Part 8

“Oh, look!” cried Mary. “There’s a little birdie.”

“Yes, and it’s lame, too,” said Tommy.

“Maybe we can catch it, and make it better,” spoke Johnnie, and he hurried after the birdie, which really was lame. There was something the matter with one of its legs, so that it couldn’t hop very well, and there was something the matter with one of its wings, so that it could only flutter along.

“Wait, little birdie!” exclaimed Tommy kindly, “I won’t hurt you the least bit.”

But perhaps the bird didn’t understand Tommy’s talk. At any rate, it still fluttered on, and the three Trippertrot children kept after it, for Johnny and Mary wouldn’t let Tommy go on alone.

“Wait, birdie!” called Tommy again, “and I’ll give you my paper lantern,” for Tommy had brought one with him from his kindergarten class.

But I guess the birdie didn’t like paper lanterns. Anyway, he kept on fluttering along, just far enough ahead so that the Trippertrot children couldn’t catch him. They didn’t want to hurt him, you understand; no, indeed! They only wanted to help him.

“Oh, wait a minute, little bird!” called Johnny, “and I will give you my paper chain.”

But perhaps the birdie was afraid the paper chain might get tangled in his legs. At any rate, he didn’t wait, but kept on fluttering along the sidewalk.

“Perhaps some cat might get him,” said Mary, after a while. “We must try to catch that birdie, boys, and put him in a safe place. Wait, and I will speak to him.”

So Mary walked on in front of Tommy and Johnny, and said, in her soft little voice:

“Wait a minute, birdie, and you may have my paper pin-wheel that I made in kindergarten class, and it goes around and around as fast as anything.”

“What goes around,” asked Tommy, with a laugh, “the pin-wheel or the kindergarten class?”

“Both of them,” answered Mary quickly. “The pin-wheel goes around when you blow your breath on it, and the kindergarten class goes around when teacher plays the piano, and we march and play games. But now please keep quiet, and I may get the birdie.”

So Mary walked on ahead, very, very softly, and once more she told the lame birdie that it might have her pin-wheel. I don’t know just how it was, but perhaps the birdie thought if he had the pin-wheel he might be able to fly up in the air again. At any rate, he stopped fluttering, and a moment later Mary had him softly nestled in her little, warm hands.

“Oh, you dear, darling little birdie!” she exclaimed.

“One of his legs is hurt and so is one of his wings,” said Mary, as she looked at the little lame birdie. “Oh, boys!” she exclaimed, “I know what let’s do!”

“What?” asked Johnny.

“Let’s take this bird to a doctor’s office,” went on Mary, “and the doctor will make him all better. How’s that?”

“Fine!” cried Tommy and Johnny together, and then they looked up and down the street to see a house where a doctor lived. And then, all of a sudden, Johnny cried:

“Oh, Mary! Oh, Tommy! We’re lost again! We came down the wrong street, when we followed the fluttering birdie, and now can’t find our way home again! Oh, what shall we do?”

“Oh, never mind!” spoke Mary, after a bit, when she had looked all around to see if she could find the way home, but she couldn’t. “Never mind. We’ll go to the doctor’s office first, and maybe he can tell us the way home.”

“Maybe he can!” said Tommy and Johnny, and then they didn’t feel badly any more. Well, the Trippertrot children walked on, Mary carrying the birdie, which was just as happy as it could be now. And pretty soon the children met a nice man.

“If you please, sir,” said Tommy, “can you tell us where there’s a doctor’s office?”

“Why, are you sick?” asked the man quickly.

“No, but the bird is,” said Johnny. “And we’re lost.”

[Illustration: _The Trippertrot Children Ran On._]

“But we didn’t mean to be,” said Tommy quickly. “You see, we were coming home from school, and we kept on going after this birdie, until, all of a sudden, we were lost.”

“I see,” said the man, with a jolly laugh. “Well, I hope you will find your home again. The doctor’s office is just a few houses down this street. Right next to the candy store,” he added.

“Oh, thank you, then we can easily find it,” said Mary quickly; “we just love candy.”

