; she gets all our shoes here, you 
 know. Mrs. Morgan, 105 'John Street." 
 
 The clerk hesitated a moment, and looked at
 
 126 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 Nelly, who met his look with an unflinching 
 gaze of her black eyes. 
 
 " Your mother has never had a bill here," he 
 said, deprecatingly ; " she always paid for every- 
 thing on the spot. Excuse me, miss, but I'll 
 just speak to Mr. Butler a minute." 
 
 The clerk went down to the other end of the 
 store, and Nelly's heart once more sank in her 
 breast. What if Mr. Butler should suspect 
 something was wrong, and refuse to let her 
 take the shoes? Would her troubles never end? 
 
 But Mrs. Morgan's credit at the store was too 
 good for the proprietor to have any doubt about 
 getting his money. In half a minute the clerk 
 returned, with an apologetic smile and bow, and 
 handed the parcel to Nelly. 
 
 " It's all right, miss," he said ; " much ob- 
 liged ; hope they'll suit as well as the last ; " 
 and Nelly snatched the bundle with an eager 
 hand, and hastened out of the store, half fearful, 
 even now, lest something should happen to 
 withdraw the coveted treasures from her pos- 
 session. 
 
 She did not feel quite safe till she had reached 
 home, and made her way unobserved up to the 
 spare room. There, with nervous haste, she
 
 MAKE FIXE BIRDS. I2/ 
 
 unwrapped the boots, and laid them in the 
 drawer, just where the others had been placed 
 by her mother's careful hand, the day after the 
 birthday party. And then, breathing more free- 
 ly than she had for many days, she shut the 
 drawer, and went down to her mother's room. 
 
 Mrs. Morgan was not yet entirely recovered, 
 and the weather was so cold that it was not con- 
 sidered prudent for her to leave her room ; so 
 that Nelly was spared the close scrutiny of her 
 motherly eyes during her dressing for the party. 
 She had had a good many misgivings about the 
 spots upon her white frock ; but there was no dan- 
 ger now that they would be noticed in the hasty 
 glimpse which she would give to her mother 
 of her toilet after it was all completed. There 
 was nothing, therefore, just now, to trouble her 
 peace of mind, and she was so bright and gay, 
 so like her old self, in the hour which she spent 
 with her mother before tea, that Mrs. Morgan 
 was more than ever convinced that a little pleas- 
 ant excitement would do her good, and pleased 
 that an opportunity had occurred for her hav- 
 ing it. 
 
 The tea things yvere left to be cleared up at a 
 later hour, after supper was over ; and the good-
 
 128 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 naturCd Anne went up stairs to officiate as lady's 
 maid when the time for making the grand toilet 
 arrived. Her undiscriminating eyes took no note 
 of the signs of rough usage upon the dress ; and 
 as the rubbed places were all in the back breadth, 
 Mrs. Morgan did not perceive them, either. For 
 Nelly came rustling down stairs, looking so pret- 
 ty and so bright, in her cloud of gauzy drapery, 
 and floating ribbons, with such a flush on her 
 cheek, and such a sparkle in her eye, and stood 
 blushing and bowing, and fluttering her skirts, 
 with such a gay, coquettish air, that her mother 
 only thought, with a smile of pleasure, that her 
 little daughter would probably be as pretty and 
 as well dressed as any of her companions ; and 
 in the one rapid whirl which Nelly gave " to 
 show herself all round," as she said, laughing to 
 hide her anxiety, the faint spots which still re- 
 mained here and there among the fleecy folds, 
 half hidden by the broad, floating sash, escaped 
 notice entirely ; and so the last danger was 
 averted, as Nelly thought, with a thrill of tri- 
 umph, bending over to kiss her mother good 
 night, and calling Anne to wrap her cloak 
 around her. 
 
 The thought of the payment for the shoes
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 129 
 
 Nelly put resolutely out of her mind, and that 
 left nothing to mar the enjoyment of the evening. 
 It was a very pleasant party ; for a wonder, there 
 were plenty of boys for the girls, and Fanny 
 Archer, whose mother had taught her to con- 
 sider the pleasure of her guests before her own, 
 took care that everybody had partners, and that 
 no one was left out of the games. 
 
 And such pleasant and merry old-fashioned 
 games they had ! and such fun over the mot- 
 toes, and such enjoyment of all the dainties so 
 abundantly provided ! It was really very de- 
 lightful altogether ; and for the time Nelly forgot 
 all her troubles and anxieties, and was as gay as 
 the gayest. 
 
 She had always been a leader at school in all 
 sorts of fun and frolic, and she entered into the 
 spirit of the enjoyment so thoroughly this even- 
 ing, proposed so many nice plays, and did so 
 much to keep up the general merriment, that 
 Fanny Archer quite wondered how she could 
 have thought of not inviting such an agreeable 
 girl, and paid her very especial attention. The 
 guests, of course, followed the lead of their 
 hostess, and everybody wanted to be introduced 
 to " that nice girl in white Swiss, with the dark 
 9
 
 130 FIXE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 eyes and hair, and laughing face." All the 
 boys wanted her for a partner, and all the girls 
 said they should call upon her ; and altogether 
 Nelly had quite as great a triumph as heart could 
 wish, and glowed inly with gratified vanity and 
 the excitement of success. 
 
 But. when it was all over, and she had drained 
 the cup of pride and pleasure to the dregs, the 
 sting of the serpent lay in the bottom. As she 
 lay tossing upon her bed that night, too excited 
 to sleep, the thought would come again and 
 again, What a fearful price she had paid for the 
 triumph of the evening! and the bitter question, 
 Was it worth the cost?
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 MRS. MORGAN found herself disappointed 
 in her hope that a little pleasurable 
 excitement would rouse Nelly out of the strange, 
 morbid mood which had clung to her ever since 
 her illness. The glow of gratified vanity bright- 
 ened her up for a few days ; but the old anxious 
 cloud soon came back, and Mrs. Morgan per- 
 plexed herself in vain to conjecture the cause of 
 so sudden a change in her daughter. Nelly had 
 never been specially sweet-tempered or lovely ; 
 but she was one of those strong, active, high- 
 spirited children, who fill a house with the 
 sounds of merry and busy childish life. Never 
 quiet ; now here, now there ; laughing and sing- 
 ing, or, perhaps, quarrelling ; at any rate, always 
 full of bustle and animation, she had been the 
 life of the house. Now she moped about with a 
 sullen face and silent voice, and seemed to desire 
 nothing so much as that her mother should 
 employ her, with a promise of payment, to
 
 132 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 
 
 assist her in needle-work after school-hours were 
 over. Mrs. Morgan could not conjecture what 
 special need she had for money, nor guess, in 
 the least, what was the cause of her altered man- 
 ner ; but the mystery was soon to be resolved. 
 
 One Saturday her mother asked Nelly to take 
 Jennie round to Mr. Butler's, and have her fitted 
 with a pair of stout school shoes. 
 
 " It is so damp I scarcely dare venture out 
 myself," she said ; but Nelly answered un- 
 graciously, 
 
 "Then why can't Anne go, mother? I don't 
 feel like it;" for she did not indeed "feel like" 
 entering again the store where she had told such 
 unblushing falsehoods, and where her debt was 
 still unpaid. 
 
 " Because Anne is busy, my dear ; and, be- 
 sides, I would much rather trust you to see that 
 the shoes fit properly. Come, get your hat and 
 cloak ; it will do you good to go out ; you have 
 been moping in the house all day." 
 
 Mrs. Morgan spoke decidedly, though gently, 
 and Nelly knew she must obey. She put down 
 her work with a jerk, and slammed the door as 
 she went out of the room ; and you may be sure 
 little Jennie found her sister no very pleasant
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 133 
 
 companion, as she hurried her angrily along to- 
 wards the store. Her mother had given her the 
 money to pay for the shoes, and as Nelly handed 
 it to Mr. Butler, who himself waited upon her, 
 he asked, a little hesitatingly, 
 
 " Your mother didn't send the money for your 
 boots did she, miss?" 
 
 The quick blood rushed to Nelly's face. 
 
 " Di didn't she?" she stammered, not know- 
 ing what to say. " I suppose she forgot it ; but 
 I'll speak to her about it when I go home." 
 
