The national leader., 1889-03-02

uy tyTaHI'S mOLner, Wnen Sno Went TO
pay her rent, as a present to her
landlords daughter, a young lady who
was extremely beautiful, and in the
18th year of her age. My captivity
now began to lose its terrors. 1 no
longer dreaded the grip of rude
urchin. whose fondness was scarcely
less dangerous than his resentment.
The confinement of a cage became
habltual, and imagined | could suffer
no injury under the patronage Of smiles
and graces. Such was my situation,
when a young lady made visit to my
mistress, and greatly caressed me. To
show my sensibillty of her favors, l
hoped upon her finger and began to
sing. AS soon as my song was ended
she turned to my mistress and told her
that the dear creature might be made
absolutely the sweetest bird in the
world, by only putting out its eyes,
and combining it in a less cage. To
this horrid proposal my mistress agreed
upon being again assured that my song
would be very greatly improved, and
the operation was performed next day,
with hot knitting kneedle. I did
not long suffer the mournful solitude
Of perpetual darkness, for a cat came
one night into the room, dragged me
through the wires Of my cage and de-
voured me.
II was not displeased to find myself
once more delivered from blindness
and captivity, and still able to sport
upon the breeze in the form Of cock
chafer. But had scarcely entered
upon my new scene Of existence,
when gentleman, in whose garden 1
was feasting on the leaves Of a cherry
tree, caught me, and turning to his
son, boy who had just been put into
his first breeches, said: Here. Tommy;
here is bird for you.' The thought
less boy received me with a grip of
horrid delight, and, as be had been
taught, Immediately empaled me alive
upon corking pin, to which piece OF
thread was fastened, and was doomed
to make sport for my young master,
by futtering about in the agonies of
death. When was quite exhausted,
and could no longer use my wings, he
was bid to tread upon me, for l was
now good for nothing; a command
with which he mercifully complied,
and in a moment crushed me to atoms
with his foot.
"From cockchafer, 1 transmigra-
ted into au earthworm, and comfOrted
myself by noplng now to spend my life
In peace, by escaping the notice of the
most cruel OF all creatures-man.
''But 1 did not long enjoy this con-
ISOLATION. was one morning disturbed
by an unusual noise, and perceiving
the ground about me to shake, l i'm
mediat ely worked my way upward to
discover the cause; and the moment l
appeared above the surface, l was
eagerly snatched up by a man who had
stuck dung fork in the ground and
moved it backwards and forwards to
produce the effect which now happened.
1 was put into broken pan with many
other associates in misfortune and
soon after disposed to one of those in
human monsters who delight in the
treacherous and ignoble business of
angling.
''This inconsiderate trifer carried us
next morning to the brink OF river,
when / presently saw him take out one
of ny companions, and whlstling a
tune. he passed a barbed hook through
the whole length of his body, entering
at the head and bringing 1t out at the
tail. The wretched animal writhed
itself about on the bloody hook IN
torture which cannot be conceived by
man, or felt by any creature that Is not
vital in every part. In this condition
he was suspended in the water as a
bait for fish, till he was swallowed by
an eel, together with the hook on
which he was hung. While was be-
holding this dreadful spectacle. l made
many reflections on the great inequality
between the pleasure of catching the
prey, and the anguish inflicted on the
bait. But these reflections were pre-
sentIy after lost in my suffering death
in the same agonies Of which 1 had
been a spectator.
"There is not room to relate all that
1 have since suffered from the thought
less barbarity of mankind, in the shape
of a cock, a lobster, an eel and pig.
Let it suffice to say that L suffered the
same kind of death with those who are
broken upon the wheel. l was skinned
and afterwards thrown, while yet
alive, into frying pan; and l was
scourged to death with small cords, to
crafty the wanton appetite of luxury,
or contribute to the merrIment OF the
unthlnking rabble."
Thus far I had written an amanu-
ensIs to an invisible dictator, when.
rurninU nv avaq from the n2Dar tO 9aa