The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-08-25

bic birds alive Now, down came tho
sParrows for their bath; they had beer,
waiting and they were impatient. Who
was this dark stranger standing in thei,
way! They flew around and aronnd
i,ll.' cnfping to one another, and won.
dering, IN their little brains, what ii
could all mean; and all the while DIR.
BACK stood on the board, silent and
black, and pretended to take no notice
oI them Whatever; but he was WATCHING
Inem all the time, you may be sure.
FINALLY, the bravest of the sparrows-i
was little lady sparrow--aliphted ON
the board. She was SO anxious to know
VINO this strange looking bird was. that
sne couldn't stand it any longer. DR..
Black bowed to her very politely. and
putting his best and blacklist claw fore.
most. ne said he was very glad to see
heri that he had built this bath at great
expense. and hoped that the birds Of
the neighborhood would patronize him
iperaly. He was a doctor, he said.
and had studied at Crow College-the
little scamp!
Llttle Mrs. Sparrow was greatly
amazed. The bath had always been
Iree before; why wasn't it free nowP
but DIR. Black soon made her believe
that the bath had always belonged to
him, though he had never charged anv-
thing for the use of it,. because he loved
to do good to his fellowebirds. Bnt
now-and here he gave his breast a lit
tie heave and pretended to wipe a tear
from his eye-he had been unlucky; he
had lost his money and he was forced
In his old age, to work to get enough to
eat. Here the little humbue turned
away from Mrs. Sparrow. and worked
his shoulders up and down in such a
way that she, kind-hearted little thing.
thought 81 he was sobbing hard. The
truth was he was winking to himself at
the thought of his own smartness. and
thinking what a soft-hearted little lady
bird she was.
Perhaps you don't know where these
little baths for the sparrows come from.
Well, every year every man in New
I ork who owns a house paws some money
to the city. This is what is called payinS
taxes. When all the money has been nut
together, the Mayor and the other city
officers meet and make up their minds
how it must be spent. Some of it goes
70 pay the flremen-the brave men who
put out fires and save peoples lives;
some'of it to pay the policemen; some
OF it to pay men for keeping the streets
clean; some of it for the meat the lions
and tigers eat in Central Park, and
some of it for the little baths for the
sparrows. So, you see that when DR..
Black said he had been paid for that
bath, he had told what the. bows call a
/" whopper. s' sl''aA ssfftsss7.
But little Mrs. Sparrow believed il
all. Dear me! Sparrows never will be
able to understand politics. She flew
to her friends and told them all about
DIR. Black She said that he charged
very little for the use of the bath. He
would take worms, or pieces of cake or
bread. or almost anything good to eat.
You see, the Doctor was hungry. al
though he didn't tell Mrs. Sparrow so.
She said, too, that he was a splenlia
doctor, and when her husband, Mr.. D.
Thomas Sparrow, asked her how she
knew, she said that she wasn't going to-
be talked to as if she were mere child
and didn't know anything. She knew
ne was splendid doctor. Anyhow, he
had beautiful black eyes! 'ssif
What do you suppose happened?
There was a most alarming outbreak
of sickness among the birds. They had
been the healthiest, sturdiest sparrows
n the world before-fat and chubby.
md with tremendous appeites. But
low there were invalids on all sides,
.mong the lady-sparrows. And so, sly
Dr.. Black soon had all the pa
tents he wanted. and all the
ees he could eat. He became
he fashion, and no lady-sparrow felt
hat she was doing her duty to society
lnless it was known that he was her
'hy sician. i !. ssssss ,sNs-sesk
The gentleman-sparrows of the
square n1adela great deal of fun about
III this. They didn't believe in DIR.
Black, and said so, and very few Of
hem went to his bath. It was strange
Gene in the mornings when DIR. Black
eceived his patients. He looked so
wise and grave, and pushed Che little
'irds into the water with such a polite
vay, and made, such handsome bows
vhen they paid him his crumbs. Mean
While, the nurses and children who
Fere in the park would be very much
stonished to see fifteen or twenty little |
.erftlemen sparrows sitting around the |
dge of the fountain and trying to sneer.
.es, to sneer. 1t is not an easy thing |
. do, for the gentleman-sparrow IS |
sually d good-natured, nice little fell |
DIV. When he does try to sneer, the
fleet is very dreadful, and if You had
cen there, you also might have been
stonished.. s sA
But one morning there was a newt
snsation among the sparrows in Stuy-
esant Square. A young gentleman
parrow, who had been a great traveller,
ad arrived, and there was as much of |
stir in tile best sparrow seircles as an
.nglish Duke or a French nobleman
ould make in higher society. You see,
aese city sparrows usually stay in the
ark where they are born. Very few
the birds in StuYvesant Square knew
nat there was any world beyond Third
venue, and 50 when this young gentle
IAN came who had crossed the city
We times to the Battery, and had once
ctually spent q whole summer in New
ersey, he was looked upon as a sort of