Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1902-12-05

TO me. but would allght near ne A.,
look At me so impishly while I No.
ed. Come here. Grip; come, Grim
come here"
One day l was ooaxing him tbps o..
he hoped along on the top board !,
the fence. He put his head down ara
seemed TO be choking and swallowin.
After several such spasms he u,tsrHs
the words. go way. Grip. 20 WAS
very distinctly. could hardly belIev.
my ears. Grip. my crow, could ga,
three words: go way. Grip" For
long time he had chartered and m.a.
cultural noises. He would scream ana
laugh like a young imp. But now bs
could talk. and. aside from being su,.
prised was delighted. He soon
learned to say go way. Grip" with.
out effort. and not long after that
heard him say. Come here, Grin.
come. Grippy. come here" In the sama
coaxing tone l used TO him.
Rainy days were his delight. The,
he held high carnival on the woodpIle
where he would chatter and laugh
coax and scold by turns: Come here
Grip, come here" in a soft, coaxins
tone; then harshly. go way. Grin %
way" 1t sounded as If two children
were quarreling.
Later he learned to say "All rirhty
Hurry up" and almost any hour in
the day he could be heard, If not seen
practicing his new accomplishments
During that fall 1 taught the dIstric,
school. half a mile from home. II was
n pleasant walk in good weather Grin
was on hand to see me safely on NV
way each morning. He would hon or
fly along, or ride on my shoulder. until
he came TO the bridge which spanned
the creek just half way to the school
house. Then he would fly up in tall
willow tree bending over the wafer
Thus far would he go, but no farther
One morning. however, he alichted
on the window of the school bouse
tapping loudly with his beak upon the
glass to be let in. The children all
knew Grip. He was famed through.
out the neighborhood for his powers Of
speech and his impish and cunning
pranks. Immediately the hands went
up to beg permission to let him in.
with promises to be good and to study
hard.
The unanimous request was granted.
and Grip few to my desk and began
picking up pencils and pieces of chalk.
Then he went from one desk to anoth.
er, looking for more pencils. No doubt
he thought he had struck rich field.
l must confess that lessons were for
gotten, so intent were the children in
watching this strange bird. which
hoped from desk to desk and peered
into their faces in such a curious way
Alas! he came to an untimely death.
One night he failed to meet me at the
willow upon my return from school.
No one had seen him that afternoon.
l found him in n shed, crouched upon
an old barrel. looking very sick and
miserable, and with green stains upon
his bill. The can of Paris green was
found overturned in the barn, and that
told the story. The poor fellow had
been eating the poison. He refused
food, uttering plaintive little croaks as
I stroked him and said Poor Gripw
left him for the night, hoping his crow
constitution was strong enough to re-
sist the deadly poison.
In the morning 1 found him sitting
as had left him. but no soft croak
greeted me. He was cold and stiff In
death. Do you wonder that my tears
fell freely. and that felt no shame in
weeping for a dead crow?-St. Nicho-
las.