The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-07-25
A TALKING
BIRD
By MARJORIE doUcH

By MARJORIE dOUGH
II wonder said my friend Staples.
IL the boys and girls have as much
fun as we used to have when we were
from. say. sixteen to twenty"
II don't believe they do-at least. not
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 I was between boy and man."
Staples went on. lat our old home In
the days when every family contained
from six to a dozen children. we boys
and girls grew up together. and every
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 EN- was
the cream cake racket. the cake being
full of cotton. One of the boys once
swallowed n Of them. cotton and all.
rather than acknowledge that he'd
been sold.
"That was Billy William He made
up his mind that he'd get eve 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. It 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 disappearances of the
two at u social gatherings and other
evidences Of spooning it vas pretty
generally understood that there was to
he a match.
One summer afternoon q 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 it 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 be
reached Us be took q parrot out of the
basket and asked us If we would like
to see him perform, assuring US that
be had the most remarkable talking
bird In the world.
"All right said Billy Williams.
"Go ahead with your show" 4
The man stood OF a short distance
with the parrot perched on the fore
finger of his left hand.
"Zis is vera ane ladies and gentle
men. don you think so?" said the man
to the bird.
"Bullyr vas the parrots laconic re
ply.
what you think Of that young lady
over therer"
"Bullyw
"And that gentleman over there?"
pointing to Billy Williams. whose hair
was what we call auburn.
-The sorrel top1"
YES" 2.
"Bully!'
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'n get nothing for such a
measly performance here"
"Jus' you waita. The parrot talk
udder t'ings." :
"Coraw said the parrot In a mans
voice. Dear Coraw sharpening its
beak on one Of it's toes.
Every one laughingly looked at Cora
and George Olmstead. who was stand
ing beside her. She colored. while
George tried to smile. but the result
was q sickly grin.
"Come! Stop these personalities or
get out Of here" said Billy Williams
sharply. II don't want any more Of
It for my part"
"Give me a kiss!' said the bird. FOL.
lowing up the words with a lot Of gut
tural squawking. The words having
been spoken In a mans voice. Of
course they were assumed to refer to
George Olmstead. who raj under Ore.
"Shut that or" said Williams an
grily.
.aThe bird talka what he like." the
owner protested. "How cams ] stop
him."
Then the parrot gave a dialogue be.
tween . young man and a girl.
Take away your arm" 'Mayn't ]
have Just d kiss ?" Nor "Just
one little teeny weeny bit Of a one ?.
Go away: you're mussing my hair"
sOf course George md Cora were SUP
posed to be the pair having this little
discussion Cora stood II till the hair
mussing part came. when she furned
and bolted Tor the house,
'sThat'n do" said Williams to the
Snowman sYou may 20 And he
slipped 4 hill into the fellows hand
Billy was accused of having hired
the man to come with his performing
parrot. but he wouldn't admit II. No