The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-07-12
A TALKING
BIRD
BY MARJORIE COUGH

N'if the boys and girls have as mucf
fun as we used to have when we wer,
from, say. sixteen to twenty"
IL don't believe they do-at least, mo-
the innocent fun. They have dinners
and theater parties and go to clubs
and dance the turkey trot, and all that
but they don't know what unceremoni
Gus fun that doesn't cost anything Is
when l was between boy and man.
Staples went on, "at our old home In
the days when every family contained
from six 10 dozen children. we boys
boy was as careful of all the girls as
he was of his own sister Turkey
.trot. Not much. No such dancing
was ever heard of then. But we play
ed all sorts of innocent jokes on one
another ] remember one of 'em was
the cream cake racket. the cake being
full of cotton. One of the boys once
swallowed one of them, cotton and all.
rather than acknowledge that he'd
been sold
THAT was Billy Williams. He made
mp his mind that he'd get even with
the girl who made the cake. Cora
Blake. now Mrs Olmstead But Cora
knew that he was laying for her. and
she was so blamed watchful he could
not catch her. Ii was about that time
that George Olmstead and Cora were
getting kind of thick. and. though NO
engagement had been announced. yet
by the frequent disappenrances of the
two at our social gatherings and other
evidences of spooning 1t was pretty
generally understood that there was to
be a match
One summer afternoon a dozen or
more of us boys and girls were out on
our lawn playing croquet Tennis had
barely come into vogue. and they call
ed II lawn tennis. not having the
courts they have now. Cora Blake
and Billy Williams and George Ohm
stead were all Of the party. and we
were having no end of a good time.
Presently a man came into the grounds
carrying a basket AS soon as he
reached us he took a parrot out of the
basket and asked us If we would like
to see him perform. assuring us that
he had the most remarkable talking
bird In the world
IAN right" said Billy Williams
''Go ahead with your show"
The man stood off a short distance
with the parrot perched on the fore
finger of his left hand.
'Zis Is vera fine ladies and gentle
men. don you think so?" said the man
TO the bird.
Bully" was the parrots laconic re-
ply.
What you think of that young lady
over there?"
"BuIyv'
"And that gentleman over thereT
to Billy Williams. whose hair
was what we call auburn
THE sorrel topp
Eyes"
"Bullyr
We all laughed at Billy. who looked
a bit disconnected IF your bird can't
say anything but bully" he said to
the Snowman. you'd better take him
AWAY. You'll get nothing for such
neasly performance here"
Jus you waita. The parrot talk
ndder t'ings."
''Corav said the parrot in mans
voice. Dear Coral" sharpening its
oeak on one of It's toes.
Every one laughingly looked at Cora
ind George Omstead. who was stand
ng beside her. She colored, while
George tried to smile. but the result
was a sickly grin. IL
Come! Stop these personalities or
ret out of here" said Billy Williams
sharply. Il don't want any more of
t for my part
"Give me kiss!" said the bird. fol. !
owing up the words with lot of gut
ural squawking. The words having
been spoken in mans voice. of
curse they were assumed to refer to
George Olmstead, who was under fire.
"Shut that or" said Williams an
yrily.
1.-THE bird talka what he like" the
,wner protested. "How cana ! stop
lim?" r
Then the parrot gave a dialogue be- G
ween young man and a girl.
take away your arm" "Mayn't ! .
ave Just one kissg' Nor Just .
me little teeny weeny bit of oner :
70 away: you're missing my hair" I
OF course George and Cora were sup n
'osed to be the pair having this little c
discussion. Cora stood IL till the hair b
nussing part came. when she turned s
nd bolted for the house e
"That'll do" said Williams to the !
bowman "You may go" And he !,
Tipped bill into the fellows hand. !.
Billy was accused OF having hired :.
he man to come with his performing {,
arrot. but be wouldn't admit 1t. No /,
ne could understand how a bird could a
e taught to talk like that till one of il
he party suggested that 1t was the II
bowman who talked and that he must Is
e ventriloquist. This George final
: admitted to me. He had coached !,
he man himself, telling him to refer :,
} his own red hair I'm order to divert n
lspicion from himself. ~
That brought out an announcement ri
the engagement between Cora and Ell
gorge Olmstead. and six months aft b,
: that we all danced at the wedding. "a
That was the last practical joke ''