 "What boots, Nelly?" asked little Jenny, 
 who was listening. " I didn't know you had 
 been buying any." 
 
 " It's none of your business," answered Nelly, 
 sharply. "Don't be asking meddlesome ques- 
 tions." 
 
 The child was silent, abashed at the rebuke ; 
 but the shopkeeper noticed the scene with curi- 
 ous eyes. " Something wrong here, I believe," 
 he thought; "Mrs. Morgan always pays for 
 everything when she buys it, and I guess this 
 young miss has been doing a little shopping on 
 her own account." 
 
 " I'll just give you a little bill of it," he said ; 
 *' ours is a cash concern, you know, and your
 
 134 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 mother has always been a cash customer. I'm 
 sure she's forgotten it." 
 
 " O, no, you needn't give me any bill," said 
 Nelly, hastily ; " I'll speak to her about it, and 
 bring the money on my way to school, on Mon- 
 day ; " and she looked furtively at Jennie ; but 
 Jennie was busy watching a pretty little child, 
 who was being fitted with a pair of tiny blue kid 
 slippers, and didn't seem to have heard what 
 was said. 
 
 But the shopman noticed the hurried glance, 
 and was more than ever suspicious that some- 
 thing was wrong. 
 
 " Very well, miss, it will be all right, no 
 doubt," he said ; but he resolved, inwardly, that 
 if it were not all right, and the money did not 
 come on Monday, the bill should go. 
 
 So Nelly went home with a double anxiety 
 the fear of the bill being sent in, and the fear of 
 Jennie's asking her mother the same question 
 which she had asked herself in the store. She 
 endeavored to avert this last calamity by giving 
 the child a round scolding, as soon as she got 
 her into the street, for being meddlesome and 
 inquisitive ; and then, after she had brought her 
 to tears of terror and shame, she took her into
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 135 
 
 a confectioner's shop, and treated her to sugar- 
 plums, as a reward for the promise never again 
 to ask impertinent questions. Her usual " good 
 luck," as she called it, helped her to evade the 
 former misfortune ; for, the money not coming 
 on Monday, as Nelly knew very well it would 
 not, when she promised it, and Mr. Butler being 
 a shrewd and cautious man of business, the 
 bill was duly sent. But it so happened, that just 
 as the boy rang the bell at the Morgans' door, 
 Nelly was coming up the steps, just home from 
 school, and recognized the lad as errand boy at 
 the shoe store. 
 
 "A bill, isn't it, from Mr. Butler's? All 
 right I'll take it," she said ; and the boy had 
 just left the stoop, and the coarse yellow en- 
 velope barely found its way into her pocket, 
 when Anne opened the door, and seeing no one 
 but Nelly, grumbled a little that she couldn't 
 come in at the basement door, and " lave her to 
 her work." 
 
 But Nelly didn't stop to give her a proud an- 
 swer, as she ordinarily would have done ; her 
 heart was beating wildly w at this last narrow 
 escape, and she was glad to rush up to her own 
 room, and, locking the door, give vent to her 
 excitement unobserved.
 
 136 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 She sank upon a chair, breathless and trem- 
 bling, at first ; but presently, when she grew 
 calmer, she tore open the envelope, and there, 
 sure enough, were the fateful words which 
 would have revealed her shameful secret : 
 
 "J. W. Morgan to Henry Butler, Dr." 
 
 Nelly glanced at the bill with a look of aver- 
 sion, and then tore it into tiny pieces, and threw 
 them into the slop-jar. 
 
 " Thank fortune, that is over for a day or 
 two," she said, with a long-drawn breath ; " but 
 he'll be sure to send it in again the stingy 
 creature ; or, if he doesn't, he'll speak to mother 
 about it the first time she goes into the store. 
 I wish I had never seen him or his horrid shoes. 
 They have brought all this trouble upon me." 
 
 Poor Nelly ! it did not occur to her to think 
 that it was her own vanity, love of dress, and 
 deceitfulness, which had brought her into this 
 strait ; nor, in all her desperate plans for escape, 
 did she think of the plain way of confession 
 and amendment. 
 
 She sat in her fireless room, brooding over her 
 trouble, until she grew numb with cold, and then 
 crept down stairs like a guilty thing, shrinking 
 into corners, and ashamed to look any one openly
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 137 
 
 in the face, wearing such a pale and wretched 
 aspect, meanwhile, that both her father and 
 mother noticed it, asked kindly if she was not 
 well, and puzzled themselves vainly to think 
 what had come over their once bright, cheerful, 
 and fun-loving daughter. 
 
 In the same miserable mood she went to 
 school next day, walking along the busy streets 
 lonely and wretched, noticing nothing, except to 
 give 4 hopeless glance into the little old lady's 
 shop as she passed, to see if possibly any one 
 might- be watching for her, to convey the glad 
 tidings that the shawl was sold at last, and the 
 money waiting for her. But no ; no such happy 
 surprise was in store for her, and the poor girl 
 went on her way with an added pang at her 
 heart, and took her seat at her desk alone, too 
 miserable to wish to speak or be spoken to. 
 
 And yet all the rest of Miss Kavanagh's class 
 seemed to be in a state of high excitement; 
 school was not yet opened, and some of the 
 girls stood about in groups, talking eagerly ; 
 others were at the blackboards, dashing off, in 
 excited haste, examples in arithmetic, and im- 
 ploring one and another of the better scholars 
 to "just tell them once more about this or that;
 
 138 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 they were sure they should forget it, and make 
 dunces of themselves, when Mr. Burton exam- 
 ined them." Others still were rapidly turning 
 over the leaves of Grammars and Geographies, 
 refreshing their memories on difficult points ; and 
 Nelly remembered that this was " Promotion- 
 week," that the superintendent of the schools 
 had been examining the lower classes for several 
 days, and that he was to visit theirs to-day. 
 
 Indeed, she saw him now sitting on the plat- 
 form, talking with the principal and some of the 
 teachers, Miss Kavanagh among them ; but she 
 felt no interest in the matter. She was too much 
 absorbed with her own imminent trouble to care 
 for anything outside of it ; and, besides, she 
 knew there was no prospect of her promotion. 
 Quick and clever as she was, she had always 
 thought too much of dress and amusement ever 
 to make a diligent scholar ; and her fortnight's 
 absence during her illness had thrown her hope- 
 lessly behindhand. It was only another bitter 
 drop in the cup of her misery to feel that she 
 was entirely unprepared for examination, and 
 know that she should disgrace herself by re- 
 peated failures, and by remaining in the second 
 class, while all her companions, except the few
 
 MAKE FIXE BIRDS. 139 
 
 notoriously idle or dull, would pass up 'to a 
 higher grade, and have the honor of being 
 under the immediate charge of the lady principal 
 herself. It was only another drop, and Nelly 
 swallowed it with a bitter gulp, and sat at her 
 seat silent and sullen, assuming a haughty in- 
 difference to the whole matter, which was filling 
 the rest of the class with excitement and anxiety. 
 
 Just as she had expected, she failed constantly 
 in answering the questions addressed to her in 
 the course of the examination, and just as she 
 expected, her name was not upon the list of 
 those considered ready for promotion when the 
 examination was ended. 
 
 She did not feel sorry nor ashamed ; her heart 
 was too bitter for that now ; only indignant, 
 when Mr. Burton asked, in a tone of displeased 
 surprise, why it was that such a tall, intelligent- 
 looking girl should be so far behind her mates ; 
 nor was she at all grateful when Miss Kavanagh, 
 although displeased herself, did her the justice to 
 say that she had been detained from school by a 
 severe illness, from which she did not seem to 
 have recovered with her usual tone of mind. 
 
 She put on a defiant, don't-care look when her 
 proud and happy companions marched, blushing
 
 140 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 and smiling, into the front room, where they 
 were henceforward to wear the honorable title 
 of the " First Class ; " and she answered with a 
 glance of cool disdain some simple remark 
 which one of the acknowledged "stupids" of 
 the class, also left behind, ventured to address 
 to her as a companion in misfortune. 
 
 She carried her disgrace with a high head in 
 presence of others, but tears of bitter mortifica- 
 tion and anger gushed to her eyes when once 
 she was safely out into the street ; and her after- 
 noon and evening at home were no happier than 
 had been those of the previous day. 
 
