The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-01-18
miscellaneous.
DICKS LEGACY.

u
We were a large family, and 1t was
only to be expected that one of us should
have insisted upon going to sea My ia
Their said he would as soon have seen Dick
go to the dogs at once, but We all knew
he didn't mean that. He only meant It
was very hard that his favorite son and
the child of his old age should not be con-
tent to earn his living at home or at least
in his own country, but must betake him
self to lands which the rest Of us had only
read Of in the geography books. We lived
in London and within very easy distance
Of tho Thames-indeed our street led into
it-but nothing would do but Dick must
sail to Spain and see the Granddaughter,
name that sounds like an alligator in ex-
tremis Our Dick cared nothing for for
eien scenery, had no thirst for information
of any kind, didn't care whether the eli
mato was warm or cold, hadn't the slight
est knowledge of any tongue but his own,
and that he knew very imperfectly, had
no sympathy with Columbus or Captain
Cook, yet he must be always going to sea.
Going to see WHAT his father used to in
quire pcevishly, and poor Dick never could
answer him, for he didn't know himself.
He always pinned to be off somewhere-to
kamchatka or Mozambique or Jericho
after he had been at home about three
weeks or SO. Spain not having been
enough for him, he ran over to Canada.
Then he took trip to Hongkong and
finally went to the West Indies, from
whence the dear, light hearted vagabond
never returned.
Yellow Jack laid him low at Berbice,
and many an eye was touched with tears
when the news came over the sea. 1t
sent spasm to his fathers heart from
which he never recovered For this ne'er
do WELL who was no scapegrace, how
ever, was liked by everybody who knew
him. He was very poor, of course, being
only common seaman before the mast at
best, but he had kept all his friends in
his memory wheresoever he went and
brought home some trifle from every out
landish place he visited for one or other
of them. He was not man for a woman
to marry unless she was prepared to en-
brace the nautical profession as well as
himself, but he was an immense favorite
with all the sex, and, as for children, they
adored him and called him Uncle Dick
whether authorized by the tables of affinity
so to do or not His last present, a post
humous one, brought over by messmate
to my wife, with "her brother Dicks best
love"-kind, simple soul that he was
was huge black parrot-the very uglicst
bird these eyes ever beheld. Lucy, how
ever, welcomed it as though 1t had been a
bird of paradise for the sake of the giver,
and father could hardly be persuaded not
to have 1t in his room, when he lay i'll Of
the sickness which at last was unto death.
But the fact was the black parrot was by
no means a suitable bird for sIckroom,
for at most unexpected seasons and COM
monty In the dead of night it would be-
gin to talk as loud as q washerwoman
and use the most reprehensible language,
which it had picked up at sea upon its re-
turn voyage, as my wife always would
have 1t, and by no means from Dick IS lips.
Pooh, pooh. Never say die" What's
o'clock?" Past kissing time, chick, chick,
and time to kiss again, chick, chick"
That was his imitation of OSCILLATION.
"Tolderol, tolderol." "Who's afraidi"
XIII the captain" "Scuttle the Ship"
and number of other Objectionable state
ments which would be not only tedious
here to enumerate, but even improper.
Notwithstanding this Poll was great
pet with everybody except the Doctor
whom 1t had objurgated in the most I'M
measured TERMS having mistaken him in
his white cravat for the ships chaplain,
and when misfortune came upon us in the
pleasant guise, however of a family too
large for our income Poll and his huge
gilt cage still formed one portion of our
furniture, although many persons with
more brain than heart thought it piece
of folly that we did not turn Dick s loving
legacy into hard money. The only incon
venience Poll suffered in consequence of
this change in our circumstances was that,
being greatly crowded within doors, we
hung him outside the house in the sum-
mer time in which position he endured
much wordy persecution from the street
boys To these he would return insult
for insult, teaching them the badinage
used by mariners and learning in return
the flowers of speech that flourish in the
streets of the metropolis. His jet black
plumage, his enormous beak and the I'M
precedented (for parrot) violence of his
expressions induced these enemies to call
him Nick, but, very fortunately, his ear
was not sufficiently acute to discern the
difference between this contumeious name
and Dick, which we had entitled him, aft
OF Hllil WHO nuu DcQuedlncO Illlll W us.
But Never you mind, 1" my good father
would observe to us with general reference
to all these draw backs, that bird will
prove blessing to you yet, or my dear boy
would never have sent 1t to you with his
last breath across the seas. "
And SO long after my poor father died
and when many of our children had grown
up and were earning their own living the
parrot was with us still without one touch
Of gray upon feather
We were outfltting Jack, our youngest
but one for situation as under clerk in a
colliery down in Wales and had had no
little trouble to raiaa the money for thst
and his long journey when Dick first
brought us luck.
"My dear George" said my wife to me
Fne June evening, just after had come
home from a long days work, 'if 15
guineaS would be q very great comfort to
you, indeed know where to get them"
Her voice was not so CHEEKY as her words,
and therefore knew there was reverse
side to such gratifying offer.
WELL said l, land what's to be done
for that money! 1t would be great con-
venience, Lucy, no doubt, just now"
"That's true" returned my wife, with
a little sigh "But we are not SO poor as
to be obliged to sell poor Dick even for
that sum, and 1t is for him that the money
has been bid. If any Of the children were
III and wantad axnansive medicines or