The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-27
THE GRATEFUL BULLFINCH.
How It Repaid the Kindness Elk
tended to It by Maj. msndax.
From the New York Times.

eyes, " said Mai Mendax, as he gazed
meditatively at his glass filed with Al
bion's chosen beverage, brandy and soda
a taste for which he had imported to this
country with his English wearing APP
parel-'yes, there's no doubt but that rs
a good yarn, but il deals with snakes.
Now, snake and fish stOricS-l won't say
whether justly or not-always meet with
a certain need of suspicion. and for my
self must say that a story Is worth moth
ing unless its veracity is absolutely I'M
/ impeachable-yes, sir! absolutely unim-
peachable."
Here junior and irreverent clubmate
Uttered. The major glared at him and
| after sip at his brandy and soda to
soothe his ruftiCd temper. went on:
Il have had no experience with snakes
myself, nor do | wish to have. My CX-
perience, however, with wild beasts and
! birdS-I might add fishes, but | wish to
run no risk of being confomded with the
ordinary piscatorial har-arc most re-
markable and, | will make bold TO say
would fill a large book One in particu-
lar occurs to my memory just at this mo-
mentn
Several of the majors hearers suddenly
and simultaneously remembered that
they had important appointments. Mai
MendaX, however, in addition TO his
many military attributes, possesses the
magnetic orb of that most famous of
nautical gentlemen end yarn spinncrs,
the Ancient Mariner, and had no difficulty
/ IN keeping these malcontcnts in their
seats.
1t happened in the Christmas Of 1887, 4"
said the major, settling himself in his
rocker Il was spending Il few weeks
with relatives in one of the southern
counties Of England. 1t was Christmas
! eve. | was dressing for dinner in my
room, the windows of which looked out
on the old-fashioned English garden, in
summer very TennysOnian idyl of love
illness, but at the time a bleak waste of
! snow.
My thoughts were wandering, when a
! tiny tap, tap on my window awo6c me
! from my reyorie. The tapping continued.
like the patter of small hail. and | threw
up the sash to see what caused the noise
In hoped a half-frOzen and most dis
| reputable bulltinCh, belatcd in the winter
weather, and most miserable contrast
to the plump. rakSh, Staud-and-dcliver
sort of figure a wcll-to-do bullinch cuts
We'll, played the Good Samaritan to
the little beggar. ! thawed him out,
gave his grub and we soon got on the
best of good terms.
"Bulltnches, you know, are birds that.
at the expense of a good deal of time and
patience, can be taught to whistle cor
reCtly various musical airs. have heard
birds that were able to whistle eight or
ten different melodies with accuracy.
The winter of 1857 was long and
weary My Internal rheumatism kept
me in the house and my chief amusement
was acting as music teacher to my little
pet, who stuck stanChly to me. He made
such progress that by the time my stay
was over my vanity as a tutor and my
patriotism had the satisfaction of leaving
behind in the land of God Save the
Queen a little red-breasted rascal that
could pipe The Star-Spangled Banner
with the best of EN-"
Maj. Mendax paused solemnly and took
long drink, while a look of surprise and
! relief that he had let them down so easily
crept into the eyes of his hearers.
Don't stir, gentlemen proceeded the
major, the cream of my story is vet to
come. The winter of 1888 l also spent
with my English kinsfolk. Christmas
eve / was dressing for dinner, when there
came the same tapping at my window
that | had heard exactly one year ago,
but far louder this time. | threw up the
sash as before, and there, gentlemen,
there on the sill on the word of an officer
and gentleman was the identical bull
finch whose life had saved the previous
winter with three companions There
was gratitude for you! and l could have
cried, bcgad! cried like a child, when
those four bullfnches, standing on the
frosty sill that starry Christmas eve,
piped up, as a Christmas carol to the
benefactor of one of their race, The Star
Spangled Banner, in part song, too,
begad!'
And the major is still indignant because
all his hearers vanished from the 5moz-
ing room directly the story had been
told, i'll mOurnful silence.