The Russellville Democrat., 1883-03-15

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the grocery man, as he put his wet
mittens or the top of the stove TO
dry, and kept his back to the stove
so ne could watch the grocery man
and be prepared for Kick, If the
an should remember the rotten egg
sign that the boy put up in front OF
the grocery last week.
Nav, i don't want no parrot. i
had rather have fool boy around
than parrot. But what's the mat
ter with your mas parroti thought
she wouldn't part with him for any
thing"
well, she wouldn't, until Wednes
day night, but now she says she viii
not have him around, and i may
have half can get for him. She
told nae to go to some saloon, or some
disreputable place and sell him, and
i thought maybe he would about
suit you," and the boy broke open
bunch OF celery and took out few
tender stalks and rubbed it on cod
fish to salt them, and began to bite
the stalks, while he held the sole of
one wet boot up against the stove to
dry it, making . smell OF burned
leather that came near turning the
stomach of the cigar sign.
"Lookahere, boy, don't you call
this 3 dIsreputable place. Some OF
the best people in this town come
Eere," said the grocery man, as he
held up the cheese knife and grated
his teeth as though he would like to
jab it into the youth.
"Oh, that's all right. They come
here cause yon trust. But you make
up what you lose by charging it to
other people. Pa will make it hot
for you the last of the week. He
has been looking over your bill, and
comparing it with the hired girl, and
she says We haven't ever had a
prune, or dried apple, or ralsin,
or any cinnamon, or crackers and
cheese out of your store, and he says
you are worse than the James Broth
ers, and that you used to be three
card monte man, and he will have
you arrested for highway robbery.
But you can settle that with pa. ]
like you, because you are no ordin-
.rv sneak thief. You are o high
toned, gentlemsnly sort Of q blk.
snd uouldn't take anything you
couldn't lift. o, keep your seat, and
don't get excited. 1t does man
good to hear the truth from one who
has got the nerve to tell it. But
about the parrot. Ma has been
away from home for week, having
high old slime in Chicago, going TO
theatres and things, and while she
was gone guess the hired girl or
somebody learned the parrot some
new things to say. A parrot that
can only cay Polly wants cracker
dent amount to anything. What
We need is new style parrots that
can converse on the topics Of the
day, and say things original. Well.
when ma got back guess her con
science hurt her for the way she
had been carrying on in Chicago,
and so when she heard the basement
Of the church was being frescoed she
invited the committee to hold the
Wednesday evening prayer meeting
at our house. First there were four
people came, and ma asked pa to
stay and make up aquorum, and pa
said seeing he had two pair, he
guessed he wou, d stay in, and if ma
would deal him queen he would
have = full hand. I don't know
what pa meant, but he plays draw
poker sometimes. Anyway, there
we're eleven people came, including
the minister, and after they had
talked about the neighbors spell,
and ma had showed the women a new
tidy she had worked for the heather,
with a motto on it which pa had
taught her, "a contrite heart beats a
bob tailed flush, and pa had talked
to the men about religious silver
mine he was selling stock in, which
he advised them as . friend, to buy
for the glory Of the church, they all
went in the back parlor and the min
lister led in prayer. He got down
on his knees right under the parrots
cage, and you'd dide to see Polly
hang on to the wires of the cage
with one foot and drop an apple core
on the minister's head. Ma shook
her handkerchief Polly, and look
ed sassy, and Polly got an on the
perch and as the minister got warm
ed up, and began to raise the roof,
Polly said, %, dry up The minis
ter had his eyes shut but he opened
one Of them little and looked at pa.
Pa was tIckled at the parrot, but when
the minister looked at pa. as though
it was him making irreyerent re-
marks, pa was mad. The minister
got TO the Amen and Polly shook
hlsself and said, What you giving
us, and the minister got up and
brushed the bird seed OFF his knees
and he looked mad. thought ma
would sink with modification, and
was sitting on piano stool looking
as pious as a Sunday school superin.
tendent the Sunday before he k.ps
out with the bank funds, and ma
looked at me as though she thought
il was me that had been tampering
with the parrot. Gosh, / never said
a word TO that parrot, and | can