Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-05-24
,Iack-a-Dandy.

We children had been wishing for a
tame crow ever since rtaIing Dicken s
charming description o. his pet raven.
There were no ravens where we lived;
but Brother Tom said crows were just as
good, and could be taught t. talk too.
And one day, when we were playing
'IIere we 60 round the mulberry bush"
in the woods near the house, little Likely,
our colored washerwoman little boy
came along with live crow in his hands.
OF course we were curious to see and
examine the wonderful bird, and
we crowded around key, who seemed
bewiidered at being the OBJ ect OF so much
attention.
where did you get him?" What are
you going to do with hm?' "How much
will you take for him" asked Tom, Josie
and Fred, in one breath.
But key only grinned as he answered
each in turn.
'GOt him out OF his nest in post-oak.
Dey was more of EN-, hut | couldn't get
ony dis one. I'm a-gwine to raise lin
If mammy'll let me. But l mout sell
him if l get gocd chance.
The opp .rtunity was not to be lost, and
in a very few moments key was trudging
homeward with handful of copperS and
two nickels-all the change we could
raise among u.s. and we proudly carried
our new-found treasure to the house.
"Mercy OH us cried mamma holding
up her hands. What on earth have you
got there
"A crow" we told her. "And we're
going to tame him and teach him t. talk I"
Nonsense" sa mamma. lyon don't
suppose I'll have crow about the house,
to kill the yong chickens and eat up the
eggs"
But we begged and pleaded, till az last
she gave her consent to let us keep 1t.
ut IL be a great torment" grumbled
grandma. ''It's young bird, and you'll
have to feed it like baby"
But we did not mind the trouble. In
deed it was more of an amusement TO us
to feed our pet on scraps of meat and bits
Of bread. 1t opened its mouth so wide,
and cried "Caw-aw-aw" in such a salts
factory way.
key had instructed us as to the manner
of feeding.
'Jess you peck it on de head, AMI it'll
open it's mouth like il does for de ole
birds, (" he explained.
And we found his advice was good.
We namel our pet "Jack-a-Dandy, Z"
and he grew and throve so much that he
was soon able to procure his own food,
which consisted of crickets and other in
sects.
He was so tame that we could allow him
perfect freedom, without any fear of his
deserving us.
As he grew older he used frequently to
fly into the top of tall post oak near the
front door, from which he used to circle
around and around the house. then alight
on the ground and come hopping In the
door, with cheerful ''caw. caw!" as If
asserting that there was no place like
home.
'.IIe's better an Dick Hardys tame
squirrel Tom used to say, 'for that has
to be kept in a cage. ("
"And Bob Rooney's pet coon has to be
fastened by a chain" said Josie. ''But
Jack-a- Dandy is as free as we are. y
But mamma was not particularly
pleased with Jack. and grandma continued
to grumble over his misdemeanors, espe-
cially when he would rummage In her work
basket, and carry o her silver thimble or
bright steel boikin.
"He's troublesome or AZURE. she
would declare, 'anI II l had my way,
he'd get his neck wrung
But we kept good watch on our favor
itc TO keep him from getting into mischief.
We had used our best endeav,rs 10