The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1895-09-05

or of his, parrot of venerable age.
and wise old fowl, met him one day,
and learning his situation got him
50st in focl. OF Gallo cocks, Burgun-
iian ravens, --ton geese, and Gascon
brakes, together with a great number
Of Partisan looms, gulls, snipe, storks,
sparrows and what not. 1t appears
that a vast number of hawks and
crows, many of English breed. had es-
tablished themselves in place called
Toulon, where they defed the utmost
efforts of the French fowls to GUST
them. Here it was that our hero's mil
tary genius first showed itself.
NoW it should be known that the COM
mander of the forces was a certain
Major General Gander, a miserable old
rascal, If the truth must be told, one
sided from the loss of a wing, lame
from a foot deformed by being frozen,
vain and stupid withal and convinced
that the fate of the whole nation lay
in his paddles. Nappy Leon, with the
adventurous and unquiet disposition
which went SO far toward his after sue
cess, and also to his final overthrow,
being dissatisfied with the slow and
fruitless tactics of Gen. Camden, one
day flew into an elm-tree which over
looked the enemy's position, and from
thence devised plan for the expulsion
of the defenders of Toulon. He laid his
scheme before Camden, who hesitated,
quacked, Kissed, nibbled at his only re-
naming wing, billed his unlaundered
shirt-front, took sip from the mud
puddle before which he had established
his quarters, pulled out and ate a very
large earth worm, with profoundly
reflective aspect, and-consented.
Nappy Leon proceeded at once to his
quarters. Doubtless there might have
been seen a laughter carriage of his
head, a more brilliant CLEAN of his
eyes, loftier poise Of his comb, as he
summoned his flock for the assault. Be
this as it may, he selected his storming
party with great dispatch. He chose
Brienne's "Heavies," uniformed in yell
low and black; Thibaults whites" in
snowy vests and green Jackets, every
fowl OF noble family; De Vergne's
charge; and. finally, Chambord's Spar
rows" hardy, reckless little fellows,
before whose iron bills even the Royal
Eagles" had more than once taken
flight.
We need not pause to describe the
event 1t will suffice if we say that
Nappy at the head of his gallant flock,
swooped down upon the surprised and
demoralized foe, and after a short but
desperate battle, drove them, pell-mell,
out of their works, with terrible cluck-
ings, squallings, screenings and croak-
ings, in a cloud of torn feathers, wings,
beaks, gills, combs and top-knots. Nap
by himself had desperate, though
brief, combat with Major Flemish, the
commandant Those who witnessed the
struggle declared afterward that the
sight of it was worthy of a poem.
The further history of Nappy Leon
is one long tale of bloodshed and vic
tory over his enemies. His grateful
followers put him on top of the finest
hen-coop, and he was declared to be
the emperor fowl of the whole country.
But there came a time when Nappy
had to abdicate. He could do nothing
else if he wished to save his life; for he
knew that he must otherwise "get it,
to use a bit of slang frequently in Nap
pys mouth, where the hen got the
axe"-that is, in the neck.
On a far-distant island Of the sea, he
pined away the remnant of his life, nib
bling his feathers, stalking around his
narrow domain, feebly growing and
dreaming over again the vast dreams
which erstwhile had kept the world in
excitement
Peace to his feathers! He was Won
derfuI fowl in his time; but his life illus
trates the great truth that bird or man,
if we fly high, we may fall low.-Adapt-
ed from Demorest's Family Magazine.