Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-08-07
OUR PARROT.

In dull village land village duller than
INDICATE there is none), a brisk, talkative,
CHEEKY, rational Il say it deliberately
Polly, like the one in my house, is an in
valuable resource. POlIy's observations
are so well-timed. She does not talk by
rote like a parrot, she converscs. If
hungry or thirsty, Polly does not call for
food or water as a vulgar bird might be
trained to do; but, with an ingenuity all
her own, she always tries to get what she
wishes for by showing that she deser0es all
the good things of this life. She praises
herself up to the skies when she wants
anything Pretty Poll! Polly's dear
bird'' she says In this matter she shows
a refinement Of reasoning, an acuteness,
which is very wonderful.
Polly can also assume an injured tone.
If left out in the garden too long, she says
hoarsely, "Polly's caught cold,' or some
times, ''Polly's caught shocking cold!'
And then she sneezes. 1t is to be feared
that Polly's sense of the beauty Of truth
fulness is defective, for she never does
catch cold; she is only suffering tempo
rary inconvenience from the GOODNESS OF
the evening air when she makes her com
plant about being left out loo late. Like
every one else in INDICATE, Polly talks
good deal about the weather: Very cold
day. Nice morning." and so on. When
any one is leaving her presence Polly
says polite "Good-bye.' Some time ago
it was found that she ate very little sugar,
and wasted good deal, so she was de-
prived of this luxury for a while. She
bore it silently for several days, and then
she delivered herself of a telling phrase
which she had invented expressly to suit
the occasion. She said, Goodbye, lump
of sugarm Her tone was pathetic
1t was impossible to resist her appeal,
and she was forthwith made happy by
supply Of sugar. A stranger entering the
kitchen is at once saluted with the ques-
ton, Want the COOKIE Polly says it
very sharply, as if to convey to the in
truder that wanting the cook" can be
the only valid excuse for an unfamiliar
presence in those regions. There is mo
admittance except on business" Polly
would have us all to know. AS the
butchers boy appears walking across the
back garden Polly calls out, ANY orders
for the butcher?" She sometimes adds a
very loud "Telk. Telk! Come up" to the
horse, and if the animal obeys her (Which
stop his cart, and Polly throws herself
back in her cage in a hearty fit of laugh
ter. She thoroughly enjoys a joke.
She loves mischief. She pretends to be
| fond Of the cat; calls him up near her
cage, and says "Puss," quite affectionate-
~; but if opportunity offers she never
fails to catch his tail through the bars,
and to give it pinch. A little dog spent
some weeks in the house with Polly and
the cat, and it occurred to Polly to have a
little fun, so she used to call out, Cat !!
catn' and when the dog took the hint,
| parked, and gave chase, Poll used to go
| INTO one of her convulsive fits of laugh
ter A boy persisted in teasing her for a
long time, and, Notwithstanding frequent
warnings, he used to continually poke his
per; but she waited tied for day days till he gave
her good chance, and then, when his