 The hardest thing to bear of it all was the 
 taking her seat the next morning among the 
 crowd of smaller girls, promoted from the third 
 class, upon whom she had always looked down 
 in the play-room, and wherever else she hap- 
 pened to meet them, as " mere little chits, not 
 worth noticing." Now they were her class- 
 mates, and enforced companions, with equal 
 rights and honors as herself; and she detected 
 them glancing at her from time to time with 
 looks half curious, half contemptuous, as having 
 failed of the promotion which they themselves 
 had obtained.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 141 
 
 Nelly returned these glances with icy disdain, 
 but they stung her none the less ; and all this 
 mortification, added to her harassing special 
 anxiety, made her utterly reckless, and ready to 
 do any wicked and desperate deed. 
 
 There was very little regular study or recita- 
 tion that day ; the forty new scholars in each 
 class had to be provided with sets of new books 
 before the lessons of the higher grade could be 
 appointed or prepared. Mr. Porter, the prin- 
 cipal of the school, was busy in the library all 
 day with two or three of his older boys, filling 
 up orders for books as thcv were sent in, and 
 counting the money, which the children had 
 brought from home to pay for them. The 
 teachers occupied themselves principally in en- 
 tering the names of the promoted pupils on 
 their roll books, in explaining to them their own 
 particular rules, to which they required obedi- 
 ence from their class, and in writing the sepa- 
 rate list of books. 
 
 This was no slight task, as very few of the 
 girls needed exactly the same, almost all of them 
 having one or more of the text-books, which had 
 descended to them from some older brother or 
 sister. The counting of the money, too, was
 
 142 FIXE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 troublesome and tedious, as it came in innumer- 
 able pieces of fractional currency, with very few 
 large bills, and yet mounted up to a consider- 
 able sum. 
 
 Miss Kavauagh, pitying Nelly for the mortifi- 
 cation which she knew she was feeling, and 
 knowing, too, that she was quick and clever, 
 called her to her side, and employed her in 
 separating the various ten, twenty-five, and fifty- 
 cent stamps, and laying them in separate piles 
 for more convenient counting ; and, when at last 
 the lists were all made out, and the money duly 
 summed up, she sent her to carry both to the 
 library, and see that the books were selected, 
 and brought to the class-room. 
 
 Nelly's pride had been soothed by being chosen 
 thus to assist her teacher in responsible work ; 
 but even this had, nevertheless, a source of tor- 
 ment for her. She looked with greedy eyes at 
 the piles of money lying on the desk, and as bill 
 after bill passed through her fingers, they itched 
 with almost uncontrollable des;ire to close upon 
 some of them, "just enough to save her from 
 detection and disgrace, " and rush desperately 
 from, the room with her prize. 
 
 But, of course, she knew that could not be
 
 MAKE FINK BIRDS. 143 
 
 done and she went on counting the money with 
 trembling and covetous fingers, not daring to 
 appropriate a single penny of it, even in this hour 
 of her extremity. When she went into the libra- 
 ry, she found there a scene of busy bustle and 
 hurry. It was getting to be late in the afternoon ; 
 it was important that the children should have 
 their books before school was dismissed, in order 
 to have their lessons appointed for the morrow ; 
 and the orders were coming in so thick and fast 
 as to keep the principal and his young assistants 
 exceedingly busy. 
 
 As Nelly entered, several girls, also holding 
 book-lists, and envelopes full of money, stood 
 near the door, waiting their turn to be served ; 
 but Nelly, with her usual quick and imperious 
 manner, pushed her way to a place in front of 
 them. As she did so, she jostled one of the 
 girls against a small stand, covered with loose 
 pieces of money, which one of the boys had just 
 emptied from an envelope, and was certifying, 
 before handing out the books, for which it was 
 to pay. 
 
 The stand tottered with the rude shock, and 
 the loose bills flew here and there over the floor. 
 There was an impatient exclamation, and Mr.
 
 144 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 Porter came hastily from the other end of the 
 room, where he was registering the different 
 sums of money in a great cash-book, to inquire 
 what was the matter. 
 
 " Only some money scattered on the floor. 
 We'll pick it up." " It was Nelly Morgan's fault ; 
 she's always so topping." " It was an accident, 
 I think ; some one jostled the table." These and 
 a dozen other exclamations replied to his ques- 
 tion, while every one stooped to pick up the 
 scattered stamps, which had fluttered in every 
 direction. 
 
 Nelly, abashed at the reproving glance which 
 the principal directed towards her, busied her- 
 self with the rest ; and, as she bent down and 
 helped to gather up the fugitive pieces, a sight 
 met her eye which sent all the blood in one great 
 throb to her heart, and made her almost faint, 
 for a moment, with the rush of conflicting emo- 
 tions. 
 
 Behind a great pile of " Websters," which had 
 been stacked upon the floor, half hidden under 
 one of the shelves of the library, where she was 
 sure no one but herself perceived it, lay a crisp 
 new greenback with the stamp 5 very plainly 
 visible.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 145 
 
 It was really a five-dollar bill, but to NeJlv it 
 was more than that : it was absolute salvation 
 from disgrace, and from the well-merited anger 
 of her parents { and the temptation to take it was 
 simply irresistible to her in her desperate mood. 
 She flirted her skirt dexterously over it, clutched* 
 it with burning fingers, thrust it close down into 
 her high balmoral boot, and then, picking up 
 again a few smaller bills, which she had laid 
 down for the moment, rose and handed them to 
 the boy; and, in the confusion of the moment, 
 no one noticed how deathly pale was Nelly 
 Morgan, nor how her heart beat, nor how her 
 lips moved convulsively once or twice with the 
 words " Saved, saved ! " 
 
 Neither did they notice specially how sudden- 
 ly the blood rushed back to her face, nor how she 
 trembled, and clung to a chair for support, when 
 the boy, carefully re-counting the money, pro- 
 nounced it five dollars short of the amount 
 marked upon the envelope. 
 
 For there was an immediate chorus of ex- 
 clamations "Is it, really?" "Too bad!" 
 " We must look again ; " and the search was 
 again instituted, everybody peering into nooks 
 and crannies, under shelves, behind piles of 
 10
 
 146 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 books, and in every place where it seemed possi- 
 ble for money to hide itself. 
 
 But no five-dollar greenback was perceptible ; 
 and, after long and fruitless seeking, Mr. Por- 
 ter said to the girl whose money it was which 
 had been thrown from the table, 
 
 " Your teacher must have made some mistake 
 in the amount she marked upon the envelope. 
 It seems impossible that, if the money had really 
 been dropped here, it should not be found. Go 
 and ask Miss Elliott to be so good as to come to 
 the library." 
 
 The girl went out, and returned immediately 
 with her teacher ; but she, of course, was quite 
 positive that there had been no mistake on her 
 part ; and a pause followed of very disagreeable 
 feeling to every one. At last Mr. Porter said, 
 
 " Well, there is nothing further to be done 
 just now, and it is time for school to be dis- 
 missed. I will have the room thoroughly cleared 
 and searched before I go home, and, if the money 
 is ijot found, we can consider to-morrow what is 
 best to be done. The girls must have their books, 
 of course, if I pay for them myself." 
 
 The terrible strain upon Nelly's self-control 
 relaxed a little ; danger was over for the present,
 
 MAKE FIXE BIRDS. 147 
 
 and before to-morrow the money would be safe 
 in Mr. Butler's hands. She went back to the 
 school-room with the rest, and found the classes 
 preparing for dismissal. In a few minutes more 
 she was out on the street, and stooping, under 
 the pretence of fastening an untied shoe-string, 
 she seized the stolen bill, and hastened with 
 guilty speed to get rid of it, and all her troubles 
 with it, at the shoe store.
 
 148 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 BREATHLESS with excitement, and with 
 her rapid walk, Nelly entered the shop ; 
 and, looking neither to . the right nor the left 
 in her feverish haste, walked directly up to the 
 counter. 
 
 " Here is the money, Mr. Butler," she said, 
 " for those bronze boots I bought here a few 
 weeks ago. My mother is very sorry it has not 
 been attended to before, but she has been sick, 
 and things have been neglected." 
 
 " O, it is of no consequence," replied the man, 
 bowing politely, and feeling quite ashamed of 
 his suspicions. " I only sent in the bill because 
 I knew Mr. Morgan did not like long-standing 
 accounts. Won't you sit down, miss? and I'll 
 give you a receipt. You look all tired out, as if 
 you'd been running." 
 
