The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1901-09-26
Fate Of His Trained Owl.
A Bird of Wisdom That Took to
Cigarettes and Died.

OFF Eben Brown had only been con-
| tent to let his trained owl live Il hap
by life of rural industry among the hills
and dales of Pike county," said Dea-
con Todgers sadly, that owl might
have been with us to-day, the delight
and admira ton of all nature lovers. |
warned Eben that he was making a
mistake in letting his owl leave town.
Cigarette smoking will ruin the
constitution of any owl | told him.
even a trained one that has become an
experienced pipe smoker. Here's an
owl who is doing his duty in his
humble owlish way, and it's a sin and
a disgrace to expose him to the temp
tations of life in big city
but Eben was tempted by the big
offer made him by the agent of to-
baccc company who wanted to use he
owl for advertising purposes. md
the result was that Eben gained aX
perience and lost the services of the
best and most intelligent hunting owl
known to the annals of Pike county.
One evening last summer Eben at.
house. The lecture was about the an.
cient Greeks and Romans. Eben list
ened artentiyely until the Lecturer
happened to remark that the peopl,
he was talking about lived 1000 year
ago. Then Eben's interest tagged.
81 amt interested in live dagoes.
said Eben, sort of YEARLY, let alone
:
bus was born. Why don't he talk or
expansion, or bear hunting, or fishing,
or some live issues Of the day.
by and by the lecturer happened
to mention that the owl was the
chosen bird of Minerva, the Goddess
of Wisdom. This interested Eben. and
all through the lecture | could see
he was bordering over that state
ment.
1.-The owl is an honest, respectable
bird said Eben while we were walking
home. lie attends to his duty ard
never bothers any one. You never
hear of an owl being arrested for non
support of Mrs. Owl and the little
Owlets and no Pike county owl was
ever mixed up in any scandal. But at
that | never knew of any owl doing
anything particularly brilliant. Still,
the Greeks were pretty wise old cod
gers about a lot of things and they
must have had some reason for Sc
lecting that particular bird as the
emblem of the Goddess of Wisdom
The subject is worth looking into
"About week later / dropped over
to Eben's house. He was sitting on
the porch, enjoying his pipe after the
days labor.
"'Speaking of owls said Eben in
his solemn manner, If they are real,
such wise birds as they appear to be.
it seems 10 me that they might be
taught to enjoy pipe. 1t would be
a sight to delight kind mans heart
to see an old owl, after hard nights
work finding food for Mrs. Owl and
the little ones sitting in front of his
home smoking a long clay pipe. 1t
would improve his temper and make
things pleasanter in the family
81 knew Eben's benevolent idea
wasn't intended entirely for the bene-
mt of the owls. but at that | couldn't
see where Eben was to get anything
out of it.
"'And do you mean to set up a to-
bacco store in the woods and adver-
tise, tobacco and cigars sold to all
owls of respectable families. No cigar
sites sold to owls under the age of
JG'?' ] inquired, puzzled like.
II may do that in the future re-
piled Eben, calmly. But at present
don't think the demand for tobacco
among owls would justify it. Still, it
does seem to me that J could take
young owl and teach him to look on
good smoke az the reward of days
hard work, the proceeds of his labor
to be turned over to his guide and in.
structor, who in this case would be
honest old Eben Brown
Il had never heard of an owl that
smoked, and | was doubtful of the
success of Eben's plan. He was mighty
enthusiastic over it. So he caught
a young owl and tied it to a pole in
hs yard, Eben used to feed the owl
and il wasn't but little while before