Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-01-22
LOOKING INTO THE SUNSET

Yes, thus lived Miss Spencer lat the
time of which / write) all alone with
Richard of the Lion Heart, and if you
ask me for further particulars of Rich
ard | will say that he was canary
whose pleasure and duty it was to mind
his mistress and keep her safe from
harm.
Oh. but he was champion bird, was
Richard! Afraid of nothing, chattering
fierce warnings to the butcher and the
grocervman, and tolerating the baker in
a peremptory sort of way only because
he was the man who brought the bread;
and when anybody sought to ingratiate
themselves with this spirited bird by
inserting finger between the bars of his
cage he almost fell off his perch at the
mpudence of them and straightway fell
to sharpening his beak on his bit of cut
tie his chirping turned to the horrid
croaking of feathered pet who is pres
emily going to bite finger off!
Well, then, it began with slight hoarse-
ness in Richards highest notes, and the
moment she heard it Miss Spencer folded
her needework-she was knitting pair
of shoes for some fortunate little orphan
and mixed little flaXseed with Rich
ards brdseed, and shut a door and
window to keep the draught off him, but
all in vain. His hoarseness increased to
an extent that would have discouraged
any other bird, but Richard, justly named
the Lion Heart, persevered in his song
until it sounded almost as shrill as q
very rusty saw going through very
hard knot In vain he hoped from one
perch to another; in vain he sided along
his perch. as he sang, his poor little beak
opened so wide that he had to shut his
eyes; his cold grew worse and worse and
he began to neglect his food.
Lettuce tempted him not, except for
hopeful moments he turned up his bill
at celery tips and green peas, and as for
birdseed, he simply wouldn't look at it.
And there he stood, day after day, on
the end of his perch, leaning against the
side of his cage, silent moody, dropping
and only showing "A flare of his old-time
spirit upon seeing the butcher and the
groceryman, when, indeed, he gave ex-
preston to few sentiments, of which
il is only charitable to say nothing at
all
And that was how Miss Spencer missed
going to church for the first time in
twenty years, since the year of the great
blizzard, to be exact, which brings us
to the doctor, whom you will be able to
picture clearly when l whisper to you
that he was an elderly blue eyed gen
tleman, beloved of everyone, who lived
in considerable awe of his housekeeper
and was famous for the great age of his
horse.
Il didn't see Miss Spencer at church
! this morning" said the doctor as he
obediently sat himself at the dinner
table
"Out of town. mebbe," snapped the
housekeeper.
No" said the doctor, "she never goes
out of town"
The housekeeper ratified plate
ut is the first time that she has
missed church, said the doctor, ''since
l can remember"
The housekeeper ratified another plate
and the doctor relapsed into silence, but
cient nag and half an hour later Richard
| the Lion Heart had his little beak opened
and a doctor of medicine was trying to
look at his tonguel
A fortnight passed and the doctor
called every day, tempting Richards APP
petite with chickweed- slyly rubbed
with olive oil-swathing his cage with
| flannels, coaXing him back to activity
and song; so that at the end of the
fortnight the doctor announced that his
patient was entirely well, and regret
fully added that his visits, his very pleas
ant visits, for which he would take no