 " O, no ; I don't care about any receipt ; it's 
 all right," said Nelly, hastily, and turning quick- 
 ly to leave the shop, now become so hateful to
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 149 
 
 her. As she did so, she came face to face with 
 Miss Elliott, the very teacher whose money had 
 been found wanting. A pang of fear shot 
 through Nelly's heart, and she thought, Could 
 she possibly have seen the note and recognized 
 it? And then, ashamed of her own fears, 
 she said to herself, " As though there were 
 only one five-dollar greenback in the world ! " 
 and, with a hasty bow, passed out of the store 
 into the street. 
 
 Meanwhile, the shopkeeper turned to his cus- 
 tomer with a smile, smoothing out the crumpled 
 bill in his hand. 
 
 And Miss Elliott, looking at the note, so crisp 
 and new ; remembering that Nelly Morgan had 
 been in the library when the five-dollar bill so 
 mysteriously disappeared ; remembering, too, 
 seeing her pass her in breathless haste upon 
 the street, though she herself was walking very 
 fast, wishing to do some shopping before going 
 home ; recalling her eager hurry in the shop 
 just now, so great that she did not even notice 
 one of the teachers from the school standing just 
 at her side, and the apology she made for the 
 money not being paid when it was due ; thinking 
 of all these things, as she glanced at the new and
 
 I5O FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 clean but crumpled note, Miss Elliott felt, with a 
 sudden flash of conviction, almost certain that 
 this was the very five-dollar bill which was miss- 
 ing from her book-money ; and alas ! that Nelly 
 Morgan, a well brought up and intelligent girl, 
 belonging to a family of perfect respectability, 
 and a pupil of one of the highest classes of the 
 school, ivas a thief I 
 
 It was a dreadful thing to believe, and Miss 
 Elliott was exceedingly reluctant to believe it ; 
 but her duty to herself, to the girl by whom she 
 had sent the money to the library, who might be 
 wrongfully suspected of having taken some of it 
 out of the envelope, her duty to all the other 
 scholars who assisted in looking for the lost note, 
 and to the principal of the school himself, who 
 might decide to make up the deficiency from his 
 own pocket ; her duty to all these compelled her 
 to think that an investigation should be made, 
 and she decided to go directly back to the school, 
 and consult with Mr. Porter before he should 
 leave for home. 
 
 In the first place, however, she said carelessly 
 to the shopman, 
 
 " I know that little girl ; she is one of our 
 scholars. Did she say she bought such an
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 151 
 
 expensive pair of shoes herself? Was not her 
 mother with her?" 
 
 " No," said the man ; " she was alone when 
 she bought them, and she's been a good while 
 bringing the money to pay for them^which is a 
 little strange, for her mother's a regular customer 
 of mine, but always pays cash. However, the 
 young miss said she was sick, and I suppose she 
 hasn't thought of it. It's all right, I guess." 
 
 But Miss Elliott was very much -afraid that it 
 was all wrong. She did not wish, however, to 
 let the shopman know her suspicions ; so she 
 made her own purchases at once, and then 
 hastened back to the school to communicate 
 her fears to the principal. 
 
 Meanwhile Nelly, little dreaming what dread 
 danger was threatening her, was hastening home 
 in a whirl of excited and opposing emotions. 
 Relieved from the terrible fear of open disgrace 
 she was; but what secret shame and self-loathing 
 sickened her soul when she thought that, though 
 the world might never know it, she could 
 never forget that Nelly Morgan 'was a thief ! 
 Not merely a disobedient and deceitful girl, but 
 a criminal in the eye of the law, who, if de- 
 tected, might be taken up by any of those great,
 
 152 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 strong, stern-looking policemen, and dragged 
 before a magistrate, amid crowds of scoffing 
 rabble, and sent to some house of correction, 
 or perhaps imprisoned in some horrible, filthy 
 cell ! 
 
 The very idea made the miserable girl shiver 
 with disgust and dread ; and, happening sudden- 
 ly to come upon one of those same tall, blue- 
 coated gentry, she shrank away, like the guilty 
 thing she was, and hurried past him, though the 
 man smiled civilly enough, and offered to help 
 her across the muddy street. 
 
 She felt angry with herself for her own weak- 
 ness the moment after, and tried to encourage 
 herself with the thought that she had meant no 
 wrong in the first place ; that there was no such 
 great harm in wearing her own clothes where 
 and when she liked ; that it was the fault of the 
 girls who ridiculed her that she had forgotten 
 her rubbers and spoiled her shoes ; that it was 
 an evil and malicious fate which had prevented 
 the sale of the work with which she intended to 
 replace them ; that the purchase of the second 
 pair of boots was the fault of the girls again, 
 who, by their sneers and coldness, made her 
 determine to go to the party ; that the party
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 153 
 
 itself, coming just at that time, was a special 
 temptation to make her do wrong ; that Mr. 
 Butler's impatience for his money was an aggra- 
 vation expressly ordered to drive her to despera- 
 tion ; and that the accident of the money falling 
 directly in her way was a temptation which no 
 human being in her circumstances could have 
 resisted. 
 
 Any and everything she seized upon as an 
 excuse, a justification ; but none of it brought 
 her much comfort, and she went on her way, if 
 possible more wretched, more despairing, than 
 when she trod the same path that morning, not 
 knowing when or where to obtain money to 
 save her from detection. 
 
 So true is it that " the way of the transgressor 
 is hard" 
 
 She thought that nothing more could be left to 
 happen to her ; but as she was passing the little 
 old lady's thread and needle shop, the little old 
 lady herself suddenly appeared at the door, and 
 beckoned her in with a good-natured smile. 
 
 Nelly went in, half bewildered, and the kind- 
 hearted shopkeeper said, with a look and tone of 
 real pleasure, 
 
 " Well, my dear, I'm glad to tell you that the
 
 154 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 shawl is sold at last. A lady came in, not an 
 hour ago, to buy some small wares, cottons and 
 tapes, and such things, and spied this shawl 
 lying on the counter. I always kept it spread 
 out where people could see it, you seemed so 
 anxious to sell it, and I felt kind o' sorry for your 
 disappointment, though I did speak up rather 
 sharp to you about coming so often." 
 
 Nelly managed to smile and say, " Thank you ; 
 no matter ; " and the old ladv prattled on. 
 
 " Well, the lady seemed very much struck with 
 that shawl, and asked me where I had got it. I 
 thought it was a queer question, but she appeared 
 to admire the work so much that I told her, 
 and I hope you won't mind it, my dear, for I'm 
 sure it's very creditable to you to be so industri- 
 ous that it was brought here by a little girl 
 who had made it herself, and who seemed to 
 want money very much for something particular, 
 some girl's finery, I supposed, and so I had 
 promised to sell it for her if I could. 
 
 " Well, she examined it very closely, and said 
 she thought it was very nice work for a little 
 girl, and asked if you were really only a child. 
 And I said. O, no ; you were quite a young miss, 
 and that you had bright black eyes, that looked
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 155 
 
 smart enough for anything, as I don't doubt you 
 are, my dear." 
 
 "Well? "gasped Nelly, scarcely able to con- 
 trol her impatience. 
 
 " Well, but you mustn't hurry me ; I'm tell- 
 ing you as fast as I can. The lady examined 
 the shawl very particular, as I said ; and then 
 she stood and thought for a minute, and then she 
 said she'd take it, and asked the price. So I told 
 her I was very glad for the little girl's sake, and 
 that she wanted five dollars for it, and I thought 
 it was worth the money. She said she thought 
 so, too, and handed it to me at once. So here it 
 is, my dear, a bran-new five-dollar note. Take 
 it, and I wish you good luck with it." 
 
 Nelly put out her hand mechanically, and took 
 the note, but stood still, without speaking, lean- 
 ing against the counter, pale, and with a set, bit- 
 ter face. How hard, how cruel, she thought, it 
 was for this to come just now. Had she had it 
 one half hour ago, she need not have become a 
 thiefl 
 
 It seemed a bitter mockery, too cruel to be 
 borne. What did she care for the pitiful money 
 now ? And for a moment she was tempted to 
 tear the bank note into a hundred pieces, and 
 stamp them under her heel.
 
