Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-03-19

| ness nor severity seemed to do him any
good. When his mamma was obliged to
| 90 out of town for the summer, she hardly
knew how 10 manage. She could not
| leave Frank behind, and she felt very IN
willing to take him with her to disturb a
strange household. At last she engaged
board in quiet country place, with a
family who had no small children either
to tease or be teased.
Frank got through the journey very
well, and when he reached his new
home was too tired to entertain the
strangers with any music louder than a
sleepy whine. But the next morning they
had good chance TO Judge of the strength
of his lungs.
He tuned up in his loudest style; but
the first time he stopped to take breath
he heard some one else crying so Justify
that, in his amazement, he forgot to keep
up his own cry. His mamma had told
him there were no children in the house !;
who then could it be?
After breakfast Frank wanted to go out;
but, as it was raining, his mamma
thought it best to keep him in. Instantly
he set I'D such bawling that his mamma
was verv much ashamed of him. But he
stopped as suddenly as before; for, just in
the next room, voice took up the strain,
and sobbed and cried so pitifully that
Frank was quite frightened. 40,
How distressing was the cry! "Oh,
deari oh, dear! oh, dear! boo-hoo-hoo-
hooi Oh, dearl oh, deari oh, dear!
boo-hoo-hoo-hoo-ol" prolonged and re-
peated over and over again, and finally
ending in boisterous Ha, ha, ha, hal
Polly wants q cracker"
Frank was at first surprised, and then
angry; for he thought some one was
making fun of him. He ran into the
next room to see who it was; when
little lady, dressed in green, almost over
his head, introduced herself as Pretty
Poll; pretty POLL" nodding and bowling
as if very glad to make his acquaintance,
Frank stood speechless, with eyes and
mouth wide open; for it was the first
time he had ever heard bird talk.
Pretty soon, Poll, peering at him over
the side of the cage, sang out, "AH
right; all right! What's your name?"
What's your nane?" and then began
very soberly to whistle Yankee Doodle"
This talking bird amused Frank for
a while; but his crying habit was so
strong upon him that he was soon at it
again. The moment Poll heard him she
set up her cry too; and there would be
such dreadful racket that even Frank
would be tired of hearing it.
His mamma so often said to him,
"Don't cry, Frank; let Poll cry" that the
bird learned to say that. She would call
cut, Don't cry, Frank; let Poll cry" and
then would come her dreadful, cob,
dear! oh, dear" always ending in a
hearty laugh and call for cracker, as
if she were exhausted by her labor.
Poll soon learned to cry so exactly like
Frank that his mother could hardly tell
the difference; and this made the crying
boy so ashamed that he would stop as
suddenly as if he had lost his breath.
At last he got so tired of cutting his
cry off short that he thought he might as
well not begin it at all; but, as boy
must have some amusement, he took up
laughing instead, and he and Poll always
kept on good terms about that.
He soon came to the conclusion that it
was much better to be laughing than cry
ing; and when, at the end Of three
months, he returned to his city home, ne
did not take back with him his old habit.
lie left that with Poll as thank-offer-
ing for the good she had done him.-HTs.
b. Y. Hall, IN The Nursery.