Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1858-09-22
From Arthur's Home Magazine.
THE PET BIRD.
BY VIRGINIA DE FOREST

years! saiu iuy oiu lrlenu JoHn Leason 10
me- sa
John is the Captain now of fine merchant
vessel, the shooting Star" but he rose from
before the mast. He was the only child of
old farmer Leeson. and when his parents died
he went to sea. lie was boy then of some
fifteen years old. ana being a good active lad
he soon learned to be good seamen, and in
course OF years rose to command the Shoot
ing Star"
We'll. you see." said John, Lizzie and
[, we were lovers, body mig ht say, all our
lives. Her father owned a farm near Ours,
and we went to school together. l always
carried her school books, drew her on my
sled in the Winter, and gave her the first of
our fruit III Summer. Well, one summer
Lizzie told NE she wanted bird She had
found cage hidden away in some corner of
the house, aud she wanted bird to put into
it.
talked it over with Joe aud Larry, two
of the school boys. and they helped NE to
make a trap. We watched 1t very carefully
and one morning l went to LIZZIE to tell her
how tue trap had sprung. She came down
with the cage, and We started with Joe aud
Larry to secure oar prize Joe lifted the
stone, and as the little prisoner crept out, l
caught him under my hat After some trou-
I e.
our great surprise, he seemed perfectly at
home, Instead of beating his wings against
the bars, and striving TO escape, he hoped
from perch to percn. turning his head with
| saucv look from ole side to the other, and
giving chrrs of apparent satisfaction. When
| we reached home, Lizzie father, Mr.. Har-
rig, told US our prze was fine bul6nch,
| which doubtless had escaped from some other
| cage. As We never heard, however, of any
| other owner, Lizzie kept her pet. | had heard
| that these birds could be taught to whistle
! tunes, and [ determined to try and teach
| Cherry I took him home and hung him in
! nv room Several times day | found my
| excuse for going there, and each time ] whs.
tied Hail Columbia under Cherry's cage. A
| few weeks sufficed to perfect BIN III this sir,
and tried another with equal success, AT
| ter teaching him several national and popu-
lar airs, | taught him q cradls hymn my
! mother used to sing TO me before she died -
| 1t had been taught to her by an old French
/ nurse, aud l never heard any one else sing
| It, Cherry soon learned the little plaintive
| air, aud as my small stock of tunes was near
! ly exhausted, | returned him to Lizzie. as
| | had kept him for two years, she was de-
| lighted to have him.
Well, as you know, my father died when
I was but fifteen years old, and | went TO sea.
[ had always longed for sailors life but ~ Y
love Tor my father kept me at home. 1t vas
hard to part with Lizzie, whom | loved SO
tondly, but | wen. away from her with the
hope that when We were old enough, Lizzie
would bo my wife I made many voyages,
and at last rose to be first mate. Every time
came home | found Lizzie improved il
beauty and education, and constant to hel
sai!or-love When | was first mate | mad,
her a formal proposal, and she promised tina
when | was captain. aud had the right t
take my wife to sea, she would go with me
NV next cruise was In the Sea Gulf, au(
a disastrous one ii was. We were wrecke,
of the coast of Africa, where we had gon
on trading trip. and | was the only one O
the crew LETT to tell the tale of trouble. Fer
. tunateiy, the natives disposed to b.
, friendly to me, aud | was guided to a whit
colony, Port Elizabeth. | worked here d
f my old trade of farmers boy for year befor
, could get passage back, and at last th
, vessel obtained employment in was going
long CT aise, aud her home port was Norfo. K
9 My home was village In the west of Massa
chusetts and after three years absence q
! length reached it. My coming was matte
of great asiouishmens. Every one suppose
, thai | was dead. and amoug the rest Lizzie
o | inquired for her first Her father dead
!. she thought was too, and after waiting
weary time. hoping for my return, she ha
gone to Boston to learu a trade. To Bosto
[ went, and searched for her I advertised
| walked the streets in hopes of meeting hel
day after day. l inquired in every directio
e but could hear no tidings of Lizzie. On
place where inquired was milliner's store
F? where they haG employed a girl answerin
w an
e who had married aud left the city The
g had forgotten her Last name. but she ";
IS FROM the country. and | thought possibly
q had found some trace Of her Tired and d,
+, spairing, | again engaged as first mate,
90 one years voyage. " hen l returned, v
# landed at New York 1t was nearly Fl,
" wears since | had seen Lizzie, but had ne'
:, er forg gotten her; never thought of marryin
; any one else.
8 One day when was walking through
cross street in New York, [ heard SCUM
that made my heart beat fast 1t was a biz
l. whistling my mothers cradle hymn. [ lool
< ed up and down. and at last looked in at Il
IS window OF bird -fancier's store. Their
Of seated on a perch, l saw butnch which
r was sure was my old pet and pupil Ho
le did he get there? To make sure that | W;
st right, | wbistled some Of the other tunes
le had taught him, and, as [ expected, he fc
le lowed me with them. rushed into the sto
i'd in perfect fever of excitement.
OF Tell me- said | to the man, ''where d
of you get that buiinch 70
i'd well. l didn't steal it, said he cooll
e. How his impudence annoyed me. A "
s. mar came 10 the door at the back of 4
store.