“Then here is a cent for each of you,” spoke the man, and he gave them each a cent, and pretty soon the Trippertrot children ran on, and they were at the candy store. And they bought some sticks of peppermint candy, and then they rang the bell at the doctor’s office.

“Well, what is it, children?” asked the doctor, when he came to the door. “I hope you are not all sick.”

“No, but the little lame birdie is,” said Tommy, “and will you please cure him? We would give you some pennies for doing it, but we just spent them all for candy, so we have none.”

“Hum, then I’m afraid _you_ may be sick, as well as the birdie,” said the doctor.

“We’re lost, anyhow, but we’re not sick--that is, not yet, if you please,” said Mary. “But can you cure the birdie?”

“Oh, I’m afraid not,” said the doctor kindly. “You see, I am a boy-or-a-girl or a man-or-a-lady doctor, but not a bird-doctor. You will have to take the birdie to a bird-doctor.”

“If you please, where is one?” asked Johnny.

“I don’t know,” answered the man-doctor.

“Then I guess you will have to be one yourself,” said Mary. “If you can cure a boy or a girl you can cure a bird. And then, please will you find our home for us? We’re the Trippertrots, and we’re lost.”

“Oh, my! Oh, my!” exclaimed the doctor, and he laughed and scratched his head. “I don’t know what in the world to do. But come in, and bring the bird.”

Then he took them inside and he gave the bird some warm milk, and he put some salve on the sore wing and leg, and pretty soon the birdie was all well again.

“Now what are you going to do with the bird?” asked the doctor when he had cured it. “Are you going to take it home, and put it in a cage?”

“No, indeed!” exclaimed Mary. “Birdies don’t like to be shut up in a cage. We’re going to let it go; aren’t we, boys?”

“Of course,” said Tommy and Johnny. So the doctor opened a window and out flew the little birdie, and it was so happy that it wiggled its tail and called “cheep-cheep!” to the children.

“And now can you please take us home?” said Mary to the doctor. “We are tired and we haven’t been home from school yet, and mamma may worry. Besides, we want to make some paper lanterns, and paper chains, and paper pin-wheels. Please take us home.”

“Dear me!” exclaimed the doctor. “I hardly know what to do. Where do you live?”

“We don’t know,” said Mary and Tommy and Johnny at once.

“Oh, this is worse and worse!” exclaimed the doctor.

“Don’t you know where we live?” asked Mary. “I thought doctors knew everything.”

“I only wish I did,” said the doctor kindly. “But I will see what I can do.” So he called in Bridget, his cook, and asked her if she knew where the children lived.

“Of course,” answered Bridget. “They are the Trippertrots. They live a couple of streets from here.”

“Can you take them home?” asked the doctor.

“Ah, sure I can,” said Bridget.

“Then please do,” said the doctor.

So Bridget put on her bonnet and shawl, and started to take the Trippertrots home, but on the way there something else happened.

ADVENTURE NUMBER EIGHTEEN

THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE NICE BIG DOG

Bridget led Tommy and Mary and Johnny Trippertrot down the steps of the house and started off up the street with them.

“Are you sure, if you please, that you know where we live, Bridget?” asked Mary.

“Ah, sure I do!” exclaimed Bridget, with a laugh. “I know Suzette, your mamma’s nursemaid, and if I know what house _she_ lives in, sure I can take you to that _same_ house, can’t I?”

“Oh, I’m sure you can!” exclaimed Mary, “and if we had any of our candy left we’d give you some; wouldn’t we, boys?”

“Yes, indeed!” exclaimed Tommy and Johnny together, like twins, you know.

“Oh, bless your dear little hearts!” exclaimed Bridget. “I don’t want any candy. But come along now, and you’ll soon be home.”

So she led them up one street, and down another, and pretty soon they came to a window of a store that was filled with pretty toys. Oh, there were trains of cars, and toy soldiers, and dolls, and doll carriages, and steam engines, and elephants that waggled their heads, and all things like that.

“Oh, don’t you remember this place?” cried Mary to her brothers.

[Illustration: THE TRAIN KEPT GOING ON AND ON]

“Yes,” said Johnny, “this is the toy shop where we came the first time we were lost, and we choosed things from the window.”

