Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-11-28
A BIRDLESS BONNET
BY Edward B. Clark.

tory to lighting his cigar and starting
for the Office he said 10 his wife: Eliza,
you may have the fall hat you've been
earning for. Here's the ten dollars,
but please in making your purchase
remember my prejudice against birds
in bonnets."
Eliza beamed "All right. Henry"
she said: "I'll go straight down to
Mime. Capote's this morning. can get
a beauty for ten dollars, ! know, and
won't have a single song bird on il"
That night after dinner Mrs. Sparks
sent the maid of all work into the front
bedroom TO bring a box that had ar
rived shortly before from Nine. Ca
pote's. Mrs. Sparks opened the box.
lifted the wonderful creation and said
the usual womanly thing, Isn't 1t a
dream?'
Henry Sparks looked at the hat quiz
ideally. There was not perhaps eN-
pressed in his face the admiration and
entire approval that Mrs. Sparks had
hoped for
Henry" she said, 81 know there's
birds head or two and lot Of feathers
In IT, but Nine Capote told me they
were all made up things, mostly barn
yard fowls This head with the slate
blue neck and just touch of brown at
tine place where il was separated from
the breast, she told me was the head
Of a common domestic fowl In China.
This other head neck and breast with
the soft gray plumage. Nine. Capote
said, formed the upper parts Of one OF
the birds that have been eating up tile
East Indian crops so fast that the poor
natives have been starving to death.
TO buy one Of these birds she declared
was like dropping money into the con-
tribution box for the benefit of the
heathen She quite touched my heart.
Now. don't look that way Every
body's wearing feathers. and | don't
see why shouldn't wear the plumage
OF the birds that we eat and Of birds
that are Il pest. Yes. | know there are
other feathers here too, but they are
all made up things. Mime. Capote said
so, and she knows"
Henry Sparks rose from the table
and took the hefeathcred hat out Of his
wifes hand and looked at 1t through
his glasses.
This he said, pointing with one
finger nj birds head with beautiful
steel blue feathers, lis, as | understand
Nine Capote. the head of a on
Chinese domestic fowl.
Eliza. when you wander along by
some tumbllng stream in the spring
time you viii hear now and then rat
Ting cry 1t Is birds voice. 1t is rs
much a part Of the time and place and
OF the wildness OF It all as are the
trees. the stream or even the April
clouds overhead.
wander along the same stream IN
the heat Of summer. and you hear the
same rafting cry. A bird form dashes
by. then stops suddenly in midfiight
and hovers lightly over n pool beneath.
chen there is a sound of the plash of
waters as a feathered form descends
cooiness in the sound of that plunge
that teinpers the heat of the August
day 10 the wayfarer.
Perhaps you have legal right to
wear this bird because it may have
been killed In New York. where the
wise legislators withdrew from this
creature the protection of the law. The
men who urged that it be exempt from
protection were men of the Kind who
80 into the northern woods and drag
seines. dynamite streams and catch
and Kill thousands II fish that they
may pick ont the big ones FOR the mar
Ret. The souls OF these mon are I'm their
pockets.
"This bird catches a fcw small fish
for the sustenance cf ITSELF and It's
young II adds whennat on bonnet
living interest 70 every waterside. Eli
"a, sour Chinese domestic fowl Is an
American kinstsher"
Henry, Nine
Eliza. this bird that has been eat
ing up tile crops in India. thus causing
n famine I'M that country was hatched
I'm nest In an Illinois tree. Perhaps
You have the legal right TO wear it,
The wise legislators of Illinois recently
ndded this bird TO the game list, SO
that IL may be slaughtered and made
into pies The souls OF the legislators
were situated in their stomachs.
This bird has stood as the emblem
of peace since the world was. ana yet
every pot ana millinery hunter in the
land makes war upon H. You are a
good Episcopalan, aud you sometimes
ten me that there is nothing more
beautiful than all that pertains 10 the
church and its teachings.
DO you. Unitarian that you are.
know that it was III the living form
of one 81 these murdered innocents
in your bonnet that the Holy Spirit
descended upon cur Saviour as he
stood at the side of the Baptist by
the waters Of Jorlang Eliza. this East
Indian crop destroying. starvation PRO
ducimg bird is an Illinois mourning
dove.
"DoubGess Nine. Capnte told YOU
that this Httle bunch ST feathers That
clasps the upturued br8u II tile hat
came from q bird har4y 81 some re