The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1909-10-19

wen, = IIleuO U4 M1He CdmS dlOu6
one day-at least. thought him .
friend OF mine. though l guess hs's
about my dearest fee now. invited
him to put up at the ranch. and hav-
ing some business in Tegucigalpa, and
as my friend didn't seem to be In a
hurry. asked him II he couldn't stay
for few weeks and look after things.
He said he could and would, SO |
packed some things ON . mule and
rode away.
Il stayed in the capital city longer
than l expected, and 1t was = good
three months before got back to the
ranch. My friend had gone, leaving
word that business had called him
away, but everything seemed all right
about the place. however, for l had
good native overseer who kept every
thing going. The only change I noted
was In the parrot Just as soon a. he
clapped his little beady eyes upon me
he astonished me by bursting out
with:
Robert the Devil! Robert the
Devil! You're = devil OF = fellow
Carambo!'
He seemed very proud and pleased
with this performance. and encored
himself again and again. l laughed
for saw that my friend had put up
joke on me; but after . time that
cry got dead tiresome. The blamed
parrot was 50 proud of his accom-
plishment that he hardly took any
rest Finally. after listening to tha1
yell for days, l got mad and weary
and l concluded that the poll and
had better part company. He wa
young yet, and doubtless had lots o
friends in the woods where he hal
come from. So took him out OF hi
cage and manumitted him. He dev
up on a tree near the house and b
gan to articulate again, SO l threv
stones at him, until finally he set sal
for keeps and disappeared from view
We'll, l enjoyed a quiet life afte
that for some weeks, and was begil
ming to forget all about the parro
when one morning l was awakene
by deuce of a racket; there was
| regular chorus outside:
| Robert the Devil! Robert tt
| Devil! You're a devil Of fellov
/ CarambO!'
Il stuck my head out Of the wi
! dow, and saw big. bare tree near-t
I was simply green with parrots, Z
yelling that Internal cry In chorus
OWNED the matter at once-that pa
] rot of mine had returned to
Aaunts, and, instead OF warbling |
native wood-notes wild, it had repes
ed that cry until 1t was picked up
\ all its friends 1t sounded like a SO
of college yell now when produced
j chorus.
] Good Lord, 1t was awful!
}. tracted by the novelty Of the thir
s more and more parrots came arou1
;. and, as the days passed by, they t
learned the cry, and, moreover, taug
: 1t to others. I'll be hanged If it did
!. come to be like university exit
sion movement, with my ranch as
center of intellectual culture.
- Now and then l would go out 4
lie, shoot some OF the BIRDS, ana nao
ar satisfaction OF seeing some Of thu
bite the dust in the very midst of p
lat forming their stunt. But what col
to one man do against such multitude
on Why, new disciples flocked fr'
everywhere, and the screeching Il
a arose was something maddening.
ed say nothing Of the wearisomeness
zen having to listen to the constant pr
ticing going on before the blan
lift birds got letter perfect in their pal
an We'll, l couldn't stand it. l
ne, to quit l tell yous the WOODS "
filed with that strident cry, and
lit spreading around over a wider a
op- every day. l shouldn't wonder If t
red ridiculous yell is now echoing fr
one end of Central America to
try other. Go back again to hear it
hit. guess not! You see, the parrots '
in. never forget it, and there's nobody
asst teach the wild ones anything n
the All the young parrots will catch
of and so in future will the unborn tt
ent sands. No, there's no silencing
cry now; it's bound to ring down
" grooves of time forever.
DO hear the south a-callin'?
Par l do; but hear them blamed par
a-callin' still louder, and that's
sx- reason why l stay away"
House OF Historic Interest.
'ou. Hogge's Horse, at Buxted, Sus