The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1897-04-27
HOW POLLY PROPOSED.

itEEcb ~ say tustI tue ilIcpItSSioi'
young man that brings the daily milk
is the tutor of my parrot in the latest
up-to-date slang of the day.
am an old sea-captain-at least, not
old, perhaps the word slipped out un
awares. | am the right side of 50, any
how; but being in receipt of n pension
and a small private income to boot, /
have cast anchor in my present abode n
the expectation of weathering many a
winters storm yet.
Being without known relation IN
the world, | willingly fell in with the
suggestion that | should pick up my
moorings alongside my old friend and
messmate, Capt. Travers, late x. ~,
who. having left one OF his legs on the
west coast of Africa while capturing a
SLAYER, was pensioned OF at an even
earlier age than myself, ind now lived
with his sister most comfortable
party, fat, fair and 40 or the rcabouts--
in the adjoining house to mine in the
neighborhood of London. We had al
ways got on well together, our tastes
and dispositions were similar, aud we
had often met during our naval careers.
His sister had not previously been ac-
quainted with, but, being in many re-
spects like her brother, we were soon
firm friends.
Capt. Travers and myself had each a
faSorite parrot-his the common Afri-
can gray, with a red-tipped tail, and
mine the purer variety, without trace
of color, but otherwise similar
l had not long settled down in my
new quarters, and got everything ship
shape, or what seemed so to me--a very
important difference, as know to-day
when, almost untopsciously AT first,
] began TO feel what lonely old bache-
Tor | was. and what u set-off to all my
other belongings the figure of Miss
Rachel Trayers would be by my fire.
side. But just here the curse Of my
life began to make itself felt. Inherent
Shyness in the presence OF the opposite
sex bias logged my footsteps from my
earliest recoHections. Give me u gale
of wind in the Bay of Biscay, tornado
in the tropics, or 20 hours duty on deck,
wet through TO the skin. and Capt. Man
| ley, late of the =. and q. service,
will thank you for it, and consider life
we'll worth living; but as dispenser of
delicate attentions to the fair sex, in
| tensely as he inwardly admires their
! pretty ways, Capt. Manley does not, no,
he certainly does not, show up to adj
vantage.
| Although fond of pets generally, ]
have an antipatby to eats, especially at
night. | am not aware that our neigh
horhood was particularly beneficial in
its aspect or other qualifications 10
| feline constitution, but l know that UNI
til was inhuman enough to start an
air-gun cannonadc on ms numerous
| nocturnal visitors, / was frequently un-
able to get n respectable nights rest.
One internal black and white Tom de-
fed my finest efforts. II average eats
have nine lives, ara sure this one must
have had ~, and ! !egan 10 wonder
what sort o. unconny being this was
that had 70 ol,jc t.cn 20 letting my bu,-
lets PASS 'argu'ly through its body
without sul.csiag ary Inconvenience.
| But after ai IL must ham Geen my bad
marAsruar sllp, for enc af:sgpcon saw
my eueGiy quietly walking up Che low
fence that divided ny back gaiden from
Capt. Travers'.
The opportunity was too good TO be
lost, and quietly getting my air-gun,
took a steady aim and fred. There WAS
no mistake tins time, and without
sound poor puss dropped on to ms
tlower-bed as dead as the proverbial
door nail.
My exultation, however, was of short
duration, for to nay horror and dis
may, on proceeding to pick mp his I'M
fortunate carcass and give it decent
burial, | saw that my shot had passed
right through the unlucky animal and
killed my neighbor's parrot, which had
been put out TO sun itself in a little
summer-house that stood at the bottom
OF the garden.
was staggered at my position; |
knew the parrot was a supreme fayorite
with Miss Travers, and how could ever
explain my carelcssness | could not
Imagine. Suddenly a way out of my
dilemma presented itself to my Tuind,
and | FASTENED TO put it into execution.
| knew that the TrayerS were out, and
would not be back for some little time,
so hurrying indoors ard taking my own
parrot from its cage, carefully painted
the end Of its tail with red ink in imita-
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