Williams news., 1918-01-03
The young man broke in, evidently

' embarrassed.
 | Oh i say, now, mother, you can't ask the young lady to do that I'll let you know about the birds-Fll drop in once a week or so to see how they are. I'm more familiar with them, anyway, it would be much better
 ''Well, perhaps" agreed the old lady. She nodded to Clarta. You're very kind," she said. And please don't forget that cuttle-fish bone :; fresh every three days. Very we'll Good-morning
 Wasn't that a nice girl?r said Mrs. Tucker to her son, as they walked down the street. 'Tm sure she'll be good to Dick and Nellie.''
 "I hope they'll be good to her. mur- mured the young man. 'I should think any bird could sing in that shop"
 Mrs. Fuckers anx1eties concerning her pets must have multiplied as the summer went on, for MT. James Tuck CT, Jr., found it necessary to drop in and look at the birds very frequently indeed. Clarita used to smile when she saw him coming. MT. James, Jr., was young lawyer, and his office not yet being overrun with clients, he found time to visit the bird store in the middle of the morning or the after noon, or sometimes both. Birds were never better 1ooked-after than were the Tucker canaries.
 "How's Dick?" he would ask. com ing in, to find C1arita polishing cages or filling tiny cups with bird-seed.
 every we'll" Clarita would answer, most demurely. He's been singing his head off this morning.
 Nothing strange in that" he would say q should, too, if I stayed here. Isn't there something I can do to help, Miss Evans? I've an hour or so to spare. Let me polish that brass; I'm used to shining up gear on my auto. I wish you could take a little spin in it tonight, after the birds are all asleep. Would you-?'
 Then there came day when Dick was not so well. He dropped and pined in his cage, with never a song. Clarita fused over him, and doctored him for various bird ailments. But it was of no avail-Dick refused to be merry.
 "Of course, he's a very old bird," Clarita said anxiously to James, who was very attentive to the invalid. "It's probably old age. I don't think there's much we can do. What a shame that your mother shouldn't see him again! !''
 "I might telegraph" he suggested, ''but she's five hundred miles away. I doubt whether she'd come. She will of that poor old bird.'
 "Of course she isI' Clarita said with emphasis. "When you do like birds, you love them. You don't un- derstand, James Tucker; you needn't | laugh !'
 ''Well, love something else besides birds," he defended. ''That is I love else. It's all right to want | to spend your life with birds, but I'd | rather spend mine with-''
 Something in his tone made Clarita | turn away quickly. A customer came | in just then, and she was busy for an | hour or more, so his sentence was not | finished. However, Clarita knew what | it's ending would have been, and she | pondered it that night as she sat alone | at her window, looking out at the stars. She pondered it, and a little | soft sigh escaped her. She was very happy.
 Bird Dick died the next day. James came in, to find Clarita putting his soft little body into a moss-lined box.
 "Poor old Dick! !'' said James Tuck CT. "Mother'n care a lot. We ought to make it up to her somehow. I might buy her another bird, but no bird could take Dicks place in her af- fections. I think the very best way would be to make her so happy about something else that she would be dis -racted. I know what I'd like to do.'
 "What?" asked Clarita-although she thought she knew.
 ''Take her a new daughter said James Tucker. "What do you say, Clarita? Couldn't we be married now and break the news about Dick to- yether? It would make her so happy she couldn't grieve for him at all Mothers always wanted a daughter, Clarita, and you know that love you more than anything in the wide world. Couldn't we be married now, Clarita?''
 "Well," murmured Clarita, as his arm began to steal around her, '1 1on't know but what we could"