 156 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 But in another instant a happy thought flashed, 
 like lightning, across her stormy mind. It was 
 a clean, new five-dollar bill, just such a crisp, 
 fresh-looking one as that which she had stolen 
 and paid away. It was not yet four o'clock ; 
 doubtless the school-house was still open, the 
 janitor sweeping out the class-rooms, and Mr. 
 Porter still busy in the library. Why could she 
 not go back, pretending that she had forgotten 
 some of her books, and give the note to the prin- 
 cipal, telling him that she had picked it up in 
 Miss Elliott's class-room, where it had probably 
 dropped on the floor, when she was putting her 
 money into the envelope, and been hidden under 
 some of the girl's long dresses? That would be 
 a very natural story. Mr. Porter would be too 
 glad at getting the money to think of question- 
 ing her word, and no one would ever know any- 
 thing about it. 
 
 Here, at last, seemed a safe and sure way out 
 of all her trials ; and as Nelly fairly compre- 
 hended the blessed possibility, such a rush of 
 gladness came over her, that she staggered, and 
 seemed as though she would have fainted from 
 the sudden revulsion of feeling. 
 
 The little old lady looked at her in amazed 
 disappointment.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 157 
 
 " Well," she said, " I thought you'd be de- 
 lighted at what I've done for you, and instead of 
 that, you look as if you'd had a blow, and 
 haven't got a word of thanks. What ails you, 
 child?" 
 
 Nelly matle a strong effort, and regained her 
 self-control. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, ma'am," she said, hum- 
 bly ; " indeed, I am delighted ; it was because I 
 was so pleased I couldn't speak. I'm sure I'm 
 ever and ever so much obliged to you, and I'll 
 tell everybody I know how kind you are, and 
 what a nice shop you've got. I must go now ; 
 I'm in a great hurry ; but I'll be sure to come in 
 and see you again. Good by, ma'am." And she 
 was gone before the little old lady could make 
 up her mind whether to be angry or pleased 
 with the strange girl. 
 
 Back to the school-house, as fast as she could 
 go, Nelly went, and up the long staircases with 
 flying feet. The janitor had just finished sweep- 
 ing the room below Miss Elliott's, and was about 
 entering hers with his great broom and dust-pan ; 
 but Nelly brushed past him, and walked rapidly 
 between the long rows of desks. Suddenly she 
 stooped, as if to pick up something, and uttered a 
 loud exclamation of delight.
 
 158 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 "What have you got there?" grumbled out 
 the old man ; " and what are you comin' back 
 here for, after school's out, any way? You know 
 it's agin the rules." 
 
 " Never you mind," said Nelly, pertly ; " what 
 I've found I'm going to Mr. Porter with ; so don't 
 distress yourself; " and with that she pushed 
 on through the long suit of class-rooms, and 
 knocked at the library door. 
 
 " Come in," called the principal's voice ; and 
 Nelly entered boldly, sure that there was no 
 possibility of his suspecting anything wrong. 
 What was her consternation to find Miss Elliott 
 seated there, and to see that the two had evi- 
 dently been engaged in grave and unpleasant 
 consultation. 
 
 Nelly felt the guilty blood rush burning to her 
 face, and she trembled so that she could scarcely 
 stand ; but both principal and teacher were sur- 
 veying her with cold, scrutinizing looks, and Mr. 
 Porter said, in a 'waiting tone, " Well, young 
 lady, what is it you want? Speak, if you please." 
 
 So Nelly made a tremendous effort, and came 
 forward with a tolerable assumption of com- 
 posure. 
 
 " If you please, Mr. Porter," she said, trying
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 159 
 
 to speak her lie steadily, " I think I have found 
 the five-dollar hill which you thought was lost in 
 this room. At least I picked this up just now in 
 Miss Elliott's room, and I thought I had better 
 bring it to you at once." 
 
 Miss Elliott started, and looked sharply at the 
 girl ; but Nelly kept her eyes upon Mr. Porter's 
 face. He took the note, and glanced at it, then 
 handed it to the young lady, who examined it 
 keenly. 
 
 " And how happened you to be passing 
 through Miss Elliott's room, so long after school 
 is dismissed?" asked the principal of Nelly. 
 
 " I forgot my geography, sir, and came back 
 for it," answered Nelly, promptly. 
 
 Mr. Porter turned to Miss Elliot. 
 
 " Do you remember- having any such new- 
 looking bill among your book-money?" he 
 asked. "Do you think it is yours?" 
 
 " I certainly put such a bill into the envelope," 
 replied the teacher. " But that it could have gpt 
 out of that, on the floor, and remained there 
 unseen, even after the girls had left the room, 
 seems to me a simple impossibility." 
 
 " O, no," said Mr. Porter, with a half smile. 
 " It would not be impossible, though certainly
 
 l6o FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 rather careless, to drop one of so many pieces 
 of paper money " 
 
 " And./' interrupted Nelly, boldly, " you know 
 you left the class-room as soon as the girls did, 
 Miss Elliott. I saw you in Butler's shoe store." 
 
 " Yes, and I saw you there," rejoined Miss 
 Elliott, sharply, indignant at the cool audacity 
 of the girl, whom she verily believed to be wit- 
 nessing falsely. " And I saw you pay Mr. But- 
 ler just such a clean, new bill as this, and as the 
 one that was lost ; and he said it was for an ex- 
 pensive pair of shoes, which you had bought 
 alone, and that the payment had been delayed 
 for several weeks, although your mother had 
 never before allowed an account to be kept 
 running." 
 
 Nelly reddened, but answered steadily, 
 
 " I did give him such a bill, and what he told 
 you was quite correct. It was to pay for the 
 shoes which I wore to Fanny Archer's party. 
 My mother has been sick for more than a month, 
 and could not go with me to buy them ; and that 
 is the reason why the paying for them has been 
 neglected. Yesterday he sent in his bill, and 
 this morning my mother gave me the money to 
 settle it ; but I was too late to stop on my way to 
 school, and so I went in this afternoon."
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. l6l 
 
 The girl told her story in a straightforward, 
 respectful way, and Mr. Porter turned io Miss 
 Elliott with a smile. 
 
 " Come, Miss Elliott," he said, pleasantly, " I 
 rather think you are mistaken, and that we owe 
 this little girl a vote of thanks for having such 
 bright eyes as to find the money, and such an 
 honest heart as to bring it straight to headquar- 
 ters. I think we had better put it away, and say 
 no more about it." 
 
 " I suppose we shall have to," said Miss Elli- 
 ott, shortly. " But it is very difficult for me to 
 believe that I could have dropped that note with- 
 out knowing it." Then, looking sharply and 
 suspiciously at Nelly, she sunk her voice to a 
 whisper, and said to Mr. Porter, " I must say, I 
 should like to take means to find out whether 
 that story of the shoes and her mother's sickness 
 is true." 
 
 But the principal shook his head, and whis- 
 pered back, decidedly, " No, no ; it would never 
 do. It would make no end of trouble, in school 
 and out. Besides, I really think you are too 
 severe ; I see no reason to doubt her story ; and 
 where could she have got another bill to replace 
 the lost one so soon ? No. I am glad the money
 
 l62 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 is found, and I shall tell her so, and dismiss her 
 at once." 
 
 So he raised his head, and, with a kind word 
 or two of thanks, told Nelly that she might go ; 
 and the girl, overjoyed at having made good her 
 escape in spite of Miss Elliott's unsatisfied sus- 
 picions, made haste to leave the room and the 
 building which had been the scene of such 
 strange and painful events. 
 
 Lightly, as though her feet were winged, she 
 sped on her homeward way, and, for the first 
 time in weeks, entered into the house with a 
 burst of merry song. Still gayly carolling her 
 light-hearted lay, she ran up stairs to her own 
 room. 
 
 On the threshold she paused, struck dumb 
 with horror.
 
 NELLY'S SIN FOUND OUT. Page 163
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 163 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 IN Nelly's own little sewing-chair, beside the 
 window, evidently waiting for her, sat her 
 mother, pale, and with a countenance both angry 
 and sorrowful. Across the foot of the low, white 
 bed lay the -veritable breakfast shawl, looking 
 warm and bright, with its gay shades of scarlet. 
 On a chair, near by, stood two pairs of bronze 
 kid boots, of the same size, and exactly alike, 
 except that the delicate leather of the one was 
 all warped and stained by mud and water, while 
 the others were glossy and fresh with newness. 
 