“That’s what it is,” agreed Tommy.

“Have you children been lost before?” asked Bridget.

“Oh, we’re always getting lost!” exclaimed Mary. “Aren’t we, boys?”

“Of course,” answered Tommy and Johnny together, once more like twins, you know.

“But it isn’t our fault,” said Mary. “It’s just like to-day; something always leads us off, like a lame birdie or a pink cow, or the dancing bears.”

“Bless and save us!” cried Bridget. “What funny children you are, to be sure! But come along, and we’ll soon be home.”

Well, she was hurrying them along as fast as she could, for it was getting on toward evening, you know, when all at once Johnny fell down and he bumped his nose on the sidewalk.

“Oh, my!” he exclaimed.

“There now, don’t cry!” said Mary.

“I’m not going to!” said Johnny bravely. “But--but I want to very much, and it hurts awful, that’s what it does,” and he couldn’t help two tears coming into his eyes, but he didn’t let them fall down on the sidewalk; no, indeed. Oh, I tell you he was a brave little boy!

“Never mind,” said Bridget, “I’ll rub my gold ring on the sore spot, and maybe that will make it better.”

So she rubbed her cold gold ring on Johnny’s sore nose, and it was soon better--I mean his nose was better, not the ring, you know.

Well, all of a sudden, as Bridget was leading the children along the street, and they were thinking they would soon be at home, Bridget cried out:

“Oh, dear! I quite forgot that I left the meat cooking on the stove for the doctor’s supper! It will be all burned up! I must hurry back to the house. Oh, dear! Poor man, he can’t eat burned meat! I must go back at once.”

“Are you going to take us back with you?” asked Mary, and she didn’t feel like going, as her feet were very tired, and she wanted to get home.

“Take you back with me?” cried Bridget. “No, I don’t believe I’ll do that, or you’ll never get home. See, darlings, it’s but a short step now to your house. Just down this street a little way, and then you turn the corner, and there you are. Don’t you think you can find it by yourselves? The little boy who didn’t cry when he bumped his nose ought to be able to find it.”

“I--I guess I can,” said Johnny.

“We’ll try, anyhow,” spoke Tommy.

“Well, if we get lost again we can’t help it,” said Mary.

“Oh, you won’t get lost,” declared Bridget, and then, giving them each a kiss, she hurried back to the doctor’s house so that the supper meat wouldn’t burn.

Well, the children stood still in the street for a minute, and then they started in the direction Bridget had shown them. They thought surely, this time, they could find their house. They were beginning to be hungry.

“Come on, let’s hurry,” said Mary, so she took hold of Johnny’s hand on one side, and Tommy’s hand on the other, and away they went.

They hadn’t gone very far before, all at once, and when they hadn’t yet had time to turn the corner, a nice, big, black and white dog came running toward them.

“Oh, look, there’s Fido, our dog!” cried Tommy.

“No, Fido isn’t as big as that,” said Johnny quickly. “That is another dog.”

“But he’s as nice as our Fido,” said Mary, and the boys were sure this was so.

“And oh, look!” exclaimed Tommy, when the big black and white dog came closer to them, “this dog must have run away, for there’s a broken string fast to his collar. Maybe he broke it, and pulled away from the little house in the yard where he lives.”

“Maybe he did,” agreed Mary. “Doggie, did you run away, and are you lost?” she asked him.

The doggie wagged his tail up and down.

“Look! Look!” cried Tommy. “He’s saying ‘yes.’ He must be lost, the same as we were.”

“Do you want us to take you home?” asked Johnny, and once more the nice, big dog wagged his tail up and down, just as if he was saying “yes,” that he did.

“Then we’ll take you home,” said Johnny kindly. “Wait a minute, doggie, until I get hold of that string around your neck.”

So the dog waited, and Johnny took hold of the cord, and so did Tommy; and then Mary said:

“Oh, boys, I am _so_ tired I don’t believe I can walk another step to take that lost doggie home. Besides, you don’t know where he lives, and it may take a long time.”

“Doggies always know their own selves where they live,” said Tommy; “don’t you, doggie?”

