Evening star., 1926-12-26

!
never lets me in wonder keep
| him"
There were three flights OF stairs.
narrow. clean and smelling of oilcloth
Selecting one of.two doors At IA andom.
| knocked His SilVery head and
bright pinched face were cautiously
poked out,
'Ah,' he said; Il thought it might
be her"
* x
THE room. which was fairly large.
had bare floor with little on il
save campbell and chest of draw
ers with jug and basin 4 large bird
cage on the wall hung open. The
place smelt o. soap and little "i
beasts and birds. Into the walls.
! WhiteWa shed over a green wallpaper.
| which stared through in places. were
! driven nails With their heads Knock
ed off on TO which bits of wood had
been spiked. so that they stood out
as bird perCheS. over the open WIN
dow a piece of wire-nettine had been
/ fixed A little spirit-stoNe and an old
dressing gown completed the aCC"uter-
ments of room which one entered
With a certain ditiidence. He had not
exaggerated. Resides the new cat
! there we're three other eats and four
/ birds all-SaNe one bullflnch- -lnNa-
lids. The cats kept close to the walls.
avoiding me. but wherever my httle
! old friend went they followed him
with their eyes The birds were in the
cage. except the hullfnch, which had
perched on his shoulder
"How on earth" i said, do YOU
| manage to keep cats and blrdS In one
ROOM" There is da anger, he answer
ed 'hut I have not had a disaster
vet. Till their legs or wings are menu
ed. they hardly come out of the cage
| and after that they keep up on my
| perches. But they don't stay long
! YOU know. when they're once We'll
That wire is only put over the win
| COW while they are mendlng; I'll lee
off tomorrow for this lot.
And then they'll go?
Yes. The sparrow first, and then
! the two thrushes.
And this fellow
Ask him." he said. Would you
60. Rully?" But the buiihnch dlo not
deign to answer. :.
And were all those cats, too. In
trouble?"
Yes he said They wouldn't
want me if they weren't.
Thereupon he began TO warm some
milk. contemplating the new cat,
which he had placed in basket close
to the stove, while the builnnch sat
on his head. 1t seemed time TO go.
Delighted TO see you, sir, ne said,
| ANY day"
The landIady, still at the bottom OF
| the stairs began at once. so you
found him. ] don't know why l keep
him. OF course, he was kind to my
| little girl" i saw tears gather In her
eyes.
der I keep him, But where would
| he go? He's no relations. and no
| friends-not a friend in the world,
think, He's a character. Lives on
| air-feeding them cats. I've no pa
tience with them, eating him up: he
never lets me in. Cats and birds! !
wonder | keep him. Losing himself
for those rubbishy things. It's my
belief he was always like that; ana
that's why he never got on. He
no sense of anything.
And she gave me shrewd iook'
wondering, no doubt, what the deuce
| | had come about.
X
II DID not come across him again
in the gardens for some time, ana
went at last to pay him can. Just
round the corner OF his street louho
knot of people collected round one
| of those bears that are soiietiiiies
| led through the less cohspNuouS
| streets of our huge towns. the yei'
! lowisb beast was sitting up IN defef-
ence tn its masters rod, utterlng ut
tle erlnts. and moving it's upiitted
snont from side to side. But
seemed to be extracting more anuse-
ment than money from its audience.
let your bear down off it's hind
legs and I'll give you a penny
saw nv little old friend among the
| SPECTATORS. all taller than hlmseii.
But the bears master ohlE srhhe"
and prodded the animal IN the ches'.
| He evidently knew good thing when
| ne saw it.
I'm give you twopence 10 ie' MN
down. .,a
Again the bear-man grinned.
More" he said, and again prodded
the bears chest. The spectators were
..Threepence. And if you don't let
him down for that, I'll hit you pa the
eye -; hs
"All Alright, he salo,
let him down. -.
7 saw the coins pass and the beast
dronning on his forefeet, but just
! then a pOliceman coming In sighi'
| the man led his bear off. and ! was
| left alone with my little old friend;
II wish | had that poor bear. ne
said. Il could teach him To be happS'
But, even II | could buy him' Mha'
could | do with him up there! ohe
such funny woman.
! He looked quite dim, hut pfls
as we went along.
"A hear" he said, ''is really an eE-
ira aordinary animal What wise litt'e
ewes he has. | do think he "A mar
yelous creation, Ny cats will have To
60 without their dinner. Though.
| was going to buy 1t with that three
pence" .,
| begged to be allowed the privilege.
Willingly he said. Shall we go
in here? They like Gods head best.
We bought five Gods heads, and
left him carrying them in bag, eVi'
| dentlv lost In the anticipation or hFe
cats eating them.
After that ! saw him often, going
with him sometimes to buy food Tor
| his cats which seemed eEes TO IN
crease in number. His talk was al.
| ways of his strays. and the marVeis oI
| creation, and that time OF his hie
when he plaVed the flute at the Har-
monv Theater He had been out of
| A joh, II seemed for more than 10
wears and when questioned only an.
swered Don't talk about it, please.
| His lsndIady never failed to favor
me with a little conversation. She
was one of those women who have
terrific consciences and terrible
| grudges against them.
II never get out" she would say.
why not?"
| Couldn't leave the house
1T won't run away
But she would look at me as II she
thought ii might, and repeat