The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-25

After a minutes restless contempla-
] ton of the signs and the open door,
! the Mouse sauntered over to the bird
j store, slOuched up to the window, and
pressed his insignificant nose against
1 It. Little by little the dim interior OF
the bird store became visible. He leis-
F, urly surveyed the rows of wire and
wicker cages, drumming on the win
dow glass with grimy fingers. A gray
and scarlet parrot. doing on perch,
woke up and turned a penetrating look
! on him.
The Mouse hattened his face against
/ the window and thrust his tongue out
at the parrot.
At first the bird paid little attention
! to this insult, but as the Mouse perse-
vered the parrot eyed him with in
creasing animosity.
'Cocol Coco. Salaud, ITEMS pour
| tot, vieux cretinr sneered the Mouse,
| tapping on the window with his pipe
stem and distorting his mouth in osfi-
sion until the parrot tapped its wings
and screamed, the feathers on its head
erect with excitement and irritation
| One by one the other birds, now also
greatly agitated, Joined in: the jack
daw croaked and chartered, the finches,
thrushes and canaries cborused shrlii
treble. A young monkey in corner
set up an ear-piercing shrek and red
|
wire wheel.
The Mouse was amused. With sneers
and jibes and jeering gestures he eX-
| cited the parrot; he made awful faces
at the monkey, until the little creature
| chung to the cage wires, shivering and
screaming; he frightened the smaller
birds by waving his dirty fingers to
| and fro before the window frames.
! Presently, however, he tired of the
sport; his restless eye roamed about
the interior of the shop; he pressed his
pitted face closer to the glass, with
now and then rapid sidelong glance
| peculiar to the chevalier of industry
the world over
There was nobody in the outer shop.
that was clear. There seemed to be
| nothing to steal there, either The
Mouse did not consider birds worth
stealing. Still, nobody seemed to be
about. and it was the. instinct of the
Mouse to rummage. He withdrew
from the window, assured himself that
| the street was deserted, then slouched
silently around to the open door and
entered.
AS he set his worn shoe upon the
| threshold the feathers on the parrots
neck flattened in alarm, the monkey
crouched trembling in a corner of his
cage, every little bird became mute and
motionleSS.
For a minute the Mouse peered about
the shop. The squirrel still scrambled
madly in his wheel, and the narrow
eye of the Mouse followed the whirling
s9okes.
There was a closed door at the furth-
er end of the room; the Mouse fixed
his eye on it and stepped softly across
the floor one hand outstretched toward
| the knob When he had il in his hand
he paused, undecided, then turned the
| handle in silence. Instantly something
moved on the other side@something
heavy and soft-the door was pushed
open with a steady, resistleSS pressure
that forced the Mouse back fiat against
the wall.
1t was then that the Mouse, peeping
over his shoulder, felt his blood freeze
and his shabby knees give way. For
staring up into his face stood full
grown lioness with her brilliant eyes
fixed on his. He would have shr1eked
if he could, but terror paralyzed him.
He felt that he was going to swoon.
Suddenly there came the sound of
voices. a distant door opened, steps
| echoed across the tiled hallway, and two
girls entered the shop from the further
room. The lioness turned her head at
the sound. hesitated, glanced back at
the Mouse, and finally SUNK hastily
away, only to be seized and held by one
of the girls, while the other alternately
slapped, cuffed and kissed her.
"Scheherazade ought to be slapped
instead of kissed cried the taller girl,
showing the anxious but docile lioness
toward the doorway. Really, Yolette,
you spoil her; some day she'll run out
| into the street, and then they'll shoot
her"
Poor darling" said Yolette, "she
didn't mean to be naughty. Somebody
must have left the door open-Scheher-
azade can't turn the knob, you know.
AS she spoke she laid one hand on the
neck of the lioness.
Come, naughty one" she said. and
urged the great creature toward the
inner room. calling back to her sister:
Hide, dear, shut the door,
i've a mind to shut it on Schehera-
zade's tail" said Hide; shes fright
ened the birds and animals nearly 10
death. Our squirrel is going mad, i
believe
The parrot clambored on its perch,
and she went over to quiet 1t, talking
all the while.
lion brighten him? There, There! And
poor little Rocco, tool" turning toward
! the shivering monkey. It's a perfect
shame-it is, indeed"
"Hilde, Do shut the door" called
! Yolette from the inner room. I'm go
ing to give ScheheraZade her ball to
play with, and then I'll come out"
! Hide gave one last pat to the par
rot's head and went toward the door.
AS she laid her hand on the knob her
ewes encountered a pair of dusty, flat
/ shoes, protruding beneath the sill. The
shoes covered the feet of the Mouse,
! and. as she threw back the door with
A startled exclamation, the Mouse
himself stood revealed, terribly hag-
gard from the effects of his recent
! fright, but now sufficiently recovered
to bound with much agility into the
street
what are you doing here?" STAN
mered Hide, following him to the
outer door.
~" said the Mouse, recovering his
composure little and crossing one foot
before the other.
Il. mademoiseile. am an authorized
agent for the public defense"
IF you are soliciting subscriptions.
why did you not ring the doorbell or
knock?" asked Hide, as Yolette en-
tered and stood at her side.
.sWhy. to tell the truth said the
Mouse. bowling impudently, i only in
tended to ask for a match. L knocked,
politely, as 1 was taught to do In my
youth. but -,
IF you please. will you go away?'
interrupted Yolette quickly
Il have the honor" said the Mouse,
removing his greasy, peaked cap with
a flourish and smoothing the lovelocks
pIastered over each ear. Il have the
honor TO obey. Always at the service
of ladies-always devoted''-he -four
ished his pipe with dignity although
I had hoped for the small courtesy OF
a match
hide whispered Yolette, he Will