Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1915-03-24
Copyright By the BobbsMsrrilI Company

even III the nluQen corners of tn
mans heart. His name wasn't Wa,
rington; and he had rubbed elbow
with the dregs Of humanity, and sti
looked you straight In the eye becaus
he had come through inferno withou
bringing any of the defiling pitch.
From time to time he paused to re
light his crumbling cheroot. The tc
bacco was strong and bitter and stun,
his parched lips: but the craving TO
the tang of the smoke on his tongu
was not to be denied.
Under his arm he carried a small
iron cage, patterned something lik,
rat trap. 1t contained a Rajputan,
parrakeet, not much larger than /,
robin. but possessor of q soul as fierc,
as that of Palladin, minus, however
the smoothing influence of chivalry
He had been born under the caves O
the scarlet palace in Jaipur ESQ his
history RAM; but the proximity Of In
dian princes had left him untouched;
he had neither chivalry, politeness
nor diplomacy. He was, in fact, thor
oughly and consistently bad. Round
and round he went, over and over
top side, down side, restlessly. Fol
at this moment he was hearing those
familiar evening sounds which no hui
man ear can discern-the mutterings
of the day birds about to seek cover
for the night. In the field at the right
Of the road stood a lonely tree. 1t
was covered with brilliant scarlet
leaves and blossoms, and justly the
natives call it the Flame OF the
Jungle. A flock of small birds were
gyrating above it.
"Jah, jah. jah! Jah-jah-ja-a-a-h!"
cried the parrot, initiating the Bur-
mese- bell gong that calls to prayer.
Instantly he followed the call with a
shrek so piercing as to sting the ear
of the man who was carrying him.
"You little son of gun!" he
laughed; where do you pack away all
that noise?"
There was strange bond between
the big yellow man and this little
green bird. The bird did not suspect
it, but the man knew. The pluck, the
pugnacity and the individuality of the
feathered comrade had been an object
lesson to the man, at a time when he
had been on the point of throwing up
the fight.
"Jah, jah, jah! Jah-jah-ja-a-a-h!"
The bird began its interminable SOM
ersaults, pausing only to reach for the
finger of the man, who
laughed again as he withdrew the
light in time.
For six years he had carried the
bird with him, through India and Bur-
ma and Malacca, and not yet had he
Won sign of surrender. There were
many scars on his forefingers. 1t was
With one pressure of his
land he could have crushed out the
life Of the bird, but over its brave, un-
onquerable spirit he had no power.
And that is why he loved it.
Far away in the past they had met
lie remembered the day distinctly
nd bitterly. He had been on the
rink of self-destruction. Fever and
overly and terrible loneliness had |
altered and beaten him fiat into the
ust, from which this time he had no
fish to rise. He had walked out to
he railway station at Jaipur to wit
ess the arrival of the tourist train
'om Ahmadabad. The natives surged
bout the train, with brassware, an
que articles Of warfare, tiger hunt
lg knives accompanied by perennial
liry tales), skins and silks. There
ere beggars, holy men, guides and
kris.
Squatted in the dust before the door
! first-class carriage was a solemn,
rown man, in turban and clout. exhib-
ing performing parrots. 1t was Ra.
his turn. He fired a cannon, turned
through a little steel
pop. opened tiny chest, took out a
ur-anna piece, carried 1t to his mas.
II, and in exchange received some
led. Thereupon he waddled resent.
lily back to the iron cage, opened
e door, closed 1t behind him. and
,gan to mutter belligerently. War
ngton haggled for two straight hours.
hen he returned to his sordid, evil
nelling lodgings that night he pos.
ssed the parrot and four rupees. and
t up the greater part of the night
ying to make the bird perform his
lexis. The idea of suicide no longer
'thered him; trifiing though it was,
, had found an interest in life. And
the morrow came the Eurasian,
no trustfully loaned Warrington ev.
y coin that he could scrape together.
Often, in the dreary heart-achy days {
at followed, when weeks passed ere /,
saw the face of white man, when