The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-01

little gray mouse was running Her
man watched 1t. When it came oppo-
site Bismarck" it leaped up on the
narrow border at the base of the cage.
Then it slipped between the bars and
began to eat the bird seed.
Bismarck" meanwhile, jumped up
on the perch out Of reach, and, cooking
his head on one side, looked down at
the intruder. The mouse kept on eat
ing, and presently Bismarck" recov-
ering from his surprise, started to sing
at the top of his voice At the first
note the mouse stopped eating and
looked up. AS the bird continued 1t
ran over to the outside edge of the
cage, where 1t could get the best view
of the singer, and sat up on it's hind
legs.
Music hath charms" Herman quot
ed to himself with a smile.
Presently the bird stopped singing,
when the mouse Immediately went back
to its eating. In a few minutes it had
got enough, and, after taking a fare
well look at the bird, jumped down
again to the window curtain and ran
swiftly back to its hole in the window
frame.
Herman filled up the bird seed box
| again and went home, determined TO
cultivate his new friend. The next
night at the same hour the mouse went
through the same performance. For
weeks it was a regular visitor. Final
ly bird and mouse would sit close to-
gether and eat bird seed out OF the
same box. Sometimes the mouse would
even rub itself softly aga INST the bird IS
glossy feathers and Bismarck" would
confdingly lean down against his
strange friend.
The canary and the f11nuga raf1a IN
by a special attraction. Night after
night the same men would come to
listen to the concern which Bismarck"
always gave for the special benefit of
his mouse.
The policeman on the beat. long after
Herman had gone to his home, would
stop and look in at the mouse, listening
in rapture to the singing of the bird.
What made it more remarkable was
that before the coming of the mouse
Bismarck" had never sung a note af-
ter the sun had set and dusk had come
down over the town. 1t was an object
lesson in friendship to all sorts of peo-
pie.
Discovering the Murder.
One morning Herman came down
earlier than usual to open up his bar.
He had turned out the gaslight, un-
locked the cash register, and had be-
gun to polish the top of the bar when
he happened to glance over at Bis
marcks" cage.
"Donnervetter," he said, as his eyes
opened wide. On the floor of the cage
lay the body of poor little Bismarck"
His wings lay close to his body and
his feathers were not rumpled. Only
there was a CHASTITY wound in the top
of his head and the brains had been
eaten.
Oats de mouse's work" said Her
man. AN l thought dey was such
good friends
Clinging to the edges of the mouse's
hole in the window case were a few
tiny bits of yellow feathers.
To his regular customers Herman
preached a sermon.
vorldt," he said, lest like dot mouse
You gives dem half you have to eat
an bees good friends NIT dem, an dey
will hit you mid a piece OF lead pipe
when dey gets a good chanst. Dots de
way II goes"
Before he went home that night
Herman decided to see that the mouse
murderer got justice. lie went out and
bought trap and baited 1t with
cheese. He put it into the empty
birds cage. Next morning the body
of "Bismarck's" false friend lay half
in and half outside the cage with the
fatal wire moose pressed tightly about
its throat