And once more the doggie said “yes” with his tail, that he waggled up and down.

“Very well, then,” said Mary. “I’ll wait here until you come back, after you take the doggie home.”

“Oh, I know something better than that!” cried Tommy.

“What?” asked Mary, looking about for a place where she could sit down.

“Why, you can ride on the doggie’s back,” exclaimed Tommy. “He is big and strong, and he won’t mind carrying you the least bit; will you, doggie? You’ll carry Mary on your back, won’t you?”

“Bow-wow!” barked the doggie, which means “yes,” of course, and besides that he waggled his tail again.

So Mary’s two brothers lifted her up on the doggie’s back, and he stood still, just like a pony-horse. Then Tommy and Johnny took hold of the string on the dog’s collar and they called:

“Go ahead now, doggie. Go where you live.”

Then the dog looked around, to make sure that Mary was safely on his back, and off he trotted. He went so fast that he nearly pulled Tommy and Johnny off their feet.

“Oh, wait! Please wait!” cried Tommy.

“Yes, don’t go so fast!” begged Johnny.

“For you’re jouncing me all to pieces,” said Mary, who was holding on as tightly as she could by winding her fingers in the dog’s shaggy hair on his back.

Then the dog said: “Bow-wow! bow-wow!” which meant that he was sorry, and he went slower.

Along the street went the three little Trippertrots, and the nice big dog, and Tommy and Johnny and Mary were watching all the while for the place where the dog lived.

But that dog kept straight on, and didn’t seem to want to turn in anywhere.

“Oh!” exclaimed Mary, “s’posin’ he hasn’t any home!”

“He’s _got_ to have a home,” said Tommy. “All dogs have homes, and we’ll come to this one’s pretty soon.”

[Illustration: _He Stood Still, Just Like a Pony-Horse._]

“But we’re going right away from our home,” said Mary, “and maybe we can’t ever find it. I’m afraid we’ll be lost again.”

“Oh, I guess not,” spoke Johnny. “Is your home near here?” he asked, in the doggie’s ear.

“Bow-wow! Bow-wow!” barked the doggie.

“Now what do you s’pose he means?” asked Mary.

“I don’t know,” said Tommy.

“Neither do I,” spoke Johnny, “but we’ll keep right on, and we’ll get there some time.”

Pretty soon they met a nice man, and he said to the children:

“Well, where is that big dog taking you?”

“If you please, he isn’t taking _us_ anywhere,” said Mary. “We’re taking _him_ home. He’s lost.”

“Oh, I see,” said the man, with a laugh. “Well, be sure you don’t get lost yourselves.”

Then Mary and Tommy and Johnny went on a little farther with the dog, until all at once, when they got in front of a nice, big, brown-stone house, they heard a little boy cry out:

“Oh, papa, there’s Nero come back! Some children are bringing him back! Oh, how glad I am! I thought he was lost.”

“Is this your dog?” asked Tommy, when the little boy and a man came down the steps.

“Yes,” said the man, “that is my little boy’s dog.”

“And his name is Nero, and he was lost,” spoke the boy.

“Where did you find him?” asked the boy’s papa, while Nero danced around and barked as loudly as he could, because he was so happy to be home again.

“He was lost, and we found him,” answered Mary, who had slid down off Nero’s back, “but now _we_ are lost.”

“Never mind,” said the man, “since you were so kind as to bring my little boy’s dog home, I will send _you_ home in my carriage. James,” he called to the coachman, “hitch up the horses, and take these children home. And, Nero, you must never run away again.”

So Nero barked, which, I suppose, was his way of saying that he never would, and then he went in the house with the little boy. And pretty soon the horses were hitched to the carriage.

“Oh, goody! We’re going to have a ride home!” exclaimed Mary.

ADVENTURE NUMBER NINETEEN

THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE POOR LITTLE BOY

“Oh, this is the best fun yet!” exclaimed Tommy. “I’m real glad we got lost this time.” He could see the nice coach and horses now.

“So am I,” said Johnny.

“And to think of going home in a real coach, with a real coachman!” exclaimed Mary. “It will be real stylish!”

