The St. Mary banner., 1915-08-07
Copyright oy the Bohbs-A1erril Company

hand of the law; gentleman born
once upon a time a clubman. college
bred: contradiction, a puzzle for
which there was not any solution, not
even in the hidden corners of the
mans heart. His name wasn't War.
rjngton; and he had rubbed elbows
with the dregs of humanity, and still
looked you straight in the eye because
he had come through inferno without
bringing any Of the defiling pitch.
From time to time he paused to re.
light his crumbling cheroot The to.
bacco was strong and bitter and stung
his parched lips; but the craving for
the tang of the smoke on his tongue
was not to be denied.
Under his arm he carried a small
iron cage, patterned something like
a rat trap 1t contained Rajputana
parrakeet. not much larger than a
robin. but possessor of a soul as fierce
as that of Palladin. minus. however,
the smoothing influence Of chivalry.
He had been born under the caves OF
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. For
at this moment he was hearing those
familiar evening sounds which no hu-
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-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 a 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 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 SON.
ersaults. pausing only to reach for the
tantalizing finger of the man. who
laughed again as he withdrew the
digit 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 a sign of surrender. There were
many scars on his forefingers 1t was
amazing With one pressure OF his
hand he could have crushed out the
life of the bird, but over its brave. un-
conquerable spirit he had no power.
And that is why he loved it.
Far away in the past they had met.
He remembered the day distinctly
and bitterly. He had been on the
brink of self-destruction. Fever and
poverty and terrible loneliness had
battered and beaten him fat into the
dust. from which this time he had no
wish to rise. He had walked out to
the railway station at Jaipur to wit
ness the arrival Of the tourist train
from Ahmadabad. The natives surged
about the train. with brassware, an.
tique articles OF warfare. tiger hunt
ing knives accompanied by perennial
fairy tales). skins and silks. There
were beggars. holy men. guides and
fakirs.
Squatted In the dust before the door
OF first-class carriage was a solemn.
brown man. in turban and clout. exhib-
iting performing parrots 1t was Ra-
jah's turn. He fired a cannon, turned
through a little steel
hoop. opened a tiny chest. took out a
four-anna piece. carried 1t to his mas
ter. and in exchange received some
seed. Thereupon he waddled resent.
fully back to the iron cage. opened
the door, closed 1t behind him. and
began to mutter beIligerently. War
rinptOn happled for two straight ho,ra
When he returned to his sordid. evil
smelling lodgings that night he pos
sessed the parrot and four rupees. and
sat up the greater part of the night
trying to make the bird perform his
tricks. The idea of suicide no longer
bothered him; trifling though It was.
he had found an interest in life. And
on the morrow came the Eurasian,
who trustfully loaned Warrington ev.
cry coin that he could scrape together.
Often. in the dreary heart-achy days