The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
PETS THAT JOURNEY FAR
PARROTS, DOGS AND CATS THAT
LIKE TO TRAVEL.
Baggagemen and Expressmen Learn
Their Peculiarities and Grow
Fond of Them-Odd Stories.
''His heart was true to Poll.
His heart was true to Poll;
No matter what you do
Go uan. heart heats true
So yer heart beats true,
An his heart was true to

An his nedrt was true 10
But at this point the singer broke off into
a rasping, jeering laugh that caused a
taggageman and a couple of othc: en-
ployes at the Union Station to pause in
their routine duties and stare hard at the
big express wagon which had just received
its load from an incoming baggage car and
was about to depart for the downtown
office of the express company. The driver
of the wagon grinned down upon the as
tonished trio as he shouted out:
'You didn't know it was a parrot at
first, did your" And then he laughed
heartily at the expense of the station men.
1.-The song was all right, but the laugh
gave her away. No human being ever
laughed like that. Sounds like a devil,
doesn't it? Well, she's a parrot all right
she's in that crate on the left-hand side
of the wagon She belongs to woman
out on West Washington street and this is
about the tenth time the old bird has made
the trip from Indianapolis to Cincinnati
and back. I've had her in charge every
time and l feel pretty well acquainted with
her. Wherever Polls mistress goes Poll
goes along-like Mary's little lamb And
as the driver whipped up his horses the
parrot, wholly undaunted by her strange
surroundings, gave vent to another out
burst of song, ripping out the familiar old
English dtty in a voice altogether lacking
in tune, but perfect as to time.
PARROT THAT SINGS.
Inquiry proved that the parrots owner is
Mrs. f. N Johnson, who keeps lodging
house on West Washington street, and that
the talented bird is not only capable of
ballad singing but is equally well versed
in the art of initiating various domestic
animals, her mimicry of a pig being one
of her most admirable accomplishments.
The drivers of the big express wagons OF
the city say that scarcely a day goes by
that they are not made the temporary
guardians of some household pet that is
either just starting journey or just re-
turning home from one
81 wonder if people of other cities are
as fond of their animal and bird pets as
are the Indianapolis folks" said one ex-
pressman, musingly. 1T seems to me that
| about every other citizen here takes a dog
or a cat or a bird along with him when
| ever he goes on visit to some other town."
A city of homes is sure to be a city of
| domestic pets, and it is a eact that most
| indianapolis homes are considered incom-
plete without a dog, cat or member of
| the feathered tribe. There are quite num-
| her of these fortunate animals and birds
| i'm town whose masters or mistresses would
never dream of leaving them behind when
| starting on a journey. Mrs. Johnsons par
| rot is not the only one that may be con-
| sidered a veteran traveller. Mrs. Burt Dor
| sey's parrot accompanied his former own
| er, Mrs. H. c. Holloway, on a number of
| Journeys throughout the country, from the
Indian river in Florida to Los Angeles,
Cal When Mrs. Holloway took up her
| permanent residence near Los Angeles six
wears ago she was prevailed upon by the
Dorsey children to leave the old parrot,
who has seen at least thirty-five summers,
| at their home on Central avenue where he
has remained ever since-the undisputed
king of the household. Although fluent
conversationalist, he believes in the old
axiom that actions speak louder than
| words and some of his eccentricities have
caused much merriment of late. He has
taken it upon his green old shoulders to
perform the duties of guardian of the War
ner library-a section of Mr.. Dcrseys book
room devoted to the works of Charles Dud-
lev Warner visitor at the house may
enjoy the privilege of examining any of the
volumes in the ordinary bookshelves, but
| let him keep away f.esn that sacred War
| ner corner unless he would make bitter
enemy of the parrot Whenever any one
outside the family enters the house the
| bird takes up his station in the Warner
| corner and dares the intruder to approach
any nearer the forbidden territory than the
self-appointed sentinel thinks proper.
TWO FINE CATS.
| Peter" and ''Towser' are two magnifi-
| cent specimens of cathood that have taken
| one long journey and are soon to take an
other. They belong to Mrs. Edgar Flagler
| of Park avenue. and are not only the pride
| of the house, but of the neighborhood as
well. They were born in Albany. ". Y,
| and were sent by express to Indianapolis
about a year ago. They are probably the
| biggest cats in the city and undoubtedly the
brayest, for there isn't dog in their part
of town that they haven't easily vanquished
in honest combat. They are OF the breed
commonly known as tiger cats, and al
though gentle and kindly enough when
nesting near the firesice, they show such
surprising ferocity when some unfortunate