The Washington times., 1916-01-26
Psychology
Is Merely
PldinSenSe
Robert the Devils Escape
From His Cage Arouses
Speculation as to His
Former Ancestors.
By WINIFRED BLACK.
By w INT NLD bLztOh'
- oBERT the Devil got out Of his
cage the other uay


a bit like his name. We call
him that because the song that he sings
sounds so much like the principal aria
in the old-fashioned opera. 'R-r-obert-
Robert tue tn t-jaime."
= This particular Robert isn't really q
devil at all: he's Just u canary. little.
yellow canary. with tiny. sparkling.
black eyes and the funniest little emo
tional method Of singing in all the
world.
The day he escaped from his cage |
shut the door and the windows and sat
down and watched him to see what he
would do.
What will he try first?' l thought.
"The window. of course.
Poor thing. he won't understand the
glass and he'll try to 1lv right through
it. Poor thing! poor
But Robert the Devil did no such
thing. He didn't even look at the win
dow. He flew right straight over to the
looking glass and stood and admired
himself.
OH he admired himself immensely.
He put his head on one side and then on
the other. and he rufficd up his feathers
and stretched his neck and pruned and
teetcred on his tiny feet.
why. the vain thing" I thought.
Robert. I'm, surprised at you" But
Robert tiptoed closer to the mirror he
he isn't vain. he's lonesome" And so
he was. poor thing just lonesome. that $
all. And he thought the bird in the
mirror was somebody that might turn
out to be a friend. and he wanted to
make good impression, that was all.
The Birch Bark Adventure,
Robert didn't care for the pennants on
the wall or for the books on the book
shelf. He was really bit bored, and
began to look around for his cage, when
suddenly something attracted his at
tention.
You could fairly see him get a new
impression. He put his head on one
side, listened, chirped and flew straight
to little picture framed in birch bark
which hung upon the wall.
He was as excited when he found
that birch bark as one Of us would be
TO come suddenly into a room and meet,
face to face, the ghost Of an old, old
friend we'd heard Of for years and never
even seen.
Robert the Devil went mad-stark,
staring, chirruping. warbling, trilling
mad over the birch bark. He whistled
and sang and Swelled his little throat.
and pecked the bark and flew round and
round the frame, and the only way We
could get him back into the little cage
that had been his home ever since he
the birch bark picture frame and put it
there before him.
Wasn't that queer? l don't believe
he'd ever seen a bit of natural bark be-
fore in his life. and know he'd never
heard of it.
WHO was there to tell him? And yet,
somehow. he knew that it belonged to
his world. His world, poor thing!
wonder Ii he ever dreams Confusedly of
it, when all the household is asleep.
and the moon streams into the window
and falls first upon the cage of Robert
the Devil and then upon a little figure
that lies SO soft and warm in the little
bed within the room.
What does he dream. do YOU suppose
OF wild. free flights under the open sky,
OF brothers and sisters with him in the
old nest, of the mother that fed him
OF the tall trees and the singing wind
of the long, long journey from the island
of the sea far and far to the north for
summer time and south again for
winter?
When the Door Opens.
Does he love us with ready Eratitude
when he is awake and hate us with ,e-
vengcful anger when he sleeps?
In the daytime, is it all curious
muddle to him? How interesting it ali
is-this world we live in ana the Gre
atures that live here with us.
Where do your dreams come from md
mine? Are they sometimes just part
OF memory. 100.
l met a men the ether day and tail; cd
with him for five minutes, and | fclt
as If I had Known him hur,drCd Years
didn't Ike hin at all. and he liun't
like me. and We knew each other al
sight.
Was he a rart OF some strange life
some ancestor of mine remembered"
Are We just prisoners here j., these
eW (<ward. CluUsy. stupid bodies oi o..:'.'
and sometimes at NIGHT. whey tn" ,ai.-
er is asleer. dc we fly out of The cust q
little while
Psychology" VI hat lot "f talk thn~e
IS about It these days. and yet, ,Jale-
how, when you boil it all down. i II
seems to be inst n little common sen,
and a fey o: the old things w rIstG
call 81 per$tition put together arl "a!lrd
by a tornfwng Hrd awe-irsHirin" new
name, Ike the 10y TCu We know Rl
your hlc come back. from medical
school to be GATED praVely "drCtpr'
and told the inmoSt secrets Of your llss
and heart.
Robert the Devil. wish dared oper
the window. rs we'll az the ,loor Ct yUul
cage. and set you free.
ICopy't 1916. by Newspaper Feature Service. }