The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-07-08

whoa, Ban,'' but it is hardly necessary
Tor the horse is slowing up. The two
companies from No. 1 station have been
10 the fire, a small blaze in an ally a
block away, and it is all out and over
with, but the run to a big blaze would
be no different. The chief gives the
order for the companies to return to
their stations. The truck and reel
swings round and starts slowly back.
Ihe horses walk now and hang their
heads They are breathing heavily and
IN persptration is running from their
sleek hides.
When the horses are again housed
they are rubbed down, given just a lit
tie water and cared for as no other
horses, unless it be race horses, are
wagon in front of headquarters, puts
the brief report of the fire, winding up
with no damage" on the black board,
goes UP stairs, removes his coat re-
nShts his meerchaum and is Wading
through columns of figures again as if
he mad not been out at all.
The indicator shows that the alarm
came IN at 2:5O and 1t was 2:54 and
three-quarters when Laurent street was
reached, IA blocks away. That was
four and three-quarter minutes and it
would take a driver half an hour to
hitch up his buggy and drive the dis
tance.
Bancroft, the chiefs horse, has been
IN the service for IA years and has earn
~ INC LGSI ne Will nave IN the pasture
Tor there is new horse, younger and
heavier, to take his place, but he can
not be a more Intelligent horse than
Ban. The chief might tell of MANY in
stances where the horse has shown al
most human comprehension. Going
down Fourth street to a fire several
years ago a woman tried to cross the
street with a baby carriage and di-
rectly In front of and not $50 feet from
the chief going at a breakneck speed.
she paid no attention to the warning
pei: The chief threw on the brake with
all his might but that could not stop
the wagon nor the horse. It was Ban
VINO came to the emergency. He threw
nlmselt back on his launches and was
literally showed along. It tore the flesh
from the ankles and knees of his hind
legs but he stopped although he was
lame and laid up several weeks Fire
horses are expected to know nearly as
they do.
A Topeka young lady who lives on the
west side was recently given parrot bv
her mother and she has cast aside her
dolls and now deVotes her spare time
and perhaps a trifie more to Laura as
she attectonately named the bird. Up
TO date none of the neighbOrS have
lodged complaint about distracted
nerves over its continual chatter and |
croaking, for Laura is a. very quiet bird |
OF a gloomy nature and for days at a !
time VIII SIT in Its cage in the back yard !
apparently deep in meditation but never |
forgetting to call for meals
Little is known Of Laura's ancestry. |
but her lair mistress suspects she is of /
Spanish descent from a, strange iargon |
to which the bird one day gave utter /
ance that could have only been ACQUIRED |
on board Spanish pirate ship or in a /
Barcelona livery stable.
Once Laura almost paralyzed her mis- /
tress with an attempt at soldiers |
song, winding up with a con- |
vincing OATH
So tame had laura booov,oa
attached to her young mistress |
that no thoughts of her straying away /
was entertained and the bird had the |
freedom of the premises. But this has |
passed and Laura celebrated the Fourth /
behind the bars of her cage
1t came about this way:
In the backyard is a very tall cotton |
wood tree with wide spreading branches |
and rustling leaves. It evidently re- |
minded polly of her native forest for one |
afternoon recently after exploring every |
nook and corner Of the premises al |
lOwable, the bird sailed up in the tree /
and clambered to the topmost limb |
When the young mistress began to |
search for polly at supper time with |
cries for Laura, come Laura''-no Laura |
came. Almost distracted the search was
continued to all the neighborhood
Finally returning to the cage in the
ward the young lady heard something
like this, coming, as she thought, from
the clouds:
up in a balloon boys, up in a balloon,
say pOllys awful hungry"
The girl didn't want to hear the rest
If polly's song, but rushed in the house
"Oh, mamma, I've found
Laura, she's up in a tree Papa please
come and get her down"
The head of the household followed !
put to the tree. surveyed it's height |
caught the lower limb and scrambled
Up with the gracefulness of a bear and |
hen dropped to the ground, exhausted
Blame the bird, I'm too fat for such
work as that and he passed on to the
stable, putting like a steam engine.
Neither pleadlngs, tears nor promises
IF sugar plums would induce Laura, to !
come back to earth that night, although