The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-08-24
MUTUAL INTERESTS MAKE
WARM FRIENDS BETWEEN
TWO WHO HAVE
NEVER SEEN
EACH OTHER

c. w. Miller, of Hays, Kan, regis
ter of the federal land office here, and
J. Stanley Low, governor of Andres
Island, in the Bahamas, have been
carrying on a friendly correspondents
for some time. Both are bird fan
ciers. That's how they became ac-
quainted-by mail.
It all started when Mr.. Miller de
sired to add a pink famingo to his
museum of stuffed birds But he did
MT know where to get one. So he
first wrote to the bureau of migratory
birds, United States department Of
agriculture That was in 1913. The
bureau answered his letter, informing
him that the habitat of the blue fla
mingo was not in the United States.
The bureau stated it had no infOrma-
tion about the home of the bird.
Next Mr.. Miller wrote to Col. Theo-
dore Roosevelt, asking where a pink
fiamingo could be found The former
president answered with a long let
ter, stating he did not know where
the beautiful bird could be found. He
asked Mr. Miller to let him konw
where the pink famingo made It's
home, in case the Hays man obtained
the desired information.
"'If Teddy doesn't know, then no
body knows" Mr.. Miller, dishearten-
ed, said to himself.
Just then an idea flashed into his
head.
''I'u write to somebody who travels
in a ship on the high SEAS" he said.
Mr.. Miller Immediately sent a let
ter to the chaplain of the U. S. S.
George Washington. The shepherd of
the ocean rowing souls directed the
Kansan to write to a certain person in
the Bahamas. This certain person in
formed the bird loving Jayhawker
that the pink famingo is found in the
swamps of Andres Island. He sent
him the name of Governor Low.
The Andres governor, answering
Mr.. Miller's letter, informed him he
could get him four pink f1amingoes
for 500. Mr.. Low was not trying to
make a profit. One hundred dollars
would pay for the catching, stuffing
and transporting of the birds. The
governor, like many a government
official, couldn't spare 500 to make
a gift to a man he had never seen
not even a brother bird fancier
Mr.. Miller, likewise being short on
cash, still is hoping he will have 500
to spare in the near future.
In one of his letters to the Kansan,
the Andros governor lauded the beau
ty of the pink famingo.
''The bird has tail feathers which
are even more gorgeous than those of
the pea fowl You certainly don't
have any pea fowl in your great col
lection, do you?"
Then Governor Low went on to say
that Mrs. Low had been eager to OBJ
tain some pea fowl feathers, but had
failed, although she had made an eX-
tensive search for the rare bird.
But Mr.. Miller had a dozen or fif-
teen pea fowls in his yard-and live
ones, too.
So he plucked the most beautiful
feathers from the tails of his three
or four most beautiful fowls. These
he mailed to Mrs. Low.
The governors lady was very hap
py when she received the feathers,
her husband declared in a recent let
ter to the register of land Office. She
hid them from Governor Low, fearing
he would put them among his collec-
tions before she could put them into
new hat.
Mr.. Miller, after four years effort,
failed to get pink famingo. But he
did succeed in adding to his treasures
a personal letter from one of Amer
ica's greatest presidents. And he
made a governors wife happy.-To-
peka CAPITAL.