Daily camera., 1897-07-30
THE FIsHERMAN's PET GROW.
A Bird That Went to Church, Though
| Not to Service, Every Sunday.

Not to Service, Every Sunday.
"You will find pet crows alongshore,'
said fisherman, "just as you might
anywhere else. l knew a Herman
once that had one he got out of its nest
when it was little, and brought up in
his home. He never clipped its wings,
and it used to go out and be gone, may
be for hours, perhaps for days, but it
knew where it could get warm and
where the best things to eat We're, and
it always came back. If any of the fam
lily saw it coming they would let it in;
ii they didn't see it the crow would
sit on the railing by the door and cav
to be let in; and if nobody heard the
cawing, it would peck at the door with
it's beak. 1t used to sleep in the house,
and was on friendly terms with the
whole household. The name of the
crows owner was William; his friends
used to call him Bill. When mea time
came the crow would perch on the back
of Bills chair, and every now and then
Bill would reach up over his shoulder
something nice for the crow to eat.
Every Sunday morning the crow
used to go to church, and it never used
to go any other time. 1t knew the sex
ton. The sexton was fisherman, too,
like rybody along the beach, and he
was superintendent Of the Sunday
school, and a big man in the church gen
orally. The crow used to go over to the
church and sit ON the doorstep Sunday
morning and wait for the sexton to
come, and when he did come and open
the door, the crow would go in with
him. The church was heated by big
stove, and while the sexton was build
ing the fire the crow would sit on the
back of pew close by and look on
Sometimes, when the sexton was work
ing away over the stove the crow would
hitch along on the Few rail and cav to
him; and sometimes the sexton would
turn around and smile. at the crow and
maybe say something friendly, and then
the crow would perk Its head over on
one side and cav and cav, and then the
sexton would smile again and go on
building the fire. He would put in a
StSulOl VI OlI l<illSu HSlliliS " Srtlt
the fire with, something that every
fisherman uses if he has got it, and the
best thing in the world to start fire
with, and then he would build up the
fire and light it, and when it had got
we'll a-going and he had made every
thing snug he would leave the church
until it was pretty near time for the
service to begin; and when he went
the crow would go with him. l think
the crow would sometimes have stayed
in the church, but of course tha;
wouldn't do, and when the sexton waA
ready he would call the crow and the
crow would follow him out, and they
would separate where they had met.
on the steps of the church. The sexton
lived about half a mile away in one
direction, and the crow lived close by
in the other, and when the sexton had
gone the crow would go over to its homo
and peck on the door, and they would
let him in.
Everybody around knew this crow
and nobody ever molested it. The crow
itself took chances. Sometimes 1t
foclted with other crows and then it
was in dangerof being shot, but nobody
ever shot at it when it was alone. When
they saw it fly by they sad:
"'There goes Bill's crow" - N. Y.