 Nelly saw, in one rapid and desperate glance, 
 that her sin had found her out. These mute 
 witnesses had silently told the tale, and there was 
 nothing for her to do now, but bear her disgrace 
 as best she might. With a low cry of pain and 
 shame, she sank into a chair near the bed, and 
 buried her face in the pillows. She could not 
 bear to meet her mother's eye. 
 
 Mrs. Morgan looked at the shame-bowed
 
 164 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 figure of her daughter with a sad and displeased 
 glance. Presently she called, 
 
 " Nelly ! " 
 
 But Nelly only shrank at the sound of her 
 voice, and did not rise. 
 
 " Nell}-, come here ! I wish to speak to you." 
 
 Mrs. Morgan's tone was cold and severe, and 
 Nelly did not dare to disobey. She lifted her 
 head heavily, and, striving vainly to hide her 
 shame-dyed face with her trembling fingers, rose, 
 and slowly approached the spot where her 
 mother sat. " Uncover your face, Nelly, and 
 look at me. That ever my daughter should 
 be ashamed to meet her mother's eye ! " 
 
 The poor girl unclasped her hands from her 
 burning face, and bent a frightened and plead- 
 ing glance upon the sad, displeased countenance 
 that looked so severely upon her. 
 
 " Don't be so angry with me, mother 
 don't ! " she begged, taking a step forward, and 
 clasping her hands with a beseeching gesture. 
 " Indeed, I didn't mean to do anything so very 
 wrong at first ; but everything seemed to hap- 
 pen, and and " 
 
 She stopped, and, burying her face in her 
 hands again, broke into a passion of bitter sobs.
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 165 
 
 " Didn't mean ! didn't mean !" repeated her 
 mother, scornfully. " Never say that to me, 
 Nelly ! It is the pitiful excuse which the 
 wicked, who are not brave enough to take the 
 consequences of their wickedness, always offer. 
 I do not wish to hear any excuses. I want a 
 full and free explanation of all these mysteries, 
 a full and free confession of all your deceptions. 
 It is your only chance for forgiveness ; so be 
 careful to tell me the exact truth now. Why 
 did you make me believe you intended to give 
 this shawl to your teacher, when it was your 
 purpose to sell it, even if you had to disgrace 
 both me and yourself by hawking it about in 
 the public shops? When did you wear these 
 shoes, that you should get them so stained and 
 spoiled? Why did you not come and show them 
 to me, instead of hiding them away in a hole of 
 .the attic wall, where the very rats could betray 
 you? For it was by a rat jumping down, and 
 dragging one of those shoes after him, that 
 Anne discovered them as she was cleaning in 
 the attic to-day. And how did you buy the 
 others to replace them without money ? I want 
 an explicit answer to each of these questions; 
 and remember, Nelly, that I shall not forgive
 
 1 66 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 any evasion or prevarication. Begin at the 
 beginning, and tell me how you ruined your 
 shoes ; for, I suppose, that was the origin of the 
 deception about the shawl." 
 
 So Nelly began, with drooping face, and in a 
 low, ashamed voice, to tell the sad story of her 
 first deceit, and how, day by day, she had become 
 entangled closer and closer in the web of false- 
 hood, until it had ended in actual crime ; and 
 her mother sat and listened in a shame and grief 
 almost as deep as her own. 
 
 When she had finished, there was a dead 
 silence in the room. Mrs. Morgan sat lost in 
 painful thought, and did not know what to say 
 or do. 
 
 This solemn pause grew quite awful to Nelly, 
 and she broke it presently with an exceeding 
 bitter cry. 
 
 " O, mother, mother," she said, with stream- 
 ing eyes, " do forgive me ! Indeed, if you knew 
 how miserable I have been from the very first day, 
 though I tried to brave it out ; how many, many 
 times I wished I had never begun to deceive you ; 
 how hard I tried to get out of it all without telling 
 you, because I was so ashamed to have you know 
 I could be so wicked ; and how I have felt some-
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 167 
 
 times I had rather die than go on so, you would, 
 I am sure you would, mother mother ! " 
 
 And Mrs. Morgan remembered how miserable 
 indeed the poor girl had looked ever since that 
 sorrowful Christmas Eve ; how she had spent 
 the merry holiday time, when other children 
 were so gay and happy, on a bed of pain ; and 
 how of late she had seemed to be struggling 
 under a burden of anxiety too heavy for so 
 young a heart to bear. And, looking at her 
 now, humbled to the very dust, conscience- 
 stricken and ashamed, and listening to her pit- 
 eous cry, the mother's heart softened towards 
 her erring child, and she felt that her punish- 
 ment was indeed severe enough. 
 
 u O, Nelly, Nelly ! " she said, in a tone of sor- 
 rowful wistfulness, " if I only could believe that 
 you were truly sorry sorry for your sin itself, 
 not alone for the trouble it has brought upon 
 you ; if I could only hope that it was the kind 
 of sorrow which would work such deep repent- 
 ance that you could never, never be tempted to 
 commit such sin again ! " 
 
 Nelly sank upon her knees by her mother's 
 side, and buried her face in her bosom. 
 
 "I do not ask you to trust me again yet,
 
 l68 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 mother," she sobbed ; " only forgive me now, 
 and try me once more. I have suffered so much 
 that it seems to me I could die before I could tell 
 another lie. And it isn't only the suffering either 
 I mind. I see now, as I never did before, how 
 mean and how wrong it is. O, mother, you 
 could not wish me to be more ashamed and sorry 
 than I am ! " 
 
 Mrs. Morgan's eyes filled with tears. She 
 stroked the hair gently from the feverish brow 
 of the weeping girl, and said, solemnly, 
 
 " You know, Nelly, mine is not the only for- 
 giveness you should seek." 
 
 " Do you mean that I should tell my father, 
 mother?" asked Nelly, with a start, and a new 
 pang of shame and fear. 
 
 " Don't you think that you would be more 
 likely to resist any temptation that may come to 
 you in the future, Nelly, if you had to remember 
 the pain of confessing this to him as well as to 
 me ? And a stronger reason than that ; don't 
 you think it would be a kind of keeping up 
 deception if you kept this great fault hidden 
 from him who has a right to know all about 
 you? if you allowed him to think that you had 
 always been honest and true, and esteem, and,
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 169 
 
 perhaps, praise you, for those qualities, when, in 
 reality, you do not possess them? Could you 
 not look him in the face more bravely and open- 
 ly, after the first pain was over, than you could 
 if you were conscious, all the time, of appearing 
 to him in a better light than you deserved? 
 Think about it, Nelly. It is hard, I know ; but 
 do you not deserve, and need, to bear some hard- 
 ship for your sin?" 
 
 Nelly drew a long, quivering breath of shame 
 and pain. 
 
 " I will tell him, mother," she said, in a low, 
 humbled tone. " I see I ought to, but I am sorry 
 to make him feel so badly." 
 
 " And I am sorry, too," said her mother ; " but 
 you see that is one of the sad consequences of 
 evil-doing. * None of us liv'eth to himself, and 
 none dieth to himself; ' and we must always bring 
 others into trouble, as well as ourselves, when we 
 do wrong. But, Nelly, though I meant, of 
 course, that your father should know of this, it 
 was not to him I referred, when I spoke of an- 
 other's forgiveness being needed." 
 
 " You did not mean Mr. Porter, or Miss El- 
 liott, mother?" asked Nelly, aghast. " O, I 
 never could tell them, mother, that that I had
 
 170 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 had stolen, mother ! " and her face grew all aflame 
 again, and a sick feeling of shame and degrada- 
 tion came over her. Mrs. Morgan's cheek, too, 
 burned with the reflection of her daughter's dis- 
 grace. She sat silent for a moment in very un- 
 pleasant thought, and then said, gravely, 
 
 " I do not know that there is any real principle 
 of right and wrong involved in your making a 
 confession to them, Nelly. You repaired your 
 fault so quickly that no suspicion or trouble was 
 brought upon any one else ; and, perhaps, an 
 explanation of the real state of the case would 
 do no good to any one but yourself. But would 
 it not do you good, Nelly? Would you not feel 
 more honest and true in your teacher's presence ? 
 Would you not have more confidence in your 
 own purpose to sin no more in the future, if you 
 bravely took upon yourself all the consequences 
 of the present error?" 
 
