The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-19
A FANTAIL TRAGEDY.


From The Argosy.
The study window, near which 1 gene
rally write commands a fair view of my
coachhouse and stable, along the top of
the roof of which building two pairs of
fantail pigeons (the others having desert
ed mel were accustomed, their aerial
| flights over to march in single file, like
Indian warriors on the warpath To pre-
vent confusion we will, with your permits
sion, gives these birds names, and call
them respectively, Celadon and Amelia,
after an unfortunate pair of lovers in
Thomson's Seasons" and Alonzo the
Brave and the Fair Imogene, of Monk
Lewis celebrity.
Celadon and Alonzo were brothers-in-
law, and pattern husbands; Amelia and
lmogene were sisters, and tender and af-
fectionate SpouSes. At the top of the
slanting roof referred to was not quite
as commodious a parade ground as the
wall of China" on which it is said
four horse men can ride abreast, but a
promenade of only couple of inches in
width, and, therefore, not admitting of
two pedestrians side by side, Celadon al
ways took the lead, Amelia coming next,
then 1mogene, and then, bringing up the
rear, Alonzo, who, when his lady wife did
not go fast enough for him, was in the
habit of giving her a little peck. on the
leg by way of accelerating her movements
1t was edifying, too, to watch the grave
air with which the whole party faced
about when the leader had reached the ex-
tremity of the ridge, and it became neces-
sary to wheel around for the walk back
Things went on in this agreeable and
endearing way for considerable time
The two pairs of lovers INDUCED in an
occasional tour around the welkin hut
always returned to the roof of the stable
afterward, where they either renewed their
march or sat in a row, looking about them
with glance at one another now and
then, when anything OF particular note
attracted their attention.
One morning, however, I observed the
whole party to be in a great state of
alarm, and, on glancing skyward l saw a
hawk lowering in the air just above.
The next moment the pigeons were gone
and the hawk likewise. Whether the
former had flown away in a kind of panic
at the presence of their arch-enemy or not
cannot say, but presently they came back
to the roof and fancied that Imogene had
received wound, as she tottered in her
gait in a way not usual with her. The next
morning she was decidedly lame, and did
not join the Others in their customary
constitutional" An hour or so later I
saw her stagger and roll down the tiles to
the parapet below. Imogene was dead
Alonzo took no notice of her for a LITTLE
while, till, his curiosity and concern being
excited, he waddled slowly down and eyed
his deceased consort closely. She did not
move. ne pulled her by the feathers ten
Derby He took one of her claws in his
beak and gave it tug. Then he cogitated
for upward of a minute, inspecting her
first with one eye, then with the other like
a Waterman prying into the works Of a
patent lever, rejoined his friends above
and returned, followed by Celadon and
Amelia.
They held a short conference. which re-
suited in Alonzo coolly kicking his dead
Wife off the parapet to the garden below.
! s, Imogene had evidently met with some
foul play, and | gave her decent burial,
placing one Of Sutton's seed sticks like a
tombstone over her beloved remains
Alonzo was very sad. He moped He
sat by himself for hours together without
stirring; He would not eat; he would not
drink. He would not feather himself, He
would not survey his charms in the bit of
looking glass that had been stuck for his
toilet accommodation upon the platform
of the pigeon house. Alonzo cared for
nothing. Alonzo wished himself dead and
lying beak to beak and claw to claw, in the
same grave with his lamented Imegene /
feared at one time he contemplated SUIT
eide. 1t may have been in his thoughts,
but he did not yield to the temptation
A week passed mournfully away and
still he moped and sat by himself on the
furthest corner of the roof refusing an
comfort; his eyes closed, his head sunk
in his neck feathers, and only the tip of
his poor beak visible. Then an idea struck
him and he began TO walk about, not with
his two friends, but to and fro by him
self Then he sat still again for a bit;
next, springing suddenly to his legs, he
gave his bill a sharp rap on the tile. which
/ apprehended to mean, TN do itr' His
plan was formed, his decision taken. his
spirits revived from that moment. Alonzo
had my suspicious (being Of wicked
and depraVed turn myself and narrowly
watched my feathered friend. ] observed
that he eyed CeladOn and Amelia furtive-
~, and shifted his glance quickly when
they regarded him IN a reprOachfui way
for his Continued mlsanthropy and gloom.
Yes, he eyed them furtiVeiy; this was "A
bad sign. and guessed what was passing
in mis- mind. ! was confirmed in this
opinion when I found him fraternizing
again. on a sudden, most cordially with