Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-09-02
LEANDER AND SOPHIA.
Tho Story of 8 Will and 8 Pet
 Parrot.

Tho Story of a Win and Pet
 Parrot. Leander married Sophia Merrick, Deacon Merrick's oldest daughter; rich old aunt, after whom Sophia had been named, died and left 0,OOO to Sophia, so, as you will agree, Sophia was as eligible Q young wom- an as ever started in upon a patchwork quilt. Some folks said-notably Hepsival Green, who wore pee-wee hat simply because she knew that the pee-wee was Leander's favorite bird-some folks said that Sophia was .high-strung, meaning thereby that Sophia was neither so meek as Moses nor so patient as the good old patriarch who needed cuticura. But when Leander saw Sophia's pretty face, or heard her sten- torian contralto voice lifted up ill the choir, or when (perchance) the imaginative fac ultles of his mind grappled and dallied with the pleasing circumstance that Sophia had S2O,OOO in her own rlght-then, ah, then Leander allowed, not secretly but openly and boldly, that Sophia was the ikeliest girl in the township, and outside of the township Leander's acquaintance extended not.
 In spite therefore, of the malicious libels of the other women folks Leander kept pay 1IR dGtcuUlOu UO IOplAios duo GAiS SOl OA thing eliminated, only and naturally, in wedding, at which the brides mother wept copiously and the brides father became scandalously hilarious over a dipperfuI of hard cider The day before the wedding Leander made Q modest effort to find out what portion of her s2O,OOO Sophia meant to allot to him dover, but at the mere suggestion Sophia went into mysteries and had to be cupled by the doctor before she ,rvl,k oil irhf So made up his mind to bide his time. Love is famous begctter of patience and fortitude.
 It took Leander just about six months to find out that what folks had said about Sophia's temper was not libel; Hepsival Green had told the truth. Sophia was shrew. The most mortifying phase of the situation, however, was that Sophia hung on to her S9O,0OO-yes, she guarded and clung to that s2O, 900 as only an argus-eyed, briarean- handed woman can guard and cling. Leander had to work for his living, and that, as some of us are painfully aware, involves an embarrassing lot of sweat and weariness. Still Leander did not repine; it seemed as if that $2O, 900 danced like an ignis- -fatuus continually before his eyes, filling his bosom with hope, if not conf | dence. ''An things come to him who waits," said Leander-fool optimist that he | was!
 y when they moved to Worcester. Sophia had tired of country life; she pined for the noise, the hustle and the excitement of the ] city; so they moved to Worcester, where there are six trains day each way. They had no children, but Sophia, having drawn dividend on her Fitchburg stock ono spring, bought parrot for seven collars, and about this callow bird of song did the tendrils of her heart gradually entwine l AL o,rdy hut c0ln l bird, was the parrot For hours would it sit in the gilt ring in it's capacious zinc cage, l staring duly into space and tutoring no l sound whatsoever. Sophia called 1t Dinkety | surely a most frivolous name for so cir | cumspect Q bird
 Leander had no use for parrots. As al- ready intimated (advlsedly and without prejudice), Leander's favorite bird was the pee-wee, the tiny songster which, either | caroling in it's native bush or crowning the head of 8 buxom rural maiden, is alike a joy and a thing of beauty. Leander saw noth- ing to admire in the vulgar-hued, watch eyed and taciturn parrot. It annoyed him to behold that gloomy creature staring va- cantly into space-it annoyed and hypno- tized him. II shall wiring it's neck some time," said he, but he never passed any such remark in the hearing of his wife. He respected Sophia's feelings. There is, ac-
 
 worth $2O, 900, a certain sanctity so well de. fined and so sacred that no discreet hus- band will violate it.
 They had been married going on eight years, when Sophia up and died. Leander buried her and marked her grave with a simple marble slab bearing the ambiguous legend: "At Rest"
 1t transpired that Sophia had left Q will. It was rather of 8 surprise to Leander. Lawyer Beebe filed 1t and proved it up in the Probate Court. It was a simple docu. ment. It left Sophia's entire fortune to Leander, in trust for the parrot, and in the event of the parrots death from natural causes the fortune was to pass without re serve to Lcander. Lawyer Beebe was ap
 pointed executor of the will and guardian of the parrot, without bonds. Testatri1 l confided in Beebe because once upon time
 he had given her some legal advice without
 exacting fee.
 The New York papers sent special cor
 respondents to Worcester to write articles
 about Dinkety, tho famous wealthy parrot
 they also printed pictures of Dinkety, ane
 pyetty soon Dinkety became so distin
 0uished that several of the New England
 colleges conferred honorary degrees upol
 him.
 Meanwhile Leander plotted against thu
 lifc of the bird. Naturally enough, h'
 chafed under the conditions prescribed b.
 Sophia's will. Why should he, human
 being. suffer his peace and dignity to b. imperiled by vulgar, minimizing bird
 The murderous passion waxed and grew Leander's bosom until presently 1t becam paramount and all.absorbing. "Pstttdea de,sadas cst''-this was, in fact, the senti
 mcut which Leander borrowed from tn
 ancient Romans. But how was this right
 eous end to be achievedf
 , sopha's will was explicit. It specified Il l words as clear as sunlight that in case th parrot died ia natural death' the none
 should be Leander's; "but," the next claus went on to say, "in case the parrot de