Show A troublesome TAME OSTRICH A pet that generally makes itself terrible nuisance to everybody when as sometimes happens a solitary ostrich chick is reared at the hauae it becomes inconveniently tame we had one called jackio and it was often a terrible nuisance all the little about the place had a lively dread of him As they sat on the ground at meals with plates of boiled and rico in their laps jackie would come up and stretching bis snakelike neck over their heads or under their arms would coolly help himself to the contents cf one pl ate after another occasionally sio nally he would make for the unhappy youngsters in so menacing a manner as to frighten bliem into dropping their plates altogether then while his victims ran away crying he would squat on his heels and regale his enormous appetite at leisure ant one day retribution came being free to run into the kitchen simply because no one could keep him out be was not long in observing that the pumpkin and rice always came from one particular pot and the idea suddenly occurring to him that he could do no better than to go straight to the fountain head for his favorite dish he walked up full of joyful anticipation to the fire where this pot was boiling the cook who being mother to several of the illumed children did not love jackie offered no friendly interference to bave him from his fate aad plunging his bill into the pot he greedily scooped up and with the rapidity of ostriches down his throat a big mouthful of the boiling rice then there was what boys would call a circus jackia began dancing around the kitchen writhing with agony shaking his head nearly off and twisting his on tying it in a knot finally he dashed wildly from the house and the last him was a little cloud of white dust vanishing on the horizon he returned a sadder and wiser bird and it was long before he would venture again inside the kitchen when about a year old jacce was sold to a farmer that had long coveted him no doubt he soon repented of his purchase the bird wag now now strong enough to give abood hard kick that ia the way ostriches fight and being a more daring fre freebooter booter than ever and no respecter of he would march ap and attack any one he saw carrying what he thought might be food endeavoring by a aej aimed blow to strike it out y their holds and he was gener atly last his master tired of hearing conduct and impatient of tried putting him into a by a wire fence there however ha obstinately refused to remain As soon as he was put m he would squat down laying his and neck on the ground then making himself as fiat as possible ho donld squirm out under the lowest wire of the fence but jackie soon ceased from troubling his end as may be imagined waa brought about by no other cause than hia own moral obliquity one day he wandered down to the river where some kaffir women were washing clothes their children a group of little animated nude bronzes playing near them one little fellow who wea eating was of course instantly spied out by the greedy and covetous jackie the marauder however this time paid the penalty of his lawlessness for in rushing to kick the little darky and thus capture the food he fell down the rocky bank of the river and broke hia leg then jackie like all other broken legged ostriches had to be killed philadelphia times |