“Yes, and they are real horses, too!” exclaimed Tommy, as the coachman came along the driveway, driving the prancing animals.

“Of course!” cried Johnny. “If they weren’t real horses we’d never get home.”

“Oh, well,” said Mary, “I guess Tommy meant they might be rocking-horses, or sawhorses, or clothes-horses, such as we once rode on. But I’m glad they are real horses. Oh, here we are, all ready for a ride.”

And with that the coachman drove up to the steps and stopped the carriage.

“Jump in, children!” he called to them, “and I’ll soon have you home. Whoa, there, horsies! Don’t jump so and prance about, or you might step on somebody’s toes.”

Then the horses stood very quiet, and Tommy and Mary and Johnny got into the nice carriage. Oh, it was a fine one! with such soft cushions on the seats, and little windows, out of which the children could look, and see what was happening in the streets.

And oh, so many things were happening! There were trolley cars rushing here and there, some one way and some another way, and there were wagons being driven here, and there, and some were from the grocery store, and some from the butcher store. And then there were such lots of automobiles, with their horns going “Toot! Toot!”

“I believe there must be forty-’leven autos at the very least,” said Tommy.

“I’m glad we’re not walking home,” said Mary, “because an automobile might accidentally bump into us.”

“Yes, it’s nice here,” said Tommy, and just then a man with a peanut wagon ran it across the street, right under the noses of the coachman’s horses.

“Hey, there! Where are you going?” cried the coachman to the peanut man, and the coachman had to pull up the horses very quickly, or the peanut man might have been run over. Mind, I’m not saying for sure, but he _might_ have been, you know, though I hope none of us would want a thing like that to happen. “Where are you going?” called the coachman again.

“I am going across the street, so as to get on the other side,” said the peanut man. “None of the people over there would buy any of my hot peanuts, so I want to go over on the other side.”

“Quite right,” said the coachman kindly. “I don’t blame you a bit.”

“Oh, isn’t it too bad that nobody would buy his peanuts, poor man!” said Mary. “I would buy some, if I had the money.”

“So would I!” exclaimed Tommy.

“And so would I,” added Johnny.

“Would you now, bless your hearts?” said the hot peanut man. “Then it is I who will be wishing you _did_ have the money.”

“Oh, well, maybe if they haven’t I have,” said the coachman, and, with that, what did he do? He put his one hand in his pocket, while holding on to the horses’ reins with the other, and out he pulled three five-cent pieces. “Here,” said the coachman kindly, “give the children each a bag of hot peanuts.”

“That I will!” exclaimed the peanut man, “and here’s a bag for yourself, Mr. Coachman, for being so kind as not to run over me while I was crossing the street.”

“Oh, pray don’t mention such a little thing as that,” said the coachman, with a smile, as he took the fourth bag. Then the peanut man hurried on across the street, and the coachman drove the Trippertrot children on a little farther.

Pretty soon, after a while the coachman turned around, and, looking into the back part of the big carriage, where the children were, he asked them:

“And now, my little dears, where would you like me to be driving? I mean where is your home? for I want to get the horses back in the stable pretty soon. Where do you live?”

“Why, don’t you know?” asked Mary in wonder.

“Not a bit of it,” answered the coachman, and he was so surprised that he stopped eating peanuts.

“He--doesn’t--know--where--we--live!” cried Tommy and Johnny together, and they, too, were so surprised that they stopped eating peanuts. And then Mary stopped, too.

“How should I know where you live?” asked the coachman. “The master just told me to take you home, and I thought you knew where it was.”

“But we don’t,” said Mary gently. “You see, we are the Trippertrots, and we are always tripping and trotting off somewhere, and getting lost. That’s what we did this time. But I should have thought the man, whose boy owns the big dog we found, would have told you where to take us.”

“Well, he didn’t,” said the coachman. “But I’ll tell you what I’ll do.”

“What is it?” asked Tommy and Johnny and Mary, all at once.

“I’ll drive all around, up one street and down the other, and maybe you will see your house,” said the coachman. “Please keep a sharp lookout.”

“Oh, that’s just the way the banana man did, the time we rode in the hay on his cart,” said Johnny.