The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-09-19

bird or other pet was ever NNo"'u W W
permanently Gagged In the house
Some years previous. Mrs. jessie Ben
ton Fremont wrote OF visit That she
paid to the poet:
AS we sat I'm tho cool parlor a splendid
old parrot. tho gray parrot OF Africa,
with rs scarlet head, began talking L
have always had a weakness for parrots.
and knowing their tricks and manners, /
made acquaintance with this one As
I suppoecd Il had in its vocabulary the
usual saHor-Spanish-ship words OF IN
gtruction. and SIS funny surprise at near
ing me use them. and its hurried eiohhs
no for nearer talk. made pos an iauhn'
Tho Young girl told us that 10 was not
usually SO friendly; that u had bceh
her GRANDMOTHER pet and was dlsll-
f.d bird NOT given 20 answering laughs
and chatting
Hut even II be was a dignihed bird
Charley was not without a Sly humor.
lie delighted o. climb 80 the honse-top'
whcro he would call whoa and stop
the horses ln the street. Another trick
OF his. nipping the leg OF man whose
trousers happened 10 bc above his shoe
ton. once came 10 the relief OF whittier
when he was suffering from the iniicuon
o. pr0sy. tedious visitor. This man was
sitting IN n rockng-chair. and as DE
swaycd back and forth. during MS ha-
ranguc. his trousers hitohcd higher ana
higher. until they reached the danger
point.
Charlcy's quick cyc saw this as soon
as did the l0ng-su0ering poet. who watch
cd with amused interest what would fol-
low. Slowly the parrot s'dicd zap. unseen
bv the sclf-absorbed orator, and then
thoro was "a little nip. and a sharp exc
olamation. and tho flow OF cloQuence was
broken 30 the relief Of the poet. who did
no. fail TO apologize however. for the
parrots lack Of courtesy
When Charley became ara inmate Of the
household. his vocabulary was somewhat
profane with time however and the
influence OF his new surroundings. hls
language improved, and he fell into the
1uict and docorous ways pertaining his
stad Quaker home. There were Occa-
eiors though. when Charley had a re-
lapse. fcll from grace. shocked his family
and the neighbOrhOOd. One Of these
lapsos occurred one Sunday morning
when Just as the bells were ringing and
the streets was fun of churCh-eoers, he
climbed from lightning-rod TO the top OF
The chimney where be danced and swore
and sung. 10 the great amusement Of
Che passcrs-by. and the modification OF
the household, who could find no way OF
stopping him.
But ne sought that chimney-top once
too often. for he afterwards tumbed
down the nue. by some unexplained mis-
chance. and was not discovered and ros-
cuod until several days afterwards. lie
was missed and searched for. Of course,
but 80 was thought that DE had met his
fate in the shape of cat or dog 1t was
On the middle of the night when 10 was
found that he was down the hue, but
man was at once sent for who Jet down,
10 his rescue. % pole with "a claw on ~.
AS the poor fellow was being drawn mp
he made feeble little responses to- encour-
aging calls Of his master, ana his first
words ON emerging were, Poor Charley
wants water"
Latncr this period Of enforced reflection
on The error of his ways was too much
for Charley. OF the shock 10 his nervous
system was too great. for he never re-
covered his strength. Not long afterwards
be died. and was buried ln the gar
den 10y the poet the sole survivor Of the
little household who had once found
amusement in the birds pranks.
Writing Of this TO his niece. who was
away at school. Whittier says: 1--WE
buried poor Charley deccntly I'm the snow
bank. II there is parrots paradise, he
ought TO 30 there. I miss him sadly
his Jolly halo and droll whispers"
Dclightng as he did in nature. # was
not strange that Whittier should have
been fond Of all things living Ills love
for trees plants and flowers was one OF
the passions of his life. and the ways OF
birds and Of an wild things were Of con-
slant interest % him. There were al
ways pets OF some kind I'm his home.
Cats and dogs were special favoritos and
DE enjoyed teaching them odd tricks. and
wherever he was. they found i'm him
staunch friend.
lSie household pet that succeeded Char
'cy was little bantam rooster of bright
plumage, and social instincts. lie was
often TO be seen on the poets shoulder.
ana liked to be buttoned up inside the
Quaker coat One of the ACCOMPLISH
ments that Whittier taught the bantam.
was TO wake up his young niece I'm the
morning by growing TO do this he would
open her chamber door and put the little
bird on the top OF it. where hc would
crow and crow I'm assured that She was
fully awake.