 Nell}' remained silent with covered face. 
 These were hard lines, indeed. Her punish- 
 ment seemed greater than she could bear. 
 
 Her mother waited a moment, and then said, 
 kindly, 
 
 " That question need not be decided just yet, 
 Nelly. You can think about it, and see what
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. Ijl 
 
 your own heart will bid yon do by and by. But 
 it is against a higher Power than your father, or 
 myself, or your teachers, that you have sinned 
 most deeply, Nelly. I want to feel sure, my 
 daughter, that you realize your offence towards 
 God, and his just displeasure. Unless your re- 
 pentance is such as he will acknowledge, unless 
 you obtain his forgiveness, oui's will be of little 
 worth. And he will never deny either his pardon, 
 or the help of his Spirit against future temptation, 
 to those who ask it in humility and faith, for the 
 sake of his Son our Savior, who died that our sins 
 might be washed away in his blood. You believe 
 that don't you, Nelly? ' 
 
 u Then, my child, seek that forgiveness at once. 
 You will never feel happy till you obtain it ; you 
 will never know real peace or safety till you feel 
 that God, for Christ's sake, has pardoned all the 
 past, and become your Father and Friend. I 
 will leave you now, my child ; but I leave you 
 with a kiss of perfect forgiveness. Seek also 
 that other and higher forgiveness ; and remem- 
 ber the sacred promise, ' If we confess our sins, 
 God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 
 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' " 
 
 Mrs. Morgan stooped and pressed her lips, in
 
 172 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT 
 
 a long, and earnest, and pitying caress, upon the 
 flushed and tear-stained face of her erring but 
 repentant child, and then moved quietly from the 
 room, leaving her to the solemn silence of the 
 gathering twilight, and of her own contrite 
 thoughts. 
 
 The shades of evening threw a covering 
 mantle over the kneeling figure of the repentant 
 girl : we, too, will draw a veil over the work- 
 ings of the young and sorrowful heart which 
 opened itself in grief and shame to God. It is 
 enough to say that Nelly thought, and felt, and 
 prayed, as she had never thought, or felt, or 
 prayed before ; and that when, an hour later, she 
 appeared at the tea-table, her father, after one 
 long, keen, scrutinizing look at her pale and 
 humbled, but calm and resolute, face, seemed 
 satisfied that, if she had sinned, she had repent- 
 ed, and drew her to his breast in a long clasp of 
 forgiving love, which seemed to bind the whole 
 family together in a bond of such peace and 
 happiness as they had never known before. 
 
 It only remains now to say, that it took Nelly 
 but one day to decide to tell the whole truth to 
 Mr. Porter and Miss Elliott. After 'passing so 
 many weeks as a living lie, it had seemed so
 
 MAKE FINE BIRDS. 173 
 
 sweet to her to feel that, at last, she was con- 
 cealing nothin'g from those at home, that she 
 longed to feel the same happy consciousness at 
 school ; and the kind smile which the principal 
 hestowed upon her, when she first met him the 
 next day, broke down the last barrier of reluc- 
 tance to fulfil the bitter duty. 
 
 She asked permission to see him alone in the 
 library for a few minutes, and that Miss Elliott 
 might be sent for ; and when they were seated 
 there, with grave and listening faces, she told 
 them, shamefully and sorrowfully, but bravely 
 and truthfully, the sad story of her vanity and 
 folly, which led her first into disobedience and 
 deception, and yesterday into actual crime 
 how she had been mercifully enabled to restore 
 what she had taken, within the hour, but how 
 her conscience compelled her to reveal the 
 whole truth. And they listened, surprised" and 
 displeased at first, it is true, but touched, at the 
 last, with pity for her humiliation, and approval 
 of her brave resolve to tell the truth at whatever 
 cost. There could be no doubt of the reality of 
 her repentance when proved so nobly, and both 
 principal and teacher at once accorded a full 
 forgiveness, and promised increased, instead of 
 diminished, respect and confidence in the future.
 
 174 FINE FEATHERS DO NOT MAKE FINE BIRDS. 
 
 Nelly went out from their presence with a 
 lighter heart than she had known for many long, 
 weary weeks, and feeling that at last she had a 
 right to hold up her head before the whole world, 
 and begin her life anew, walking steadily, hence- 
 forward, in a straight path, by the grace of God. 
 
 Not that she suddenly became perfect, little 
 reader. Not that her besetting sins of vanity 
 and love of dress, which had plunged her into 
 all this sea of trouble and sin, were at once 
 entirely overcome, or that she was never again 
 tempted to conceal an act of folly. 
 
 But that she had learned, first, that finery, of 
 itself, never brings happiness, and that falsehood 
 brings trouble and disgrace ; and secondly, the 
 far deeper truths of her own weakness, and 
 God's strength to " give grace to help in time 
 of need." 
 
 If her story should assist one little girl, in this 
 age of devotion to outward adornment, to find 
 her highest pleasure elsewhere than in the grati- 
 fication of vanity, or teach one erring child to 
 seek relief from trouble in confession rather than 
 concealment, this little book will not have been 
 written in vain.
 
 Lee Gr 1 Shepard^s Recent Publications. 
 
 NEW JUVENILE BOOKS. 
 
 THE DICK AND DAISY SERIES. By Miss ADELAIDE 
 F. SAMUELS. Fourvols. Illustrated. Per vol., 50 cts. 
 
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 memory, games for old and young, new games, material magic, head work, 
 answers to head work, amusements for Christmas holidays, Christmas, ven- 
 triloquism, gardening, flowers, house and home arts, the toilet, home reading, 
 the sick room, directions for making bread, yeast, &c." Eagle, Pittsfitld.
 
 Lee 6r Shepard's Publications. 
 
 NEW JUVENILE BOOKS. 
 
 AMONG THE BRIGANDS. By Prof. JAMES DE MILLE. 
 l6mo. Illustrated. $1.50. 
 
 "We don't know that we need say any more of this book than to innounce 
 its author, and eve;-ybody will know at once that it is written in a wide-awake, 
 dnshing style. This tale is full of exciting; scenes and hair-breadth escapes, 
 the' location of which is in Italy, and the details of which afford an insight 
 into the characters to be found there, and the strange things to be seen, 
 the brigands, the beggars, ruined and burned cities, &c., &c." Lewiston 
 Journal. 
 
 FIRE IN THE WOODS. By Prof. JAMES DE MILLE. 
 Uniform in style and price with "The B. O. W. C," "The 
 Boys of Grand Pre School," "Lost in the Fog," &c. 
 l6mo. Illustrated. $1.50. 
 
 "This book is the fourth in the B. O. W. C. series, and is fully equal to 
 the preceding vo'umes. The readers of Prof. De Mille's books may be as- 
 sured at the outset that they will find no dull chapters to be waded through 
 or skipped, as shall best please each reader. " MeadvUU Journal. 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE CASCO. By ELIJAH KELLOGG. 
 l6mo. Illustrated. $1.25. 
 
 " This volume is full of interesting and exciting adventures on sea and 
 land, with enough of fun to make it spicy and inviting. The storv illus- 
 trates how ea*ily pood persons may fall into bad company, and the influence 
 they exert when among those who are in the wrong path. Hence it teaches 
 an excellent moral lesson." Webster Times. 
 
 THE TURNING WHEEL By PAUL COBDEN, author of 
 "Who Will Win?" and "Going on a Mission." i6mo. 
 
 Illustrated. $1.25. 
 
 "This is a volume of the 'Beckoning Series.' It has a preface at once 
 unique and suggestive. 'There is a wheel that is nlways turning. It never 
 stands still. To some, in its unceasing motion, it brings good; to others, 
 evil. That it may bring to ajl the renders of this story what th--y most need, 
 is the earnest wish of the writer.' These few words explain the title, and give 
 the hint to the ?tory. It charmingly describes the turning of the wheel for its 
 own circle of characters, with the good and i.l it brought" Albany Jour. 
 
 AUNT MADGE'S STORY. By SOPHIE MAY, author of 
 " Little Prudy Stories," " Dotty Dimple Stories," &c. 
 Illustrated. 75 cents. 
 
