The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-03
I sold it, kaid Mrs. Gannett sud


The engineers knee stiffened inhos-
pitably. and his arm dropped from his
wife's waist. She rose quietly and took
a chair opposite.
sold itl' said Mr.. Gannett in awful
tones. sold my parrot.''
81 didn't like it, Jem," said his wife.
'I didn't want that bird watching me,
and did want the vases, and the bon
net and the little present for you"
! Mr. Gannett pitched the little present
/ to the other end Of the room.
You see it mightn't have told the
truth, Jem,' continued Mrs. Gannett.
TT might have told all sorts of lies
about me and made no end of mis-
chief"
1T couldn't lie" shouted the engineer
passionately, rising from his chair and
/ pacing the room. It's your guilty con-
I science that's made a coward of you.
How dare YOU sell my parrot? ?"
! Because it wasn't truthful, Jem, -
said his wife. who was somewhat pale.
eff YOU were half as truthful you'd
do" vociferated the engineer standing
I over her You. you deceitful woman ."
Mrs. Gannett fumbled in her pocket
/ again, and producing small handker-
/ chief. applied il delicately to her eyes.
II got rid of it for your sake" she
stammered 1T used to tell such lies
about you. 1 couldn't bear to listen to
| it,
about mel" said Mr.. Gannett, sink
/ ing into his seat and staring at his
wife with very natural amazement.
Tell lies about me, Nonsense. How
/ could it?"
Il suppose it could tell me about you
! as easily as it could you about me, :"
/ said Mrs. Gannett. There was more
magic in that bird than you thought,
! Jem. It used. to say shocking things
! oh I
/ DO you think you're talking to a
| child or a fool?" demanded the engi-
neer, holly.
/ Mrs. Cannett shook her head feebly.
/ She still kept the handkerchief to her
eyes, but allowed a portion to drop over
her mouth.
81 should like to hear some of the lies
! it told about me-" said the engineer,
with bitter sarcasm. IF you can re-
member them
'The first lie. said Mrs. Gannett. in
a feeble but ready voice, was about
] the time you were. at Genoa. The par
rot said you were at some concert gar
dens, at the upper end of the town..
One moist eye came mildly from De-
I hind the handkerchief just in time to
see the engineer stiffen suddenly in his
/ chair.
Il don't suppose there even is such a
/ place. she continued.
I-b'lieve-there-is." said her hus-
band, jerkily. I've heard our chaps
! talk of it,
But you haven't been there, said
! his wife, anXiously.
"Nererl" said the engineer, with ex-
traordinary Vehemence.
THAT wicked bird said you got in
! toxicated there" said Mrs. Gannett, in
/ solemn accents; that you smashed
arble-topped table and knocked down
two walters, and that if it hadn't been
/ for the captain of the Pursuit, who was
in there, and who got you away, you'd
/ have been locked up. Wasn't 1t wick
ed bird?''
''Horrible!" said the engineer, hus-
kily.
Il don't suppose there ever was
ship called the Pursuit" continued Mrs.
Gannett. r
Doesn't sound like a ships name"
! murmured Mr.. Gannett.
well, then, a few days later it said
! the CurleW was at Naples.
Il never went ashore all the time we
were at Naples" remarked the engi-
neer, casually. I've oe
"The parrot said you did," said Mrs.
Gannett.
81 suppose you'll believe your own
lawful husband before that damned
birdl" shouted Gannett, starting up.
"Of course I didn't believe it. Jem.
said his wife. I'm trying to prove to
you that the bird was not truthful, but
you're so hard to persuade"
Mr. Gannett took a pipe from his
pocket, and. with small knife dug,
with much severity and determination,
a hardened plug from the bowl, and
blew noisily through the stem.
There was a girl kept a fruit stall
just by the harbor," said Mrs. Gannett,
land on this evening, on the strength
of having bought three-pennyworth of
green figs, you put your arm round
her waist and tried to kiss her, and her
sweetheart who was standing close by,
tried to stab you. The parrot said that
you were in such state of terror that
you jumped into the harbor and was
nearly drowned"
Mr.. Gannett, having loaded his pipe
lit it slowly and carefully, and, with
tidy precision, got up and deposited the
match in the fireplace.
TT used to brighten me so with its
stories that 1 hardly knew what to do
with myself, continued Mrs. Gannett,
when you were at Suez'-
The engineer waved his hand i'm
periously.
That's enough" he said stiff1y.
I'm sure 1 don't want to have to
repeat what it told me about Suez,
said his wife. 81 thought you'd like to
hear it, that's ALL"
Not at ALL said the engineer, puff
ing at his pipe. Not at ALL"
But you see why 1 got rid of the
bird, don't you?" said Mrs. Gannett,
''if it had told you untruths about me,
you would have believed them,
wouldn't you?"
Mr.. Gannett took his pipe from his
mouth and took his wife in his ex-
tended arms. mo, my dear" he said,
brokenly, mo more than you believed
all this stuff about me-
And 1 did quite right to sell it,
didn't 1, Jem?"
Quite right" said Mr. Gannett, with
a great assumption of heartiness.
BEST thing to do with it..
you haven't heard the worst yet"
said Mrs Gannett. when you were at
Suez"-
Mr.. Gannett consigned Suez to its
only rival. and humping the table with
his clenched fist. forbade his wife to
mention the word again, and desired
her to prepare supper.
Not until he heard her moving about
in the kitchen below did he relax the
severity of his countenance. Then his
expression changed to one of extreme
anxiety, and he restlessly paced the
room seeking for light. 1t came sud
denly.
Jenkins" he gasped, that little
brute Jenkins. That's what he was
writing to Mrs. Cluffins about, and 1
was going to tell Cluffins about it. I
expect he knows the letters by heart"
MASTIcATI0N A J0ST ART