River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-09-19

| sight to see an owl smoke pipe, and
the stranger was considerably aston
ished. He hunted up Eben and wanted
to buy the owl. Then the stranger
wanted to rent the valued bird.
"'This is no bird-renting establish
ment,' said Eben, surprised like. If
you think am running a trained bird
/ livery stable there is another guess
| due you That owl of mine would
pine away and die if he couldn't see
honest old Eben Brown every day
And he's accustomed to the woods
and mountains and wouldn't be of any
use in a city, where there is no game
| to be hunted
''The stranger explained that he was
the agent for a cigarette factory and
wanted the owl as an advertisement
! for his line of goods. Eben was
shocked.
DO look like a man who would
smoke cigarettes, or train an owl to
use them?' he asked. Since he left
the egg not a drop of liquor or a
cigarette has touched the beak of that
virtuous owl. And you want me to
let him go to the city where he
would learn all kinds of bad habits?
How would l feel if that owl came
back to me at the end of the sea-
son wearing golf stockings, putting on
cigarette and with an appetite for
mixed drinks?'
'"The agent had set his heart on get
ting the owl, which he said would be
unique advertisement for his line
| of goods. He offered $50 week rent
| for the use of the owl and promised
to return him in good condition at
the end of the season. While Eben
was in doubt / called over at his
house. The agent was trying to per-
suade Eben to part with the owl. |
warned him against it.
"'You're making a good income out
of the earnest, honest efforts of that
owl as it is l told Eben. by trying
to grasp too much you will lose good
money and ruin the OWLS health and
morals. If that owl is used for an
advertisement, he will be putting cigar
cites from morning to night. A
smoke once in awhile may not hurt
him, but whoever heard of a young
owl who became addicted to the cigar
cite habit and lived to a green old
age?'
"'And how many owls did you ever
know that was hurt by cigarette
smoking?' inquired the agent, sarcas-
tic like.
Il never had an extended acquaint-
ance with owls who used the weed,
| replied sternly. Pike county owls
are birds of good morals and better
habits. If L met an owl coming
through the woods with cigarette in
his mouth l would cut him dead
But the agent insisted that the
line of goods he was selling never
| injured anyone, man or owl. The rent
more than Eben was getting from the
sale of game birds, and at last he
! agreed to let the agent have the val
ued bird for ten weeks. But he was
filled with misgiyings.
Take good care of him. he said
| to the agent. That bird is the pride
of my heart and my chief source of in
come. If anything should happen to
| him it would break my heart and
make it necessary for me to do con-
| siderable amount of unwelcome toll.
"The first week after the owl left
Eben was lonely and downhearted
and didn't know what to do with him
self. He tried to do little hunting,
! but having become accustomed TO de-
pending upon the owl he was out of
practice and didn't meet with much
success. AT the end of the week he
received a check for $50, one weeks
rent for the owl This cheered him
up quite a bit. | told him no good
would come of the money.
THAT'S blood money! said, coin
that's paid you in exchange for the
physical and spiritual good of your
feathered pet, who is now exposed to
clouds of cigarette smoke and the
temptations of life in great city.
No blessing will come to you from
| that check
'Eben sneered and said that he no.
ticed that the check cashed for as
much as if it had had whole bunch
of blessings attached to it. But in the
end he was punished for his greed and
lack of moral principles.
For two weeks Eben received
checks regularly and exulted in the
easy money he was making. At the
end of the third week a box came by
express directed to him. The box had
air holes in it and evidently contained
some living creature. Fben pried off
the cover and there was his pet owl.
But how changed from the strong,
healthy animal that had left home a
few weeks before. His feathers were
RULED up, his eyes were dim, and ev-
cry few minutes he would give a
pathetic owl cough that was painful
to listen to. Too-many cigarettes, and
the temptations of city life had proved
too much for the trained owl and
he had been sent home TO die.
'Eben lifted the poor bird out of
the box, placed him on the sofa and
brought out the old owl pipe that
the owl had formerly enjoyed smok-