 "The works of this writer for children have met with a hearty reception 
 from those for whom they were intended; she knows just how to talk to the 
 little ones, and her style is remarkably adapted to their comprehension. 
 Aunt Madge's story is the third vo'ume in ' Little Prudy's Flyaway Series,' 
 which is to be completed in six volumes, and every little one who has read or 
 heard read 'Little Prudv ' and the 'Dotty Dimple' stories, will be delighted 
 with this." Nation, Boston.
 
 
 This book is DUE on the last 
 date stamped below 
 
 JANO 
 
 10m-ll, '50(2555)470 
 
 J
 
 UCLA- Young Research Library 
 
 PZ6 .N293f 
 
 PZ6 Neely - 
 '93f Fine .feathers do I 
 
 not make fine 
 bird. 
 
 PZ6 
 N293f
 
 ELM ISLAND STORIES. 
 
 Six vole. IBrao. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.25. 
 
 1. Lion Ben of Elm Island. 
 
 2. Charlie Bell. 
 
 3. The Ark of Elm Island. 
 
 4. The Boy Farmers of Elm 
 
 Island. 
 
 5. The Young Shipbuilders of 
 
 Elm Island. 
 
 6. The Hardscrabble of Elm 
 
 Island. 
 
 "There is no sentimentalism in this series. 
 It is all downright matter-of-fact boy life, and 
 of course they are deeply interested in read- 
 ing it. The history of pioneer life is so 
 attractive that one involuntarily wishes to 
 renew those early struggles with adverse 
 circumstances, and join the busy actors in 
 successful efforts to build up pleasant 
 
 thei: 
 
 homes on our sea-girt islands." Zimt's 
 Herald. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 Illustrated Natural History. 
 
 YOUNG HUNTER'S LIBRARY. 
 
 By MBS. R. LEE. Four volume 
 Per vol., $1.50. 
 
 Illustrated. 
 
 The Australian Wanderers. 
 
 The Adventures of Captain Spencer and 
 his Horse and Dog in the Wilds of Aus- 
 tralia. 
 
 The African Cruspes. 
 
 The Adventures of Carlos and Antonio 
 in the Wilds of Africa. 
 
 Anecdotes of Animals, 
 
 With their Habits, Instincts, &c., &c. 
 
 Anecdotes of Birds, Fishes, Kep- 
 tiles, &c., their Habits and Instincts. 
 
 This is a very popular series, prepared for 
 :he purpose of interesting the young in the 
 study of natural history. The exciting ad- 
 
 ures of celebrated travellers, anecdotes '. 
 of sagacity in birds, beasts, e, have been : 
 nterwoven in a pleasant manner. This se- ; 
 is not only very interesting but is deci- : 
 dedly profitable reading. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. ! 
 
 Wonderful Stories. 
 
 JUTLAND SERIES. 
 
 Four vols. niusvrated. Set in a neat box, or sold 
 separate. Per vol., $1.50. 
 
 The Sand Hills of Jutland. 
 
 By Hans Christian Andersen. i6mo. 
 Illustrated. 
 
 Yarns of an Old Mariner. 
 
 By Mrs. Mary Cowden Clarke. Illus- 
 trated by Cruikshank. 6mo. 
 
 Schoolboy Days. 
 
 By W. H. G. Kingston. ^mo. Six- 
 teen illustrations. 
 
 Great Men and Gallant Deeds. 
 By J. G. Edgar. i6mo. Illustrated. 
 
 Four books by four noted authors comprise 
 this series, which contains Adventures by Sea 
 and Land, Manly Sports of England, Boy 
 Life in English Schools, Fairy Tales and 
 Legends, all handsomely illustrated. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. LEE t SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 The Great West. 
 
 THE FRONTIER SERIES 
 
 Five vols. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.25. 
 
 Twelve Nights in the Hunters' 
 
 Camp. 
 A Thousand Miles' Walk Across 
 
 South America. 
 The Cabin on the Prairie. 
 Planting the Wilderness. 
 The Young Pioneers. 
 
 The romance surrounding the adventurous : 
 
 ves of Western pioneers and immigrants : 
 
 has suggested nearly as many stories as the : 
 
 chivalnc deeds of knight-errantry. These ! 
 
 Jes of frontier life are, however, as a rule, \ 
 
 characterized by such wildness of fancy and : 
 
 h extravagancy of language that we have : 
 
 often wondered why another Cervantes did : 
 
 not ridicule our border romances by describ- 
 
 ng a second Don Quixote's adventures on i 
 
 the prairies. We are pleased to notice, that 
 
 he new series of Frontier Tales, by Lee : 
 
 & Shepard, there is an agreeable absence of : 
 
 sensational writing, of that maudlin senti- : 
 
 mentality which make the generality of such 
 
 :ales nauseous." Standard.
 
 UCLA-Young Research Library 
 
 PZ6 .N293f 
 
 ) MISS LOUISE M. THURSTON'S 
 
 CHARLEY ROBERTS SERIES 
 
 To be completed in six vols. Illustrated. 
 Per volume, $i. 
 
 How Cliarley Roberts Be- 
 came a Mian. 
 
 How ICva Roberts Grained 
 Her Education. 
 
 Charley and ICva's Home 
 in the 'West. 
 
 (Others in Preparation.) 
 
 In presenting the above new series the publish- 
 ers believe that they are adding to that class of 
 juvenile literature whose intrinsic worth is recog- 
 nized by those who have at heart the good of the 
 young. 
 
 "They are pleasantly written books, descriptive 
 of the struggles and difficulties of Charley and 
 Eva in attaining to manhood and womanhood, 
 and they are well adapted to stimulate a noble 
 ambition in the hearts of young persons." 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 Tarirt anU attractiSw." 
 
 VACATION STORY-BOOKS. 
 
 Six vols. Illust. Per vol. 80 cts. 
 
 "Worth not Wealth. 
 
 Country Life. 
 
 The Charm. 
 
 Karl Keigler. 
 
 "Walter Seyton. 
 
 Holidays at Chestnut Hill. 
 
 ROSY DIAMOND STORY-BOOKS. 
 
 Sixjialiunes. Illustrated. Per vol., 80 cts, 
 
 The Great Rosy Diamond. 
 Daisy, or The Fairy Spectacles, 
 Violet, a Fairy Story. 
 Minnie, or The Little "Woman. 
 The Angel Children. 
 Little Blossom's Howard. 
 
 These are delightful works for children. They 
 are all very popular, and have had a wide circula- 
 tion. They are now presented in a new dress. 
 The stories are all amusing and instructive, ex- 
 hibiting human nature in children, and teaching 
 
 some very important practical lessons. 
 
 1 ,, LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 L 009 572 499 3 
 
 Climbing the Rope. 
 Billy Grrixnes's favorite. 
 
 The Cruise of the Dasha- 
 way. 
 
 The Little Spaniard. 
 Salt TVater Diok. 
 Little Maid of Oxbow. 
 
 " -May Mannering 1 is the worn de plume of an 
 agreeable writer for the young folk* who possesses 
 more than ordinary ability, and has a thorough 
 comprehension of the way to interest children. " 
 Philadelphia Item. 
 
 " We like the spirit of these books exceedingly, 
 and cordially commend it to the notice of Sabbath 
 School Librarle*.' 1 Ladiet' Bepotitory. 
 
 LEE & 8HEPARO, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 ".ffassdnatins anD fcxstrurttoe." 
 
 THE PROVERB SERIES. 
 
 BY MRS. M. E. BRADLKV AND Miss 
 KATK ]. NKKLY. 
 
 Six vols. Illust Per vol., (i. 
 Birds of a Feather. 
 
 Fine Feathers do Not make Fine 
 Birds. 
 
 Handsome is that Handsome does. 
 
 A "Wrong Confessed is half Be 
 dressed. 
 
 Actions speak louder than "Words 
 One feood Turn deserves another. 
 
 " Each volume is complete in itself, and illus- 
 trates, with a story of most fascinating and in* : 
 structive interest, the proverb taken for its title. : 
 These are just the kind of books that we like to : 
 see in i<Tamily or Sunday-school library. They ; 
 
 ill be read by persons of all ages with deep i 
 interest, and afford Instructive and entertaining 
 conversation with the children."-* A Journal. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publisher*. Boston.