FRIENDS IN NEED.

This is another "once upon a time" story, only that it was not such a very long time ago that old Grandma Sparrow, Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow, and three little Sparrow children lived on Bird Alley, only three doors away from Mr. Jack Rabbit's house.

When the Sparrow family first moved into Bird Alley the weather was warm, and Mr. Sparrow had not the slightest difficulty in doing his marketing, for food was plenty in the streets, and he knew of as many as a hundred cozy places where water could be found.

So all the summer long this family had three good meals each day simply by going a short distance for them, and when it was very stormy some of the children brought grandma's dinner to her, which showed that they loved the old lady very dearly.

They were as industrious a family as ever lived in that alley, the children doing exactly what their parents desired without ever once crying to go out and play marbles, or to have a new doll, and they always minded their own business, instead of idling around to see what the neighbors were doing.

They knew that just around the corner the Rabbits lived, for several times, when they had been out for food, the Sparrows had seen them at the window, but the two families had never visited each other. Perhaps they were not acquainted, because Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Sparrow had never been introduced, or perhaps politics had something to do with it; at all events, they were not acquaintances, and paid very little attention to each other during the entire summer.

But one morning they awakened very early shivering with the cold, grandmother shaking worse than all. The children were very much surprised, for they had never had any experience with cold weather; but the old folks looked worried, and Mr. Sparrow, without even stopping to read the morning paper, said to his wife:

"I shall have to go out and see if any crumbs have been left for us. You take care of grandmother, and keep the children in the house until I come back."

The baby—for one of the children was so much smaller than the others that they always called her the baby, even though she was only two days younger than the oldest—cried to go out, and was so naughty that grandma had to explain to her what the winter was.

She told her that Mr. Frost came each year on a visit, and locked everything up in ice and snow that he could get hold of, which made it very bad for Sparrows, unless some kind people left bread-crumbs where hungry birds could get them.

The baby was not exactly satisfied with the explanation, because she could not understand how it was that food should be so scarce then, when it had been so plenty the day before; but she was naturally a good little sparrow, and therefore did not grumble at being obliged to remain in the house, even if she could not understand what her grandmother told her.

It was late, and every one was very hungry, when Mr. Sparrow came back. From the look on his face it was easy to see he had not been successful; and after he had warmed his nose and his toes, he told them of the long journey he had taken without finding a single chance for them to get breakfast. Everything out-doors was frozen solid, and it seemed as if the frost had found its way into the hearts of the people at the same time, for not a crumb was to be seen anywhere.

Of course he knew that they must have something to eat, and he said to his wife, much as if he was sorry at being obliged to come to such a decision:

"Every bird in the alley is in the same plight we are, and I don't believe any one of them has food enough in the house for a decent-sized lunch. If it wasn't for grandmother and the children we could go hungry for one day; but they must have something, and I have decided that I will go over to Mr. Jack Rabbit's, and tell him just how we are situated. He always has plenty of oats and barley in the house, and never would miss the little we should eat."

Mrs. Sparrow did not like the idea of begging for a breakfast, and she proposed that they should offer to pay for it by giving the Rabbit family a concert—a plan of which Mr. Sparrow thought very highly.

It did not take them long to dress, for each one had his winter coat on, and in a few moments after they were all sitting on a trough in front of Mr. Rabbit's house.

Grandmother was still so lame that she could hardly sit up straight, and the two older children felt so bashful at having all the young Rabbits looking them straight in the face, that they got over at one end of the trough where they could not be seen so plainly. But the baby sat up between her mother and father as pert as possible, all ready to join in the chorus as soon as the concert should begin.

Old Mrs. Rabbit was so surprised at the sudden appearance of visitors when her house was not fully in order, that she stuck her head out between the bars as if she wanted to smell of them to make sure they were alive, and the children crowded so rudely that Mr. Rabbit was obliged to look over his wife's head in order to see his guests.

Mr. Sparrow began the conversation by saying that he was sorry at thus intruding on strangers, and then told of the condition of affairs in his household, concluding his story by saying that nothing save absolute hunger would have induced him to ask such a favor as that of something to eat.

Then the baby spoke up, and would have told just how hungry she was, but that her mother stepped on her toes to remind her that it was much better for little folks to be seen than heard.

Mr. Rabbit stroked his whiskers sagely while Mr. Sparrow was speaking, and after the baby was hushed, he said, kindly:

"I'm very sorry for you, neighbor, very sorry, and I will take especial pains to have grain enough for your wants pushed out through the cracks of our dining-room when we have our meals. I have always thought that you Sparrows were not treated exactly as you deserved. In the summer the children watch your funny ways, and think you're very nice, while some, I am sorry to say, even steal the eggs from your nest. But when winter comes, they seem to think it too much trouble even to throw out a piece of bread where you can get it when the ground is covered with snow. I shall speak about that same thing to certain parties I know, and next winter I hope it will not happen."

Then Mrs. Rabbit apologized because she had no napkins to give her guests, but Mrs. Sparrow begged of her not to feel badly about that, since they were all so hungry that they would not even stop for plates or forks, and in a few moments the Sparrow family had eaten all they needed.

Mr. Sparrow, anxious to repay his neighbors for their kindness, started a song, and all joined in the chorus, while the Rabbit family clapped their paws until it was repeated over and over again.

These two families became firm friends after that first call, and during all of last winter the Sparrows ate at the Rabbits' table; but Mr. Rabbit says that when the cold weather comes this year he firmly believes his friend the Editor of Young People will do all in his power to induce his young acquaintances to see that their bird friends, who have done so much for their amusement during the summer, are provided with a liberal supply of crumbs during the cold winter months.

THE SPARROW FAMILY VISIT THE RABBIT FAMILY.

ELVES IN THE PICNIC GROVE.