The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-05-05

to be lured by choice bits; the hooking
bird seeks companionship, and that is
why Puck is so we'll content with me.
He loves to be talked to and played With,
and have fun with my pens and scissors;
any bright object he discovers-a bit OF
ribbon, red or blue, attracts him and
every point of my lace gets separate
pull. He dances about with feather,
seizes loose paper and losses it and flies
to catch it again; will take my gold thin
BILE out of my work basket and fly up to
the ceiling to let it drop to the floor, lik-
ing the ring of it as well as its color.
Another thing, Puck does not like me
with my eyes shut, but will pull at the
lashes to make me open them, I noticed
the same thing when the baby, my grand
child, was asleep on the bed, Puck
seated himself on her head and began to
pull at her eyelashers. Now what should
make the difference to bird whether the
eye is open or shut? All it is the soul
of the little creature longing for the
soul outlook pity whoever doubts
this, whose inner consciousness does
not teach him that any creature capable
of affection has an inextinguishable soul.
I have been told that the hooking bird
is voracious eater-I do not find Puck
greedy boy; he sits on my head and
shoulders, or in my lap from pure love;
when he is hungry he flies to his cage
and picks about. II he finds nothing to
his taste, he hirts from perch to perch
till he gets what he wants, but he never
comes to me begging as pigeons and COM
mon birds will. No. no, Puck is dainty
Ariel "to put girdle round the world in
forty minutes" but no Csliban eagerly
looking for dinner.
He seeks for lofty, out.of-the-way
coigns of vantage on which to perch
where he stretches himself to his full
height with a becoming pride mingled
with vanity; but his favorite perch is
the top of wax candle on the mantel
piece; he will here find room to wave
his wing like pretty trapezs balancer.
After this exercise he will snuggle into a
corner with little chirp that says plain
as can be said "Come, find me-"
can understand through Pack what
merry time the birds have in the woods;
it is not all eating and singing with them,
but great deal of mischief-loving fun
besides. All that is cruel beart that
can cut short their brief. happy exist
ence.
There is a poor widowed dove that
comes several times day to pick the
crumbs I place on the window-sill for
her, and I am pleased to see that the two
Puck and Dovey have struck up q
friendly relation with each other and will
hob-a-nob, the glass between, in good
neighborly style, Dovey being inclined
to prolong her visit for the sake of this
serene friendship.
Puck has been reticent of his voice till
of late he yields to its melody in a true,
ecstatic manner. He is an artist who
studies his voice with care-practicing
in an under key till sure he has con-
quered his part, when he gives out most
beautiful exultant and pathetic combin-
ations, wonderful to hear. He is no bird
gushing forth stereotype songs, nothing
to do but repeat over and over the same
thing. Puck has "infnite variety" and
sings with a motive to evolve the new
and the fresh. His song is his own,
learned with infinite ease, and no one
can foresee what will be his next study.
AS yet, Puck shows no propensity at i'm
itation, and I much doubt whether the
ugly name hooking bird is not a mis-
homer. He is bird of genius, and all
inferior birds circle within the radius of
his achievement, just as the human gen.
JUS does all that others do, with an over
plus super-added.
Sometimes flight of wild birds go by,
and Puck halls them with peculiar cry.
He mounts the highest glass of the win
dow and then flies to my shoulders, with
a little kick and firt goes to my head
and then back to the glass, quivering in
every fiber of his delicate organization.
Then one bird singles Puck out and
dashes against the glass, and Puck re-
turns the salutation with interest.
All, me then my heart misgives me
and question my right to debar 30 SEN
sitive and beautiful creature from the
compsnionship of his forest compeers
and the freedom of the wild woods, and
resounding echoes OF pine tree and plain.
but 1 reason myself into the belief that
Puck is we'll content and-what would
such an educated bird do with those out
side barbarians? know the belligeren-
cy of my favorite, he would kill and be
killed, and thus precious soul go out
in darkness. These savsges would make
martyr of my devoted Puck just as the
Northern Indians delighted to burn and
torture the gentle, devoted missionaries
who had no motive for periling their
lives with them but to save their souls.
They would be too many for my darling,
andtherefore shall deny him the pleas
ure of martyrdom.
While 1 write these last words, Puck
is trotting over my paper dipping into
the mucilage, and but formy care would
taste my ink. 1 will not let him go. Why
should not, " at my time of life, {" in
dulge in this innocent and cheering COM
partnership, this sweetener of my soli-
tude? and herewith Puck sends me kiss
as / say goodnight chronological