The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-10-26
A BIRD IdyI.

As they stood together, looking out
into the garden, she raised her eyes
softly to his, and, while an expression OF
sweet suspense crept softly over her
pretty face, murmured:
Don't the little birds have nice
timel,
30, yes,'' he answered, ''they do that
They have political sinecures without
voting or having to get congressman to
back them. And they are in for life,
and they can't write letters that will ex-
pose them ten years later, and they
haven't got war records to be sprung on
them at the wrong moment, and they
know nothing about finance to get them
into trouble. o. yes, darling, the birds
have pretty nice time of it."
"But their lives seem to be made up OF
love-" she whispered family.
Eyes; but YOU mustn't bet too heavily
on love. I have seen human beings
whose lives seemed to be made up of
love; but, when there was no one around
their home assumed the character OF a
political caucus, with a good sized tor
nado emptied into the free fight. You
mustn't Judge the feelings OF married
couple for each other by the way they
act at kelte-drum. But then, the
birds have the advantage over a man in
making love-"
mo Jokes on bills and 'notes?'" she
broke in.
"No," he replied, "but because they
have a sure thing. They don't have to
go down town and write poetry and put
in coal all day for four dollars per week.
and they never have to save up money to
e.
They never have to buy clothes, and
when they do fall in love they are not
talked about all over creation, and they
don't have to meander up to the girls
father and tell him lot of lies, and
prime their references to do likewise.
o, yes, the bird in love has pretty soft
thing"
"Do you think they understand each
other when they twitter?"
Il don't think there can be any doubt
about that, because the male seems to
wax mad when the female gets in all the
talk. Now that female over there seems
to be in the act of mailing her lord for a
new dress, or commanding him not to be
looking at that other bird over there in
the polonaise. OF course they under
stand each other, or else they would keep
still"
would you like to be bird?"
"Not much" he replied, with great
emphasis, II wouldn't like the idea of
getting up at five in the morning, and
washing in dew on a soggy fower-bed,
and squawking off lot OF rapture over a
breakfast OF raw worms. o, no, don t
want any bird in mine. l would rather
sell suspenders ON commissionw
But, suppose we were both birds?''
she said, with slight tremor in her
voice.
"Then we should have to dodge the
cat, and boys with guns, and we'd have
to live IN trees and have dull time, and
no lemonade through straws. And
shouldn't have to call on you in tight
shoes and swallow tail coat. Aud we'd
sit on currant bush, and kiss with our
bills cold, hard, solidified bone kisses
just think of it. And l shouldn't have
any shirt front for you to lay your head
on. And, if l reached out for handful
of waist wouldn't run the risk of hav-
ing yard of my palm torn off on o pin
which"
"What becomes of the birds?" she
broke in, while an early dawn tint suf-
|
$50 south for their health, generally
but if we we're birds we might be knocked
down with sticks and stuffed to ornament
mantel-piece or lady's hat. How
would you like to be filed with lot of
sawdust and chemicals?"
"Not much. I'd rather be stuffed
With ice-cream and caramels. But
mean what becomes of the bird at last?
We never find them. Now the flowers
fade and blow away, and we know what
becomes of everything else, but we never
find dead birds lying in the garden
walk. Do their companions bear them
away lovingly beneath the leaves. al
ways had an idea that dainty poetic
legend could be made of it,
1T could be done, my dear, and il
would make nice ten dollar poem. But
don't take any stock in musical valleys
and happy spheres millions of miles
away when you figure on birds. They
don't 60 to any such place, my dear
They generally go to the dime restau
rant, where they are always worked
into pies, or cast to play the difficult
role OF the quail on toast"
She sank on the sofa in futter, and
he said he would be around on the NOR
row to take her to see the matt Puck