The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-08-28
Bedtime Stories
For Little Folks
LUCY,S PARROT.

| | will not have that parrot around
| the house another day." angrily ex
claimed Mr. Preston.
He had just come home and was
standing by the table in the sitting
room looking at the litter that Polly
| the parrot, had made about his fav
orite chair with the fragments of a
newspaper. Lucy, you must give ii
away"
| 'Oh! papa" cried little Lucy, who
was Mr.. Preston's only child; please
don't send Polly away. l am so lone
ly all day long when you are away,
and Folly is such good company. l
am to blame for the litter, for / gave
her the paper and made her tear it
up. 1t was such fun watching her."
We'll, my dear child" replied Mr..
Preston, who loved his motherless
little daughter better than everything
in the world. 81 suppose | will have
to put up with Polly's pranks. Now.
| will put all this money away, and
then we will go to dinner"
Mr.. Preston took out a great roll of
money, and going to the safe in the
corner, opened it and placed the mon.
ely inside
There, that Is sa-e Unit, the morn
ing, when | will use it to pay the
workmen their monthly wages" he
said Come along dear" and he and
little Lucy went romping off to the
dinner table.
After dinner they played and chat
ted until Lucy's bedtime, when the
nurse came for her. Before going to
bed, however, she saw that Polly was
securely fastened on her perch that
stood in corner of the sitting room.
BY and by Mr.. Preston turned down |
the lights and locked up the house
for the night. Then he also went up
stairs to bed, leaving the lower part !
of the house all dark and lonesome.
IF some rObber only knew Of that |
money in the safe" he said to him
self, as he climbed the stairs, "he F.!
could get rich by breaking open the |
safe. l am glad that no one knows
of it,
But Mr.. Preston was mistaken A |
robber had learned of the money that |
Mr.. Preston had taken home with him |
and late that night, when everyone |
was fast asleep, he opened the win
dow of the sitting room and went |
softly inside. Not thing was stir
ring. He cautiously approached the |
safe and commenced to work at the
lock by the dim light of his lantern.
Suddenly, from out the darkness of
he corner there came voice saying:
Well" The robber, who could not |
see Polly, looked up in terror and
stared into the darkness. Again the |
voice came. Well" 1t said, come |
quick, come quick, Lucy! Lucy. Lucy"
This was a sentence that Lucy had |
taught the parrot to repeat. Without |
taking time to gather up his tools |
the robber, with a cry of terror, |
sprang to the window to escape. But |
F,esp no hn
gotten which window it was and |
found that he couldn't get out. Mean |
lime Polly was so surprised at this |
strange proceeding of the strange man
hat she kept calling: Come quick, |
come quick, Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!"
The cry of the robber and the loud
calling of Polly aroused Mr.. Preston, |
who hurried down stairs and caught |
he robber before he could find the |
light window to escape by. Behind |
him came little Lucy and the nurse, |
who had also been aroused by Polly's |
,ries 1t was not until Mr.. Preston |
lad securely tied the robber hands |
md feet that he noticed Polly, who, in |
Ter excitement over such strange do
ngs in the middle of the night, was !
till squalling at the top of her voice:
Come quick. come quick! Lucy!
lucy! Lucy"
"Therei" cried Mr.. Preston. THAT
was Polly calling out for Lucy" And,