The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-09-29
MICKEY AND THE MACAW

| The bars IT Boll tAaJ had IdId On lhe Hooi
when the sun cropt IN Gt high noon had faded
away. There was n deserted air about the
place that told the mistress was away The
red roses sho left in the Indian bowl wer,
faded, and there was dust on the gay little
bisque figure Of Love that stood at the side
Of tho mirror lie was kissing his hands
with the same merry gesture, but no one
could sec in the dusk that four fingers Of
each hand were gone. No one but the macaw
He had bitten them or He had stepped
slyly into these unexplored regions and had
been having high jinks, Tho head Of the
Spanish mueteer lay on the ground like a
gay ball.
The bird stepped ginserly about and
looked for new mischief TO do Montmor-
ency Jackson, the new waiter, had heard the
crash, and now opened the door rather tim
idly. He was superstitious, and had no
knowledge Of the ways Of the strange bird.
Got to get dat debbil back to him roost, "
sl.ic Monty. How i swine do it, blame T
known
He moved cautiously amid the gold and
white chairs easels and fancy tables while
the bird kept fierce eye on him.
1t did not retreat; it was ready for attack.
"Nigger, niger, niger"
"If you was man, I'd knock yo down."
said Monty. Reckon jess wait till Polly
como home. She know de ways of dat buhd
oh Satan better"
So Monty went out, forgetting to shut the
door carefully, and the macaw followed in "a
few moments, and stepped out into garden
Intoxicated with liberty he went farther
The sun and the spring together made even
Shantytown beautiful. Tho fresh green
grass was toothsome To tho nimble goat that
sprang from rock to rock. Knots of white
daisies starred the emerald sod, and gold but
tons of buttercups CLEANED richly every
where, ms if some spendthrift had scattered
his wealth broadcast.
Mickey Driscoll's blue eyes were dim, and
his little frecklod face was very sad.
"Yis, mo bye" the mother was saying
sadly, as she rubbed away in the steaming
suds, and held up one of Mickey's shirts to
see if it was white enough, 'thc crathur has
TO go. know yen miss the milk NV her,
but yer poor father won't do a hans turn for
a month yet, and Nan must be sold"
Nan was browsing on an old newspaper
Just then, but seemed to have an ego on tho
more.
ats tho drugs does be running away wild
tho money, bad cess to it, said Mrs. Driscoll;
an tho more he does DO takin' the worse
he is"
"But there's places where We can Git loads
and lashn's Of medicines for nothin'," said
Mickey, with a CLEAN in his blue eyes. 81
know; / seen one t'other day-disspashuns,
think they calls 'cm."
"Oh, no, Mickey; that's not it, sure" said
Mrs. Driscoll, with sad smile. But how
is it that ye don't lavo n button on yer
shirtsp
"Mother," cried Mickey, don't sell Nan
today. Somethin good might be happenin'."
81 WON'T said Mrs. DriScoll "Sure she's
loike ono av tho family. See her now q atm
av that old rybune wid all the relish in the
wurruld, the crathur. She's hrnt manners
wonderful, and niver touches tho wash now,
since she swallyed me Dist white aprin; but
that was in the lasht winter, poor crathurW
Mickey wandered out rather forlornly, for
want had crept into the poor little homo and
made itself felt Nan followed him, but
something came up In his throat, and choked
him when he tried to speak to her, He stood
now no pig in it. Hard questions surged
through MS small mind. His father had
worked SO hard, and his mother did not waste
her time EossplnG at tho nelShbors AS some
did, and yet now they had scarcely enough
to eat, and Nan, poor Nan, had TO so!
Pm gou' to earn that money meself," said
Mickey, Strengthening himself and looking
nercely about him. I'm years old"
As he spoke out loud, he heard n queer
voice behind him cry shrilly, smut up"
He started and his heart beat fast. The
words seemed 10 come from the inside OF tho
pig pen.
But Mickey looked all around him. 1t did
not sound like Patsy Flynn's voice, yet he
searched tho rocks for that red headed
urchin. lie was hidin. behind one OF them,
no doubt.
"rd loike to hit somebody" Mickey said,
rs he went back to his place and leaned
against tho pig pen, kicking at a stone with
his coppertoed shoe.
ooh, give us rest" said the voice within
tho pig pen.
Mickey turned and looked. Then with a
startled cry ne ran to tho house.
"Mothor, mother" he cried, his eyes di
lated and his hair standing up on his head,
.come quick and seel There's sometnins
alive in the pig pen"
As it pig, Mickey, darlinF cried the
poor woman, thinking perhaps a miracle had
been worked for her, or that some good Sa.
maritan had been moved to give her u pres
ent.
"A pig with feathersl Oh, mother an it
talks-sure it speaks like II Christian cried
Mickey, shivering.
Tho mother hurried on brcathlessly.
"Sure it's burrud," she said in a moment,
IAN DO the token, Oi'm thinking Owe seen
the loike in a show. Arrah, Mickey, me
boy, it's great fond now But lax Mt tho
fierce eye av it, and tho Crane feathers
Sure it's grandec among tho burruds, an it
has the air av an imperor"
The macaw eyed the two people sternly 1t
moved toward them, and they fell back.
''Call it, Mickey, agra said the motler.
AN what will bo afther calm III" asked
Mickey, taking up a stick, ut which the
macaw looked with fire in his eye.
Thin vans seen was parrots, but this
is auare an different" she said "Whin it
talks so ligant, perhaps it can tell US its
name"
A scissors grinder stopped in the road just
then and Mickey called him.
SAY he cried, whats the name OF this