Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1913-10-09
A TALKING
BIRD
By MARJORIE CLOUGH

IF the boys and girls have as much
fun as we used 10 have when we were
from. say. sixteen to twenty"
81 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 was between boy and man."
Staples went on. ''at our old home In
the days when every family contained
| from six to Il 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 '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
up 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. 1t WIS about that time
that George Olmstead and Cora were
getting kind of thick. and. though no
engagement had been announced. yet
by the frequent disnppcarances of THE
two at our social gatherings and other
evidences of spooning II was pretty
generally understood that There was to
be n match.
One summer afternoon dozen or
more of us boys ard girls were ont on
our lawn playing rroqupt Tennis had
bartSv come into vogue. and they call
ed 1t 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 II good time.
Presently man came into the grounds
carrying basket. As soon as he
reached us lie took Il 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 word
"All right" said Billy Williams.
60 ahead with your show"
The man stood off short distance
with the parrot pcrched 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
"Bullyr' was the parrots laconic re-
ply.
what you think of that young lady
over there?"
"Bullyp
"And that gentleman over there?"
to Billy Williams. whose hair
was what we call auburn.
"The sorrel top?"
YES"
"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'll get nothing for such a
neasly performance here"
Jus you waita. The parrot talk |
ldder things"
"Corap' said the parrot in mans |
voice. Dear Corar' sharpening its
beak on one of its toes.
Every one laughingiy looked at Cora |
md George Olmstead. who was stand |
ng beside her She colored. while |
George tried to smile. but the result |
was a sickly grin.
Come! Stop these personalities or
ret out of here" said Billy Williams
sharply. 81 don't want any more Of
t for my part"
"Give me Il kissr' said the bird. fol-
owing up the words with lot of gut
ural squawking. The words having
)een spoken in a mans voice, Of
course they were assumed to refer to
feorge Olmstead, who was under fire.
"Shut TINT off," said Williams an
grily.
"The bird taika what he like" the
owner protested. "How cana stop
him?'
Then the parrot gave dialogue be-
tween a young man and a girl.
'Take away your arm" "Mayn't ]
have just one kiss?" Nor Gust
me little tceny weeny bit of oneT
20 away: you're mussing my hair"
OF course George and Cora were sup
posed TO be the pair having this little
discussion Cora stood it till the hair
missing part came. when she turned
ind bolted for the house.
'That'l CO." said Williams to the
Snowman "You may 60" And he
,lIpped Il bill into the fellows hand.
Billy wns accused Of having hired
he man to come with his performing
parrot, but he wouldn't admit it. No
rue could understand how bird could
no taught to talk like that till one of
he party suggested that IT was the
Snowman who talked and that he must
,e Il ventriloquist This George FINAL
Y admitted to me He had coached
he man himself, telling him to refer
o his own red hair in order to divert
suspicion from himself.
That brought out an announcement