Evening journal., 1911-03-10
A SINGULAR
BIRD
By EDWARD BATY
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.
BY EDWARD BATY

ness. Anyway. have. seein your
husban he's run away with my wife"
"Yo' mean. Mr. Todler. thet your
wife run away with my husban.'"
Its just as bad one way as t'other.
I'm goin' to shut my baby boy mp and
never let him see a gal" said Mr.. Tod
Ter.
II was thinkln' O. doln' the same
with my baby gal"
1--WE mought do II up hyar In these
mountings and bring 'cm clean up
without the boy seem gal or the
gal boy"
IT'S powerful lonesome. Nobody
ever comes up hyar unless it's rev.
enue men lookln' TO stills"
''Waal. mornin'. Miss Barker"
"Mornin', Mr. Todler.
The homes OF these two persons were
far up in the highlands Of east Ten
nessee. They were successful in keep
ing their children from seeing one OF
the opposite sex till they were sixteen
years old. Then the boy demanded a
gun. His father gave him one on con.
dltion that he never hunt or the In.
closure. But one day the youngsteE
followed a bird from tree to tree till
he got on to Mrs. Barker's premises
There. sitting under tree knitting. he
saw Miss Barker They looked At each
other In establishment.
"Oh mother" called the girl, "comg
herel There's the funniest thing you
ever saw
But Mrs. Barker was not within
bearing.
"You mean" said young Todler, ''thai
you are the funniest thing in the
world. Queer, isn't I'll You can tall
Just like a man, oniy your voice Il
different"
You must be some kind OF a WON
an"
You must be some kind of a man.
II know: mother often told me tina
there was a thing like you that mus
keep away from. She says they poi
son women's lives. She's always baeI
afraid I'D meet one OF them"
Pops told me the same thing abou
what he calls she man. He sai'
one OF them wrecked his life"
WELL" said the girl. II don't SCI
anything so terrible about you"
''Nor 1 about you"
She approached him, put her ham
on his shoulder. drew n away quickly
put Il on his neck. took of his hat an
combed his hair with her fingers. II
touched her cheek.
"Are you going to bite mer' Oh
asked.
"EOt I. Have you got any pOisO
about your
"Poisoni No. why do you as
thatT
''Pop says these she men ara viper
That means snakes. Most snakes n
poisonous"
"Your pop must be horrid-"
7 She patted his cheek with the pal
of her hand. He put his arm aroul
her waist. with the other hand
pulled her chin around near his fac
7 Instinct told him TO touch his lips
{ hers.
= isn't that nicer he said.
"Kind O. nice"
"Do you wish me to do It ogainf'
II don't care"
BE did II again and again. Then
noticed her hair done up in a knot I
the back OF her head Pulling Rt 1
be at last got the hairpins out. an
the coil fell on her shoulder.
= "By gumw he exclaimed. "What
thunder do you let your hair gro
: like that fort"
. "why do you cut yours oft7"
. Following a natural inclination. the'
s two young things clung TO each othe
! the boy winding bis arms about Il
girl and the girl about the boy.
"rm thinking" said the girl.
n "About whatY'
I my nom has warned me again
8 your kind. and your pop has werni
n you against my kind. II we tell the
r anything about this they'll tie us bo
l. up'the way they do the dogs"
1--WE needn't tell"
"guppose we don't"
They concluded that they were 4
- near the she-man's mother for safet
so they strolled away 10 a safe di
tance and remained together sever
hours. When they separated the
= woman kissed her. which shows plai
- ly that lovers kisses at meeting al
.e parting are a matter OF instinct.
d When the girl went into the hou
y and met her mother she said not
II word about the queer creature o.
) had met And this shows that a prir
II law Of nature with the sex is TO 9
the better Of each other, which enabl
them to get the better Of their hr
- bands. her mother asked her whe
i she had been 50 long, and she said s.
IS had been out in the woods listening
e a frog croakinR In the creek. A que
= sound came from Il she had nev
'r heard before.
IT When the boy went home his fath
asked him II he had had any luck.
replied that he had seen n bird
paradise. but II was so beautiful
hadn't the heart 20 kill It. His fatt
suspected from an absendmindedns
about his boy that be bad seen a 81