The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-10-26


annoy the cat very much, by opening
out her toes, or even her :nostrils, to
examine and at times pussy used to
lose patience. and put him on his back.
"Eh :" he would say. t'What is it?
You rascal - If two people were talk
ing together underneath his cage, he
would cock his head, lengthen his
neck, and looking down quizzingly,
say .'Eh! What is it! What do you
sayl"
He frequently began sentence with
a verb ''ls," putting great emphasis on
it. ''Is!" he would say musingly.
''Is what, Dick!" would ask.
u.s." he would repeat-*'Is the dar.
ling Startling pretty pet p
''No question about it, 7 would ans
wer.
He certainly made the best Of his
vocabulary, for he trotted out all his
nouns and all his adjectives time about
in pairs, and formed a hundred curious
combinations.
"Is,' he asked one day, "the darling
doctor a rascal p
"Just as you Think replied.
''Tse! tse! tse! Whew! whew |!
whew !" said Dick; and finished off
with ''Duncan Gray" and the first half
of the ''Sprig of Shillelah.
"Love is the soul of a nate Irish.
man" he had been taught to say; but
it was as frequently, 'sLove is the soul
of nate Irish startling" or, ''1s love
the soul of darling pretty Dick :" and
so on.
One curious thing is worth noting !:
he never pronounced my dogs name
Theodore Nero-once while awake {:
but he often startled Us at night by
calling the dog in ringing tones talk
ing in his sleep. He used to be chat
tering and singing without intermis-
sion all day long; and if ever he was
silent then knew he was doing mis-
chief and If I went quietly into the
kitchen, was sure to find him either
tracing patterns on bar of soap, or
examining and tearing to pieces a par
eel of newly.arrived groceries. He
was very fond of wine and spirits, but
knew when he had enough. He was
not permitted to come into tbs parlor
without his cage; but sometimes at
dinner, if the door were left ajar, he
would silently enter like little thief;
when once fairly in, he would fly on to
the table, scream, and defy ,l-.--~lI1
was very fond of 4 pretty child that
used to come to see ME. If Matty was
lying on the sofa reading, Dick would
come and sing on her head; then
would go through all the motions of
washing and bathing Oh Matty's bon
ME hair which was, l thought, pay
ing her very pretty compliment.
When the sun shone in at my study
window, I used to hang Dicks cage
there, as a treat to him. Dick would
remain quiet for perhaps twenty min
utes, then the stiffness would feel irk-
some to him, and presently be would
stretch his head down toward me in a
confidential sort of way, and begin to
pester me with his silly questions.
"Doctor," he would commence, sis
it, is it a nate Irish pet p
''Silence, and 60 to Sleep" | would
make answer. II want to write.''
sch :" he would say, ''What is t I
What dye say!''
Then, if l didn't answer a: ~:
''Is it OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, snails,
nd brandy!' Then: "Doctor, doc
tor! -
swell, Dickie, what is it now :"
would answer.
"Doctor-whew. That meant was
to whistle to him.
'sShan't'' would say sllkily.
else tse!' Dickie would say, and
continue: 'Doctor, will you 60 a.
clinking E. Inever could resist that.
Going a-clinking meant going fly-hawk.
ing. Dick always called fly clink ;
and this invitation would receive a
dozen times day, and seldom refused.
1 would open the cage door, and Dick
would perch himself on my finger. and
would carry him round the room,
holding him up to the flies on the pic.
ture frames. And he never missed
one. =
Once Dick fell into bucket Of wa
ter, and called Justify for the ''doctor;;" "
and was only just in time to save
him from a watery grave. When got
him out, he did not speak word until
he had gone to the fire aud opened his
wings and feathers out to dry, then he
said: "Bravo! B.r.ravo - several
tl1ucSs iSlAu WC1lt III VuWA9n 0IAN <sVSSsNh'
ed Hezekiah.
Dick had a little travelling cage, for
he often had to go with me by train ;
and no sooner did the train start than
Dick used to talk and whistle, very
much to the astonishment of the pas
sengers, for the bird was up in the um'
brella-rack. Everybody was at once
made aware of both my profession and
character, for the jolting of the car.
riage not pleasing him, he used always
to prelude his performances with
''Doctor, doctor, you I r-aascal. What
is it, eh!' AS Dick got older. l am
sorry to say, he grew more and more
unkind to his wife-attacked her reg.
ular every morning and the last thing
at night, and hall starved her besides,
Poor Hezekiah She could do nothing
in the world to please him. Sometimes
now, she used to peck him back again;
| she was driven to it. I was sorry fol
lIezekiah, and determined to play
pretty Dick a little trick. So one day,
when he had been bullying her. worse
than ever, I took Hezekiah out Of the
cage and fastened a small pin to hel
bill 80 as to protude just a very little
way. and returned her. Dick walked
up to her at once. ''What," he want
ed to know, ''did she mean by goina
ON shore without leave =. Hezekiat
did not answer, and according receiv
ed q dig in the back, then another
~