The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-02-24
WHATRUINED GILT EDGE.


Alec, iii 1t hnCht been Tor PAul Jones
parrot"
"Why, what on earth did the parrot
do TO tho mine"
"Do to tho mine? Oh, nothing; moth.
ing whatever. 1t only ruined it that
waa ALL"
"Ruincd tho mino?"
Eyes, 1t did-as lar MS | was con-
cernod, Mt any rate"
"But how was that?"
"Woll. I'll tell you. Bob and | had
boon out prospecting, and landed on Il
really good thing, and Bob went homo
to England to get UP syndicate 10 work
tho reef. Well, ho came back in three
months with the money to start with,
and ,we very soon got TO work, and it
looked moral certainty that NJ the end
OF year or 80 VIC should be abio TO sell
the Gilt Edge NJ swinging figure to n
company. But We reCkoncd without
Bob's bcastly parrot. For when Bob
went home he had heard 4 song ut some
music hall or other, it was all the rage
then. with Ta-ra-rR-boom.de.ay for Il
chorus. An idioiiC thing, anyhow, but
it was catchy, and Bob and /, in our
good spirits, were periodically q: it. All
day long 1t was TN-ra-ra boom this and
Tu-ra-ra boom that. and rs bob had
shown me how q woman in London,
Lotto something, remember. sang it,
We were always high-kicking and try
ing 10 wipe tho ground with our back
hair.
"We were couple OF young fools, no
doubt, but it did no harm. | dare say
We should have got sick OF it in time.
But Bob had caught young parrot
the bush all round WAS simply swarm-
ing with thcm-und no taught it the air
OF Ta.ra-ra, and it was funny enough,
when no were in lucE's way and every
thing looked rosy, to hear the bird
whistiin. il. But ono day tho parrot
was missing. II had bitten through n
bar OF its cage, made by Bob out OF a
whisky case, and was gone. We were
sorry at the time, remember, and We
put the cage outside our hut with lot
Of sugar and stuff all about it, in the
hope OF tho parrots coming back. II
we had only shot it!
"But ono day as VIC were going across
to the mine We suddenly heard the wei!
known refrain from the top OF gum.
We stopped dead, and while stayed to
watch the parrots movements. Bob ran
back for the cage, which we put out on
bit OF open ground as tcmptingly rs
We could, and then stood by, n good way
of, to watch results. While We wero
waiting we were astonished to hear
Ta-ra-ra-boom from anotheri tree be.
hind us. Bob's parrot had been teach
in. all the others Ta-ra.ra-b BOOM de-avl
And go it was. There was not bird in
the bush that did not know it, and there
were thousands OF them. We laughed
ut first, so did the men at the mine
There were twelve OF them, all very de.
cent, well.behavcd fellows. But the par.
rois kept on 1t it all the morning. Then
they shocked of about noon, when they
generally had 4 sleep, and commenced
again about i, and went on until it was
dark. By bedtime VIC had got tired OF
the joke. The fun had all pe,cred out
OF the thing.
"Bv dnybreak next morning the birds
were at it again. and all the time that
We were getting breakfast ready and
eating it the wretched brutcs kept
steadily on. Ta-ra-ra-b oom-. To
add to the evaporation OF it, not one in
Il hundred ever finished the line, but
broke of at the BOOM Conversation
was impossible with this nouotonous
ob!icato OF Ta.ra-ras going on, and even
sitting still to breakfast seemed diff
cult. Wo were all very hot-tempered
by tho time tho meal was finished, and
as We went out OF the hut l saw Bob
take up his gun. We got to work, but
was Just awful, tell YOU, trying 10 do
anything with those parrots all about.
II they had all talked ut once it wouldn't
have been so bad, or il they had kept on
talking without any stoppagas. But
they used to do it ono ut time, at ir-
regular intervals, and from all sorts OF
unexpected directions. One would
whistle it out loud, the next would drop
it's voice to confidential whisper, the
third ono wheezcd out the words as ii
it had asthma, the fourth would put it
as q question, in 4 rollicliing, jocular
way. was fairly maddened trying to
do anything with parrots saying Tara
m at intervals oil n minute on all sides
OF YOU. could sec the men pausing in
their work in suspense. waiting for the
next Ta-ra-ra to come, and rs for at
tempting 10 talk, it was out OF the. cues.
ton.
"If you opened your mouth to speak,
Tara a-boom parrot overhead would
scream out, and when you got your an
swer YOU had to take another Ta-ra-ra
mixed with il. Bob was giving some di.
rcctions 10 one oil tho men. Look here,
so and so, expect tho (Ta-ra.ra-boomi
up here to-day, and you must have that
bucket ropo in order, for ii he sees it as
i, is no will say (Ta-ra-ra-boom)-' and
Bob stopped short, looked savasely up
into the gum trees, and thon walked to
the tent Ta-ra-ra-boom. said 4 parrot
in a loud aside, as no disappeared with
in. And then Bob cano gu. with his
gun in his hand. Ta.ra-ra-boom -deay.
cried parrot, in tho hcar;icst, ioviui
voice possible. Up went the gun, and
parrot came slipping, humping down
through the branches. 1t fell Mt nv
feet, not quite dead. It gave itself a
sort OF shake, tried to roll over OIL to its
iect, but fell back, and then it opened
one eye, looked ut me, and then said, in
4 positive, emphatic kind OF voice, as if
it was no use trying 10 argue with it or
contradic. acknowledgements died.
Bang went tho gun again, and down
came another parrot.
'But by this timo all the birds within
hearing had commenced in chorus, and
the row was simply dcaiening, and ut.
tracted by the uproar others came Nv
ing up by hundreds from tho surround.
ing bush, and you should have heard
them. OF course, the men wero CON-
pleteIy domora!ized. They were bomb
arling tho bush with chunks OF clay.