Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-28

noying neighbor than that bird, for its
voice was shrfll enough to crack ones ear
| drum, and wnen it spoke it repeated one
!! phrase again and again until l was nearly
driven mad. Moreover, the brute was hid
/ eouS 10 look at. for it ate too much, and
consequently had the govt; its feet were
! so swollen that it could hardly stand, and
many OF its feathers were missing. 1 had
| always had q poor opinion of people who
kept parrots, and thought they must be
either depraved or imbeeiie. The heart of
| man has unfathomable depths, but the love
/ of parrots incomprehensible.
Whenever the weather was fine, the
| glover would set the birds perch out on u
| balcony just under my window, and every
time looked down the stupid brute would
| turn his round, dull eve toward me and
utter his one phrase, pretty bid
Jacquot!" over and over again, as if3fe
were wound up and could not stop. SHis
| voice, harsh as a croupY phonograpA,
/ haunted me like a nightmare, and VI last =
| became furious and desperate. -
If the thing would but die!'' I thought,
| and my next impulse was to cause its de-
mise, but resisted the temptation. Before
| long, however, my endurance was eX-
| hausted. Violent maladies require violent
| remedies; why should 1 not treat my toDf
mentor to little arsenicl By degreesA
grew accustomed to the idea l bought
some arsenic acid, l opened my shutter dAza-
leaning out, sprinkled the seed in the birds
food cup. For several days in succession 1
repeated the maneuver, and every morning
l looked out anxiously to see the result.
The confounded animal did not die, howsl
ever, but grew more lively than before; the
swelling in his feet went down. and hfss
general health improved Vistbly.
A horrible suspicion dawned upon me.
Arsenic in small doses is 4 tonic-I was
curing my enemy.
This discovery ought to have disarmed
me, but instead it served to increase my
fury. Selling the package of powder l
turned it upside down above the parrot, and
its contents spread over the perches and
everything, and looked like snow. 1t was
the birds winding sheet.
Ten minutes later L heard violent ring
ing at my door. and on running TO open it
found young girl, angelically beautiful,
standing there.
"Oh, doctor,'' she gasped breathlessly,
twill you come down stajrsa Our parrot is
dying. Mamma is so fond of it" l felt
twinge Of remorse as looked at her, and l
knew my punishment had begun.
Without a word I followed my lovely
guide, and found the whole family in the
deepest Distress and as I approached they
cried with one voice;
You will save Jacquot!''
The bird was nearly dead, and it was in
vain that tried to administer an emSsfcI
The patient looked at me with his jteaden-
hued eyes, then croaked family: -
pretty bird, Jac''-and EXPIRED a-S',
As l was goind away, conscience struck,
the father of the girl followed me to the
door and asked me what he owed me, and,
hardened as | was, l blushed as he spoke. -
Nothing, nothing" answered hastilFs
II am not regular practitioner" and uzade (
my escape as fast as could 20 -
The next day he called on me to thanl,ESse
for my attention, and when retuRRad his
visit found that his daughters great dark
eyes had fascinated me, so called again,
and kept on calling. Bertha knew how to
play the piano little, and l had learned
to scrape the violin, so we played duets. 1t
often happened, however, that l was too
much engroSsed in looking at her to mind
my notes, and the music suffered, but we
played on without noticing the discords, \
and the old people seemed to be delighteds
with our performance.
One evening when l arrived with my DO
lin case under my arm, as usual, was Con
fronted by an object which made me stop
short with thrill of terror. There, ou1he
table, bold, strong and saucy, with brigaEas
eyes and brilliant plumage, stood Jacquot!
Macbeth gazing upon Banquo's ghost could
not have been more startled than I was.
1--WE have had him stuffed. - said Bertha,
son purpose for you. Will you accept
him2"
took the gift gratefully, for in that forInl
thought him charming bird.
The little episode concluded with a mir
riage. Bertha is the best and sweeteE of
wives. and the parrot, from the top Of the
book case, looks down upon our happiness,
which was his doing.
One day Bertha asked, as she looked Sezi
him thoughtfully:
How could he die of gout?''
every easily,'' 1 said: 1T went to the |
heart" and kissed her. Yet, people say \
crime is always punished.-[From the |
French of Eugene Fourier.