[Illustration: 9030]
AX was not one of Toots' "really truly friends," so Toots said, but
mamma and cousin Hattie were kind to Max. He needed friends badly. He
had no mother, and his father was a cruel, wicked man. One day when
Toots and his mother were spending the day with cousin Hattie, the
latter said, "I have some very bad news to tell you. Some wicked boy has
torn down my little bird-house which papa put in the maple tree for me,
and my dear little birds have gone away."
"How cruel!" said Toots.
"Who could climb over your high wall?" asked his mamma.
"I cannot guess," replied cousin Hattie, "but my roses are trampled, and
papa says it must be a boy, as he measured the footsteps."
"You had better watch for the thief, and, perhaps, we can coax him to
behave better in future." Miss Hattie and the servants watched in vain
for a week, but one day while the ladies were reading in the library the
servant knocked to say that a queer-looking boy had just slid down the
fence, and perhaps he was the thief.
The ladies went out at once and found him. He looked ragged and
neglected, but his face was a good one if it had only been clean and
happy.
"I am sorry you climbed over that way," said cousin Hattie; "whenever
you would like to see my garden you shall come in if you will ring the
bell." The boy looked very much ashamed. "Please tell me your name."
"Max," was the brief reply.
"It is a very nice name," said cousin Hattie. "Now Max, if you will come
with me into the kitchen I will find some lunch for you." Max followed
her in, but he could not eat much; the cook looked at him sharply.
"I know him, miss," said she, "he is called Max the Meddler. He never
lets a poor bird or cat have any rest where he is, and he is prying
about everywhere. I am sure he took your bird-house."
Cousin Hattie said, "Never mind, cook; he will never do it again;
perhaps he will earn a new name and a better one." After he had eaten
his lunch the young lady took him out into the garden and told him the
story of her birds--how much she loved them, how her papa put up their
house, and how sorry she was to have them disturbed. Max looked more
than ever ashamed. At last he said: "I will never do so again, lady, and
if you will let me come and work in your garden I will pay you for the
little house, which I sold to another boy."
[Illustration: 0032]