The Winslow mail., 1897-05-08

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 cOmfortab Bile
party, fat, fair, and 40, or thereabouts
in the adjoining house to mine in the
neighbOrhood Of London. We had al
ways got on we'll together, our tastes
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
a favorite 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 l know to-day
when, almost unconsciously at first,
l began to feel what lonely old bach
elor l was and what a 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 dogged 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 T..
and 0. 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 antipa thy to cats, especially at
night. | am not aware that our neigh
borhood was particularly beneficial in
It's aspect or other qualifications to
feline constitution, but l know that un-
til | was inhuman enough to start an
air-gun 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 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-
ience. But after all it must have been
my bad craftsmanship, for one after
noon l saw my enemy quietly walking
up the low fence that divided my back
garden from Capt. Travers'.
The opportunity was too good to be
lost, and quietly getting my airgun
took a steady aim and fired. There was
no mistake this time, and without
sound poor puss dropped on to my flow
er bed as dead as the proverbial door
nail.
MY exultation, however, was of short
dura ton, for to my horror and dismay,
on proceeding to pick up his unfortu-
nate carcass and give it decent burial,
I 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.
l was staggered at my position; |
vn1'-
lite with Miss Trayers, and how l could
ever explain my carelessness | could
not imagine. Suddenly a way out of
my dilemma presented itself to my
mind, and | fastened to put it into
execution. | knew that the Traverses
were out. and would not be back for
some little time. so hurrying indoors
and taking my own parrot from its
cage | carefully painted the end of its
tail with red ink in imitation of it's de-
ceased comrade, and finding no one
was about | stepped lightly over the
fence and substituted the living for the
dead bird. which | buried. together
with the cat, in my own garden.
knew that my parrot would not readily
talk before strangers. and hoped that
by the time it had got used to its new
surroundings it would have forgotten
Its former accomplishments; at any
rate, | must risk it.
Alasl Uneasy lies the head that
wears a crown" sang some poet. who,
l expect, never wore anything harder
than nightcap, but, true as it may he,
compared to the torture of NV mind,
now launched on a course of duplicity,
1t would be a bed of roses.
1t was toward the end of the follow
ing week that | happened to be out i'll
the garden and saw my old friend come
stumping down the path Of his own
garden in his dot-and carry-one style,
and, seeing me on the fence cried:
"Holloa! Captain, you're quite a
stranger! What's been up? Rachel has
been talking about coming in to in
quire about your health, as she was
afraid something must be wrong"
Yes, l have been bit poorly" said
/. Oh, how easily the words sIipped out,
although l had been as right as nine
pence-why that particular sum should
be endued with more rectitude than its
fellows l have never been able to dis
cover-this by the way.
"a bit of cold, perhaps" said Capt
Trayers. well. come over the fence
and have dish of tea in the summer
house, and Rachel shall come in after
ward and make you a good glass of
something stiff for nlghtcap."