Year: 1876

A Lady's Strange Pet and the Worrimeni


Delighted In.


A lady in Reading, Pa, was the owner
of pet crow called Jim, whose history
she tells as follows: Sitting in the
trunk of tree beside the cabin of a
woodchopper in the Alleghanies, I first
saw him. He was too young to fly, and,
only partially covered with feathers,
looked so queer, so helpless, and withal
so mischievous, that bought him, tied
him in my handkerchief, and, hanging
him on the pommel of my saddle, rode
twenty miles home. It was the amuse-
ment of the family to fill up I" Jim
Crow" which meant to take pieces of
clover heads, bread, and indeed any
thing, drop it into his wide open mouth
till his crop, throat and mouth were fill
ed. Then he would sit with his bill
wide open, unable to shut it until the
food slowly digested, then recommence
his cav, cav, cav. With the wings
came-what the quiet twinkle in those
black eyes foretold-mischief, sly and
deep.


He delighted going into the cooks
room, where careless habits made that
place paradise to him. He would gent
Iy put his bill under the lid of her sew
ing box and turn off the cover on the
foor--and then the fun began. The
needles were all carefully stuck over the
led, one by one. The cotton was hid
in the woodhouse, and the scissors nice
ly tucked under the pillows in the room
quite removed from the scene OF his
labors. Tne wax and thimble Nere
dropped into the aquarium. And, after
all this delicious fun, he one day took 9
little pot of hard pomade In his bill and
hoped to the edge of the veranda roof,
ate the pomade with evident relish, and
then dropped the glass pot on the stove
pipe below with satisfied air at its de-
molition. He then few down and care
fully picked up each piece and put it in
the grass.


During the short illness of one of the
family, regularly at six A. NJ, Jim Grow
hoped along the veranda roof, gave q
quiet tap on the closed window, and, on
being admitted, gravely brought with
him to the bedside chicken bone or
leg, or something equally tempting.
Seeing that he was duly observed, he
would rpfae up his feathers, make him
self appear like large round ball Of
black feathers, cav, and then open his
mouth wide for a portion of the invalid's
breakfast. After stirring up things for
half an hour or more, opening the clock,
picking at the hands, stopping the pen
dulum, dropping the soap in the water
pitcher, and taking all the pins out OF the
pincushion, he would take his leave.


The fish in the course of time disap-
peared from the aquarium, and although
all the haps and mishaps of the house
were attributed to demure little Jim
Grow, no one suspected that he was the
cause of the fish mystery. One morning
he was discovered taking bath in it and
afterwards fish breakfast. The mystery
was solved, and when the aquarium was
emptied there came to light two thin
bles, pair of scissors, perknife and
spoon.


To carry away small chickens, drop
them into holes, and cover them with
dirt, was his intense delight, and when
we saw distracted hen rushing madly
about the barnyard, some one looked up
Jim Crow aud went to the rescCe.


After days fishing, we were cleaning
the fish on the race bank. One little
fish was thrown into the water. A duck
quickly seized it by the head, and Jim
took the tail, aud then they pulled and
pulled for few seconds. The scene was
exceedingly amusing, for Jim planted
his little black feet firmly on the edge of
the bank, and was slowly drawn into the
water, holding on to tho fish. AS soon
as he found he was getting in too deep,
he let 60 his hold and flew to tree to
take his usual revenge in scolding, and
with his head on one side he scolded till
al the fish were cleaned. Jim's scold-
ing consisted of succession of low, gut
tural sounds, said over and over with
very solemn face and very mournful
mien, and has moved .nany people to
hearty laughter because it was 50 in
tensely drol. While he was quite young
he was tyrannized over, and all the
fowls, large and srnall, had pick at
Jim. But one day he took large straw
in his bill and chased the geese, who
flew before him, and Jim reigaed su-
preme from that day, and often repeated
the scare, we thought, for his own
amusement.


Jim's strong point was butter, and on
churning days he stayed at home and
behaved himself. He could eat about
half pound; but one day he ran his
bill through a pound, and tried to fly
away with it, and from that time he was
banished.


As the summer faded into autumn
Jim stayed away more and more from
home, and ndoccasionally wouldreturn with
friends, evidently showing them around.
One Sunday afternoon the attention of
the family was drawn to vigorous cav
ing on the veranda roof. There was Jim
with three friends, all cawing. They
solemnly walked in the cooks window
and remained in the room some time,
keeping up the conversation. When
they left, all moving things were found
overturned, and the room left in the
state Jim always left it in. The pleas
ures of that place bad no doubt been
described by Jim to his friends, and he
had brought them along for a frplic
His visits from home became more and
more extended, but whenever he came
he scolded as much as ever and seeming
ly tried to talk. He would sit be-
fore the house and deliver long
harangues on subjects and in language