Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-04-11
A Southern Polly.

She came from Mexico, across the
Gulf to New Orleans, when only few
weeks old. She had not then reached
the splendor of her green feather
gown. but was more quietly attired III
soft gray.
Emigrating at that early age, and
leaving the sailors while her powers
of observation and speech were yet
dormant, her English was uncommon
Iv good, and the few phrases which
she had learned before coming into
the possession of her final owners
would be recognized as of the ''best
:1sage'' by even Blair or Hill. In fact,
her entire vocabulary consisted OF
ssPretty Polly" and "Mary."
After being in her new home about
two weeks, and satisfying herself that
the family were ''people of her set"
Polly concluded to cultivate their ac-
uuaintance She was soon on friend
Iy terms with every one and "father,"
ssmother'' and emily" were familiar
names to her.
Polly was no common BIRD; she mao
n brilliant intellect, and if she had
only been a child instead Of parrot
would doubtless have become a great
scholar-a Webster, or a Newton, or
somebody else-to astomsh the
whole world.
She didn't believe in public rehear-
sails. for she could not be induced to
repeat what any one was trying TO
teach her, although she would SIT with
her head on one side listening very at
tentively. At first it seemed OF no
use to try; but by and by Polly would
suddenly repeat every word perfectly.
1t was a puzzle to know when or how
she learned things so well, for no one
in the house had ever heard her pfac-
ticing. But one morning mother,
in whose room the parrots cage sat
at night, happening to awake very
early, heard the bird going over her
lessons softly to herself, evidently de-
termined that nobody should ever
hear her mistakes.
She ''picked up'' a good deal Of in
formation, among other things the
word s.breakfast." And once, when
her mistress was trying to teach
freedwoman to spell, Polly learned
the word before the pupil did.
She liked to sing and knew several
songs. ''My Willie's on the dark blue
sea" and ''Polly, put the kettle on"
were two of her favorites. But Polly
had a prejudice or a superstition of
some sort about singing to the end OF
a song, and to her mind the whole of
the two were as follows:
My Willie's on the dark blue sea,
He's gone far Ger"
sPolly, put the kettle on,
All"
There was one song, or rather verse,
which she used to sing through, but
her pronunciation was very funny.
This was Polly's version:
Pretty Polly Hopty,
How dye do? how dye do?
Welly, welly wank too,
How til oo-oo? how IL oo?' /"
She had the musicians taste for va
ration. EMILY" used at one time to
teach school at a settlement some
distance away. She boarded during
the week, but was at home Saturday.
When the latter part Of the week
came round Polly would call 'sEmilee,
Emilar, Emilaw, Emiloo, come along,
come along, come"
At meal-time she had her place at
the table and her plate in the chair
seat She was very fond of crackers
and coffee, and knew how to ask for
them; but if she was in need of any
thing else could only say, "Polly
wants, Polly wants. until the right
thing was offered.
She used to take a morsel from her
plate and then climb up on the back
of her chair to eat it. The cat some
times took advantage of this to get
share of her dinner for himself. Pol
Iy was a strategist; she dared not
face the enemy. So she would wait,
full of indignation, until he seemed to
have forgotten her in the enjoyment
of eating her dinner. Then she would
Chamber softly down, give his ear
sharp nip, and up again quick. But
poor Polly sometimes found that right
does not always protect from harm,