the singer lady cautiously veered around to the rear of the insulted
grandee, and, grasping her fluffy skirts in her free hand, she shook
them out with a pleading "Shoo!" Instantly a perfect whirlwind of
spangled feathers veered around and faced the cascade of frills, and
a volume of defiant hisses fairly filled the air. Teether squealed
and Miss Wingate retreated to the bounds of the fence. The Doctor
laughed in the most heartless manner, and still Spangles held her
ground.

To make matters worse, Mother Mayberry's jovial voice, mingled with
the shrill treble of the combined circus party, who were trying all
at once to tell her the wonders of the adventure, could be
distinctly heard in an increasing volume that told of their rapid
approach. The situation was desperate, and the loss of Mother
Mayberry's faith in her seemed inevitable to the nonplussed singer
lady as she leaned against the fence with Teether over her shoulder.
Then the instinct that is centuries old presented to her the wile
that is of equal antiquity and, raising her purple eyes to the
defenseless Doctor, she murmured in a voice of utter helplessness,
into which was judiciously mingled a tone of perfect confidence:

"Please, sir, get her in for me."

The response to which, being foreordained from the beginning of
time, took Doctor Mayberry just one exciting half-minute grab and
shove to accomplish, at the end of which a ruffled but chastened
Spangles was forced to assemble her family and content herself
behind the bars of the despised coop.

"Well," said Mother Mayberry as she hurried around the corner of the