The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-16
Eoening Story
Bird of Paradise.
BY RUBY DOUGLAS,

By RUB DOOGLAS.
Ethel was distressed about her
canary bird. He was being contami-
mated by the proximity of a COM
mon bird that hung in the window of
the apartment below.
ST don't know how to overcome the
difficulty she told her chum.
'Dickie is being absolutely ruined and
you know what I think of him Hes
a wonderful roller, and I brought
him east with me and promised to
take him back, so as to have him
mated with another rare bird that be-
longs to a bird fancier in our town.
It's shame.
What harm can a bird down
stairs do your Dickie up here, want
to know?" asked Rose, amused at
the insignificant cause of EthePs
worry.
What harm? Why, that bird is
a chopper common chopper. He
makes a lot of noise, sings all the
time, has lovely feathers, 1 suppose,
probably think he's grand. Dickie
hears him-he's young, my bird you
know-and he thinks it smart to imi-
tate those bourgeois notes. I have
closed the windows, but can't suffo-
cate just because those people will
Rose laughed. well, hardly,
Ethel. Can't you go and wait on
these people and ask them to re-
move their bird from the window p"
Ethel admitted that she had con-
sidered even this step. ut seems to
be sort of studio. and I don't know
who lives there" she said.
In the course of the next few sunny
mornings her bird SO defiantly in
sisted on learning the chopping
notes of the common bird downstairs
hof Tvfho1 driven dPSnarafa
measures.
Leaving Dicl<ie struggling with the
short, noisy notes he seemed so en-
amored of, she went downstairs and
knocked on the door below. A brass
cathedral formed the knocker and
she wondered who the people might
be who had SO ordinary a door
knocker and so common a bird.
A young man in smoking coat and
wearing horn-rimmed glasses ans
wered her knock.
1T am Ethel Darling" she began.
Wont you come in?" the young
man asked, swinging wide the door.
Ethel entered. She let her eyes fall
on the bird cage. He was making an
unearthly noise, throwing his mead
about and disporting himself generally
in the sunshine.
Tit is about your bird that I
have come" stammered Ethel.
"Oh, 'Pete?" asked the young man.
Eyes. You see, live upstairs and
have a very finely bred canary which
is a marvellous roller with a pedigree
back of him that reaches as far back
as-well, 1 hardly know"
mot like Pete" laughed the young
man gayly. He's just the garden
variety, I guess.
Hes pretty admitted Eethe1. She
did not want to offend the strange
young. II was permitted to bring
Di0lin Uifh m forth more
for company than anything else. !
came on to study music, and they
were afraid I'd be homesick-lone-
some or something-and I was to
bring Dickie as a part of home, you
know
"A pretty idea. Does it work." the
man asked.
= Ethel nodded informally. Eyes, but
oh, I'm so worried. He is learning to
to sing like your bird, and he is
being ruinedl He loves to hear your
bird sing and I close the window and
nearly die for want of air. II won
der if we couldn't, perhaps, take turns
putting our birds in another part OF
the house. You do it one week; I'll
do it the next. would
1.-THE bird isn't mine. 1t belongs
to my sister. and she thinks he's won
derful. I shall bring up the subject
very carefully. My sister is-well
she's the type the cartoonists always
| associate with a canary piro and
she's sensitive"
! sDon't offend her. please" Ethel
frowned thoughtfully. What could
she do?
Leave it to me. I'll see that Pete's
common manners won't -contamlnate
| those OF your aristocratic canary, Miss
Darling. 1t is Darling, is 1t not?
st shall appreciate anything you
can do
"My name is Watson-Gilbert Wat
son.
Ethel turned toward the door and
he held it open for her. You are sure
you don't mind?" asked the girl as she
stepped out.
"On the contrary am glad to have
become acquainted with the owner OF
Dickie," laughed Watson.
He did not like to tell her that she
was the loveliest thing he had ever
seen in his life, and that she had
quite upset him, coming in, as she
had, while he was in the midst OF
one of his most thrilling scenarios.
He found himself unable to concen-
trate on the stunts of his hero, and
and means of subduing, killing or kid
naping his sisters bird, Pete.
Eventually his plans carried and a
bird fancier in the neighborhood,
pufporting to have heard the lovely
notes of one Pete, called upon Miss
tractive sum of money for her Chop
per-" Miss watson, being bit
mercenary and not SO discriminating
as Ethel as to~the quality of bird s
song, accepted the mans offer.
After a couple Of days of silence on
the part of Pete, Ethel began to be
conscience stricken. She stepped down
below and knocked again with the
brass cathedral
"Oh, how do you do?" said Gilbert
Watson, with a more than welcoming
smile He extended his hand, which,
he realized afterward, was not being
done, under such circumstances.
I'll hope nothing has happened
to Pete" she began.
81 thought you wanted something
to happen to him"
Tie
mo; just departed; not dead. My