Year: 1878

hated Aunt Margery's parrot. It's
screaming, croaking voice, its gurgline
asides crooned as it sat on its perch,
stirred up something in me evil and
vindictive. Perhaps I had no natural
inclination to pets. Often when 1 had
been over-wearied at the old farmhouse,
the sight of mothers hens scratch
scratching for living had irritated me
with sense of overwork. But they at
least came honestly by their living. !
respected them; but this pampered, over.
fed thing made my flesh crawl as it
clung ogling to its perch, or dropped
lazily down to pick up bit of cracker,
nibbling thereat with an uncanny chat
ter. No; did not like pets. Aunt
Margery did. This ugly foreign favoritt
had absorbed all her affections,
thought to myself bitterly, as I watched
it that morning. She caressed the crea-
ture; she spoke to it endearingly; but
for her own kith and kin she had moth.
ing but everlasting faurt-fnding and
ceaseless exactions.


A few tears dropped down upon my
hands as I sat there. The parrot, blink
ing down upon me, drew up one skinny
claw, scratched its emerald head, and
screamed, "Just SO pa pet phrase
which served it to express the most sub
tie meanings, apparently, and with
which it seemed to jeer at my emotion.


This was the third morning 1 had
waited for Dick-poor Dick, light
hearted, bigh-sririted Dick who had
taken up his cap and left after his last
word-battle with Aunt Margery. This
blow had taken the sunshine too utterly
out of my life, and there, as I sat at the
window, I mentally shook my fist at this
gibbering thing, so sheltered and
favored while be was adrift-where
What would become of Dick oh, what
would become of Dick? The lad had
always had some business in the city
that sat lightly upon him, coming and
going at his leisure; but now for three
whole days his face had not lightened
the gloomy house. The longing to
know of bis welfare, the yearning to
see him, had grown intense and intol.
erable. And now, rendered irritable
and distraught by my anxiety, I had
quarrelled with Aunt Margery myself
I to whom her invalid state had hith-
erto excused so much, who had been
her patient nurse so long, and her ac-
knowledged peace-maker between her
self and the outspoken, impolite Dick.
1 had fallen from my high estate; I was
an outcast from favor-not worth SC
much in Aunt Margery's eyes as this
leering old parrot.


Well, 1 need sacrifice myself nc
longer. I was free to go away. Oh,
how useless, how mean and degrading,
seemed all that [ had submitted to and
suffered 1t could benefit Dick no more,
and, in his absence, dropped its splen-
did apparel of self-sacrifce, and revealed
itself beggerly and sordid tameness OF
spirit.


Outside of this narrow groove where
l had grubbed and vegetated there was
o thrilling, splendid reality Of existence.
A sort of winged feeling took possession
of me as contemplated the possibilities
of the future. The parrot put up his
elfn claw, blinked at me from the cor
ner of his eye, and cried, "Just sop' as
he Topped back into his open cage.
From the window where that cage hung
I could see the glowing gardens and
pleasant lawns stretching below, and in
the wistful hazy distance the city seem
ed to shadow through-the bright busy
city, where every one was astir and at
work. Dick was there too somewhere.
Dick did "business" easily and ire.
sponsibly as bird. Why should not
do business? I began to take account of
stock-to make a mental estimate of my
self. 1t is surprising, in this CONNER
cial valuation of ones self, how percent.
ages shrink. A little hazy knowledge of
history, little nebulous acquaintance
with general literature, light touch
upon the piano-all these things look
painfully threadbare on examination,
like stage properties seen by daylight,
1 could not settle upon any speciality in
which was pre-eminent. I must leave
my future to fate, and / did SO with the
delightful insouciance of youth.


So the early dawn found me at the
garden gate, face to face with the kindl-
ing morning, the garden quiet and
odors. I felt sort OF sinking at the
heart not quite in accordance with my
enterprise. But the hustle about the
depot, and all the sights and sounds OF
travel, speedily dispelled my grief, and
once in the cars, my spirits rose to the
occasion. Oh, / would do something,
be something yeti and 1 nibbled bit OF
cake, by way of breakfast, care free and
happy and confident q .tf ~