Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1897-03-18


tutor Of my parrot in the latest up-to-
date slang Of the day.
am an old sea captain-at least, not
cid, perhaps the word slipped out un-
awares. | am on the right side Of 80,
anyhow; but being in receipt of a pen
sion and small private income to boot,
/ have cast anchor in my present abode
in the expectation of weatherlng many
a winters storm yet.
Being without known relation in
the world, | willingly fell in with the
suggestion that / should pick up my
moOrngs alongside my old friend and
messmate, Capt Travers late X. n,
who. having left one Of his legs on the
west coast Of Africa while capturing a
SLAYER, was pensiOned off at an even
earlier age than myself, and now lived
with his Sister-a most comfortable
party, fat fair, and 40, or thereabouts
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 and we
had often met during our naval careers.
His sister | had not previously been
acquainted with. but, being in many
respects like her brother, we were soon
firm friends.
Capt. Travers and myself had each
n favorte parrot-his the common Afri
can gray, with red-tipped tail, and
mine the purer variety, without Il trace
of color, but otherwise similar.
| 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 unconsciOusly at first,
began to feel what a lonely old bach
elor was and what set-off to all my
other belongings the figure of Miss
Rachel Travers would be by my fire.
side. But just here the course of my
life began began to make itself felt.
Inherent shyness in the presence of the
opposite sex had logged my footsteps
from my earliest recollections. Give
me gale Of wind in the bay of BiScay,
a tornado In the tropics, or twenty
hours duty on deck, wet through to the
skin, and Capt. Manley, late of the Z.
and o. service, will thank you for it,
and consider life we'll worth living; but
as dispenser Of delicate attentions to
the fair sex, intensely as he inwardly
admires their pretty ways, Capt Man
ley does not, no, he certainly does not,
show up to advantage.
Although fond of pets generally, |
have an antipathy to cats, especially at
night, | am not aware that our neigh
borhood was particularly beneficial in
its aspect or other qualifications to
feline constitution, but know that un-
til | was inhuman enough to start an
Hr-gm cannOnade ON my numerous
nocturnal visitors was frequently un-
able to get respectable nights rest.
One Internal black and white Tom de-
fled my finest efforts If average cats
have nine lives, | am sure this one must
have had nineteen, and began to won
der what sort of uncanny being this
was that had no objection to letting my
bullets pass apparently through its
body without suffering any incOnven-
icnce. But after all it must have been
my bad craftsmanship. for one after
noon | saw my enemy quietly walking
up the low fence that divided my back
garden from Capt, TraverS'.
The opportunity was too good to bc
lost, and quietly getting my airgun |
took a steady aim and fired. There was
no mistake this time, and without Il
sound poor puss dropped on to my flow
er bed as dead rs the proyerbial door
nail.
My eXultatlon, however, was of short
duration, for to my horror and dlsmay.
on proceeding to pick up his mfortu-
nate carcass and give 1t decent burial
! saw that my shot had passed right
my neighbours parrot, which had been
put out to sun itself in little summer
house that stood at the bottom of the
garden.
l was staggered at my position;
knew the parrot was supreme favor
ite with Miss Travers, and how coult
ever explain my carelessneSs | coult
not imagine Suddenly way out o.
my dilemma presented itself to m,
mind, and l FASTENED to put It int,
execution. | knew that the Traverse
We're out. and would not be back 70
some little time, so hurrying indoor
and taking my own parrot from It
cage | carefully painted the end of It
tail with red Ink In imitation of Its de
ceased comrade. and finding no on
was about stepped lightly over tn
fence and substituted the living for tn
dead bird. which l buried, togethe
with the cat, in my own garden.
knew that my parrot would not readil