The progress., 1904-07-30
q A Gagged CANARY.

chine was as wearisome and dis.
tracing she thought as the shrill piping
and singing of canary bird, grown
old in captivity. Miss Marie Louise's
pet and delight, Serino, whose only
idea of life and liberty, as seen through
the bars Of its yellow cage, was OBJ
tanned by watching the gamins of all
naticnalities who gathered to play OF
to fight in the middle of the narrow
street, shut in by brick houses, brown
and weather-beaten by time, in the old
French quarter of the town.
Bette glanced anxiously at the clock
on the mantle without pausing in her
rapid. steady work on the elaborate
spring gown edestined to adorn the
person of stout and wealthy Mrs. Las
carre.
What a poor fool you are, birdie"
Bette said, apostrophizing the-canary,
whose feathers, losing their golden hue
with years, had become pale straw
color.
you are trying to make yourself
believe you are happy and heart-free:
that you don't mind being shut up be-
hind those horrible bars, and that you
quite enjoy yourself this delightful
spring day. The truth is, you are a
poor craven thing. If you had the
spirit of the game little mocking bird
l set free that night two weeks ago,
before it beat its heart out against
its prison, you would have freed your
self long ago by slipping off into an
other world.
But you keep on piping and trilling
your poor make-believe song of joy,
blinking down the street and up at the
stars and patch of blue sky above,
and you positively make me sick"
The canary, which was only few
feet away from where Bette had
dragged the machine to get all the light
she could, for the room was dark, being
only lit by its front door opening on
the veranda, seemed to understand
Bettie's severe arraignment, for 1t
stopped its spiritless song and started
to shake its feathers, then gave up the
attempt as requiring too much effort
and lapsed back into its usual monoto-
nous hopping to and fro in Its diminu-
tive cage.
why don't you give up and quit?"
asked Bette, who had stopped her ma
chine and was rapidly adjusting lace
and ribbon and some fiimsy material
on the waist of Mrs. Lascarres elabor-
ate gown.
Serino, the canary, turned his head
sideways and trilled reproach.
Il must plod on, birdie, because
mean to send Carl TO college. The boy
has to get good education, you know.
He's going to be an engineer. prom
ised little mother world take her
place and would look after Carl and
not let her boy go to work and
give up sch ooling and be an ignorant
fellow, and for lack of proper learning
live drudge for other people.
$50 L mean to keep on making gowns
for fat women and shirtwaists for the
factory until Carl grows up and can
work for both of us and get rich.
But by that time, Serino, I'll be
wrinkled and stoop-shouldered, and
yellow, and I'll be a Grabbed, confirmed
old maid. II you live long enough I'll
buy you and set you free"
The canary, who had listened, his
head on one side, must have relished
Bettie's proposition, for it suddenly
burst into song ecstatically.
: For heavens sake, shut up" Bette |
implored vainly.
Then queer thing happened. Some
thing was thrown at the cage from over |
the rusty railing of the balcony of the |
adjoining house, a small worn volume, |
which Bette found to be Sterne's |
"Tristram Slandy" when she picked |
1t up later, and the assault had the de-
sired effect of cutting short Serino's |
attempt at cheerful song.
Don't get discouraged; try it again
when it has grown SO dark you can
imagine anything. Beautiful trees, and
q garden of flowers" she advised.
A head appeared above the railing
her side of the balcony from
the neighboring houses it surmounted.
broad shoulders and was quite a re-
head, massive and fine, that
of foreigner evidently, either Ger
man. Austrian or Dane, and the keen
blue eyes under broad brow and
thick mat OF short curling hair. were
not only wonderfully intelligent, but
were loyal and kindly.
why don't you wiring its neck on
out OF benevolence and compassion?"
asked the stranger, composedly, lean
ing on the railing and looking calmly
at Bette sitting in her doorway.
Because II isn't mine to begin with"
Bette shortly.
NO? ! suppose you think the mis-
erable little creature is happy; that
Il sings from joy. most ladies do. II
you ever roamed the woods aud heard
the free birde at dawn, when slender