Omaha daily bee., 1888-07-28
A Real Wicked Parrot.

New York World: ''That's the wick.
eldest polly in New York." said the
keeper of a Bowery bird store. pointing
to an old gray parrot that was sitting in
his cage, with his head cooked on one
side listening. He blinked his eyes
knowingly and gave the harsh screech
of his kind in evident approval and
complete satisfaction of his ~wickedness.
II bought him in n saloon on State
street, in Chicago, and | cant sell him.
You see he don't do anything but swear"
AS if to sustain his reputation the par
rot burst forth into a torrent of the
most vigorous oaths. Then he relapsed
into profound silence, holding his head
on one side as il waiting for applause.
81 sold him to a Sixth avenue bar
keeper" continued the owner, "on con-
dition that he could return him in a
week If he did not like him. The par
rot was back the mex day. JIM call
him Swearing J%im-didn't like the
the beer, the lunch, the whisky and the
barkeeper. He swore at the customers
and kept up such a storm of oaths that
it scared everybody Oh: of the house.
Next, / sold him on trial to a gambler
who was running a poker room down
town. The gambler sat in the game
himself that night and hung Jim's cage
up behind him. The rattle of the chips
annoyed Jim, keeping him from sleep,
and the gambler says he never stopped
swearing all night. When jim gets
very mad he says, Blast your heart
He kept screeching that out every min
in his regular oaths. The gambler got
ratified and lost $500. He brought Jim
back and said he wouldn't take him as a
gift. | haven't sold him since"
During the recital of this story Jim
kept nodding his gray old head and
blinking his wicked eyes in perfect
confirmation. When his owner ceased
talking Jim made some remarks in a
general way about his soul and its prob
able destination, and then became
silent, Il v an occasional hoarse
screech.
"l believe he's unlucky," the man
went on, land l am getting afraid of
him. | believe sometimes he is a devil.
He never says a good word, and l can
never teach him one. But let anybody
use a strange oath in his presence and
heo ocks up his head and firss it back
at him A Spaniard was in here yes
terday and swOre at jim in Spanish.
His old eyes lighted up, and he seemed
to know he was hearing some strange,
new wickedness. He just rolled it over
and over in his mouth and kept repeat
ing it again and again. He was happy
all day, and whenever anybody came in
he would swear away at them with his
new oath. He especially delights to
startle ladies. Last week a lady got
out OF her carriage and came in to look
at some canaries. When ladies come in
l always take Jim out, but this morning
l forgot it. While the lady was look
ing at the canaries / suddenly heard u
volley of oaths and 1 looked around.
There vas Jim looking like devil, his
neck stretched out and his eyes snap
ping, swearing his very worst. He
knew the lady would be frightened, and
she was. She ran out of the shop, and
Jim swors till the carriage drove away.
My wife is a church worker and her
pastor comes here to visit frequently.
The sight of a preacher sets jim crazy
He almost froths at the mouth. We
have to hide him when the preacher
comes"
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