The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1892-10-07
BURIAL OF PARROT
WHOLESALE MOURNING OVER A
MUCH LOVED HOUSEHOLD PET.

The Unfortunate Creature Said "By BY,
Ghost-The Funeral Was a Large Ono
and the Furnishings Were Gorgeous.
There was a strange scene in Noe
Valley, away out Castro street, on Thurs
day. and those who witnessed it will not
0 tire talking of it. To most of those
who took part in it the occasion was
fraught with more Of curiosity than of
deeper interest. but it was not so with
all. In a little front parlor at 141416
Castro street stands a big empty bird
cage. Rising from the top of the cage
a staff on which a flag, hoisted half mast
high, tells the visitor that the one time
occupant is dead. All around the little
doorway where she futtered in and ont
bits of black and white still further
emphasize the fatal fact, and bouquets
of flowers fitted into feeding and drink
ing cups and hanging from the swinging
perch where Polly used to swing are
tokens to her memory.
1t was only a parrot, this recent
dweller within those walls of wire, but
seldom has a bird left more sincere
mourners behind it, and many a man or
woman would be proud to think that
such an elaborate funeral was in store
for him or her. Less than two years
ago this poor parrot was Matched out in
the wilderness of Panama. John Stran-
Afghan, an honest sailor lad, came into
possession of the bird on one of his coast
wise trips and brought it to his uncle's
home III Noe Valley. Just one year ago
it was presented to Mr.. and Mrs. Au-
gustus Tache, and in their pretty little
home on Castro street the bird really
began to live the life hat has now SO
suddenly ended. The parrots name was
Loretta, but owing to the difficulty par
rots find in p~ronouncing the letter T she
called herself LOra, and those who
knew her and loved her learned to ac-
cept the abbreviation. Lora was the
! pet of the entire neighborhOod, but she
was the apple of Mrs. Tache's eye.
There were tears in both of Mrs.
Tache's eyes last evening as she related
stories illustrating the genius and &C
complishments of poor LOra. In APP
pearance the bird had been quite like
any other green parrot with gold trim
mings. Her size was roughly but kindly
stated by Mr.. Tache, who is a carpenter.
She just fitted into a box II by 3
inches" said he. And there stood the
box on a pedestal just in front of the
empty cottage" 1t was a dainty box,
more like a young lady's glove box than
a coffin, covered with blue silk and line1
with the same in quilted squares. IeS
in it poor LOra had been laid out. By
the silken handles on either side the
pallbearers had carried it to the grave
side, and there in the darkened parlor
it now stands with the other evidences
of a woman's strange devotion to the
memory Of a dead bird.
The lessons that Lora learned in her
home on Castro street seem all to have
been good ones. She could not only talk
and whistle like other parrots, but as a
singer she had an enviable record. Her
singing of the chorus of "Auld Lang
Svne'' is said to have made many of the
residents of Noe Valley weep c~OpiOusly,
and Mrs. Tache herself was very much
overcome last evening in ~endeavoring tC
give the reporter an idea of LOra's rem
dition of Amid the Raging of Sea
She had a sweet and lovely voice" said
this fOnd mistress Of n pretty pet, but
Mr.. Tache did not seem to agree with
her. There was also a slight difference
Of opinion as to the cause Of LOra,s de-
mise. Both agreed that the parrot died
Of cholera morbus, but Mrs. Tache de-
clared that the disease was due to Mr.
Tache feeding the bird on watermelon
while the latter contended that deatf
had been due to too freqent bathing al
the hands of Mrs. Tache.
Whatever the cause, poor LOra wa:
taken i'll on Monday last. She was cot
her feed" as Mr.. Tache puts it, all The
afternoon. and when night came sht
could muster up no words from her Vo
luminous vocabulary save Poor Lora
Poor, poor Lora." 1t should be men
toned here that she never referred t.
herself as Polly, and never made tn,
stereotyped suggestion regarding thu
%proverbial cracker. Just as MOnda,
was turning into Tuesday Mr.. and Mrs
Tache, snugly slowed away in the ad
Joining bedroom, heard a terrible scream
They knew at once that Lora was on he
last legs. Mrs. Tache promptly got on
of bed and went to h rescue. She ais
did what a mother would have done 70
a dying child. She took the bird to he
: bosom and sat with it on her own bed
Poor Lora lived but a short hour longer
After the one shrill scream there cam
- but these words, by by, Lora, b.
by" They We're the last words indeed
Written by the afflicted mistress thes
words are still pinned to the wires o
= the empty birdcage. The writer an
her husband are as subdued IN thei
grief as if a child had been taken away
n The funeral took place at 4 p. IN. o.
Thursday. The neighbOrs turned out /
goodly numbers. The house at 14l411
Castro street was crowded, and ther
were more flowers than city official
have sometimes been honored with. Blu
The most unique feature of the occaslo
- IT. -~- Sc n r1S~hhnJ