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Show HOW POLLY PH0P0SED. "Jlil Hi! All right! All right! Now wo shn'n't be long!" said the gray parrot. par-rot. 1 regret to say that tho irrepressible young man that brings the daily milk is the tutor of roy parrot in the latest up-to-date slang of the day. J am an old Kea-captain-at least, not old,. perhaps the word slipped out unawares. un-awares. I am the right side of 50, anyhow; any-how; but being in receiptor u pension and a hmnH private income to boot, 1 have east anchor in my prtweiitnbode in the expectation of weathering many a winter'. storm yet. Beiii; without a known 'relation in the v.i.rld, 1 willingly fell in with the Fuggestion that 1 should pick up my moorings alongside my old friend and messmate, ('apt. Travcrs, 'late li. N'., who, having left one of his leg: on the west coast of Africa while capturing-a shiver, waa pensioned on tit an even earlier nge than myself, and now lived with his sister a most comfortable party, fat, fair and 40 or thereabouts hi the adjoining house to miue in the neighborhood of London. We had al-way, al-way, got on well together, our tastes and dispositions were similar, and we had often met during our naval careers. His sifttci I had not previously been acquainted ac-quainted with, but, being in many rc-specta rc-specta like her brother, we were soon firm friends. Capt. T ravers and myself had each a fav'orite parrot his the common Afri-enn Afri-enn gra, with a red-tipped tail, and mine the purer variety, -without a trace of color, but otherwise similar. I had uot long- mottled down in my new quarter, and-gut everything-shipshape, or yhat cecmed so to me a very important, difference, as, I know to-day when, almost unt'onsoiomdy at firat, 1 began to feel what a lonely old bachelor bache-lor I was, .'ind what a set-oil to all ray other Jbelongings the figure of Miss lluehcl Tracers would be- by my lire-side. lire-side. Uut just here the curse of my life begau to make itself felt. Jnberent f.hynes in the presence of the opposite sex has dogged my footsteps fim my earliest recpl lections, (live me a gale Of a ipd in the Bay of Biscay, a tornado in the l ropics, or liO hours' duty on douk, wet through to the skin, and Capt. Man-ley, Man-ley, late of the 1. and O. .service, will thank you for it and' consider life well worth living; but as dispenser of delicate attentions to. the fair yyc, intensely in-tensely as he. inwardly admires their pretty ways, Capt-. Manley does nqt, no, he certainly docs not, show up to advantage. ad-vantage. Although fond of pets generally, J have an antipathy to cat. especially. at night. I am not aware that our neighborhood neigh-borhood vfas particularly wneTieial in itSc, aspect or other qualifications o feline constitution, but I know tbatun-til tbatun-til 1 was inhuman enough to start an air-gun cannonade on my numerous nocturnal vinitors, I was frequently unable un-able to get a respectable night's rest. One infernal black and white Tom de-fled de-fled ray iingAt efforts. If average cat? have nine Ih-esJT am srire this one must have had 1'., und 1 beg-an j -oiider what ort of uncanny being this was that had Mo olvV. s'.on to letting my bullets bul-lets jus -; ". n" thror.jfli its body without -ui.V:-lur any it'oonvanience. Hut nfior m!I it rtiutt haVn Lv'enlny bad marksiua; .iip, for one aflrvtKvon I tu my enemy quietly uaikiug up thu Ion fence that divided my back garden from Cnpf. Travera'. The opportunity 'was too good to be lo.st, and quietly getting my air-gun, I look a steady aim and fired. There was no mistake this time, and without a sound poor puss dropped on to my ilower-hed as dead as the proverbial door null. My exultation, however, was of fchort duration, for to my horror and dismay, dis-may, on proceeding to pick up his unfortunate un-fortunate carcass and give it decent burial, I saw that my shot hail paxtt right through the unlucky nuiiuul and killed my neighbor's parrot, which had been put out to sun itself in a little Hummer-house that stood at the hoftoni of the garden. I was staggered at my position; 1 know the parrot w'tis u .supreme favorite with Miss Travers, and how I could ever pvplain my ciuvlossnc-s 1 could not imagine. Suddenly a way out of my dilemma.. presented itself to my mind,' and I hastened to put It Into execution. I knew that the Travers were out, and would not be back for some little time, so hurrying indoors nud tul.iug my own parrot from Its cajrc, I carefully painted the. end of its tail with red' ink in imitation imita-tion of it deceased comrade, and finding find-ing no one was nlxiut, lfcU'pHd lightly over the fence and substituted the liv-iu'g liv-iu'g for the drad bird, which I buried, together with the eat, in my own garden. gar-den. I knew that my parrot would not readily talk before, strangers, and I hoped thnt by the time it had got. used to its new surroundingf, It would haw forgotten' its former nceompliahraeuts; I at a.iy rate, I must risk It. AIuh!' "I'nensy lies the. head that wea rs a erow n," sang some poet, who, 1 expect, never wore anything harder than a nightcap, but, true as: It may be. compared to the torture of my mind, now launched on a course of duplicity, it would be a lied of rosea. It-wa towards the. end of the following follow-ing week that 1 happened to bo out In the garden and saw rny old f rieud come stumping down tho path of his own garden in his dot-and-car.ry-one style, and, seeing me on tb' fence, he cried: "IloUoa! captain, you'ru quite a stranger! What's been up 7 Rachel ha? been talking- about corning in to inquire in-quire about your health, ns she Varf afraid something must be wrong-." "i'es, I have been a bit poorly," said I. Oh! how casnly th wordsitilipped out, although I had been as right as ninepenct why that particular sum should be endued with morw rectitude than its fellows I have never been able to discover this by the way. "A bit of cold, perhaps," wild Capt. Travers.' "Well, ronic over the fence and have a dish of tea .'n the summer-house, summer-house, and ltaohel shall come in afterwards after-wards and make you a good glass of something stiff for a ulght-cap." , Punctually at five o'clock I donned my spruceat attire, and with a smart flower in my button-hole gay dog that I was slipped over the fence. Mis llaohelwas there, looking as fresh as a spring -cabbage with the dew on it, which I consider a very pretty simlie, and she bade me welcome with, one of her beaming smiles. There, too, was the unlucky parrot in its cn.ge, and l.nding just outside the summer-house. summer-house. I had noticed that it had been set out .to sun itself us usual on nil fine dnj-s, and as far as I could see nothing had transpired to make me. think they had any cause to suspect my imposition. .1 purposely sat with my back to it. and avoided taking- notice of it in any way -whatever.- Tea -went off all right; my old friend was . very cheery and Miss Hachel showed me great attention. I couM hear Polly rubbing- her Ueuk.up and down the wires of the cage, and swinging- backwards and forwards in the metal ring. After the menl Cupt. Travers went indoors to get. his supply of necessaries for the evening, and, turning to me, Miss Tracers commenved; "ltyrthe-by, CapU .Manley, how is 3-our parrot? 1 have not seen it out in the garden lately." I felt my heart beating a bit faster, but with every semblance of outward wdm, I said: "No the fact Is, it's not been at all well; in fact, it's dead." , "Dead!" she exclaimed.' "Well, I never. What did it die of?" "I really don't know," 1 re-plied. "Ir died quite suddenly about a week ago." "I hope our Holly Isn't going to follow fol-low suit," she continued. "She hasljccn very dull and quiet the last few days, but seems a bit more lively this evening. even-ing. I don't think she has spoken a word all the week." "Thank goodness!"! inwardly ejaculated. ejacu-lated. Things were beginning to look a bit , awkward, and t cast about for something some-thing to change the course of conversation. conversa-tion. ' I am not a quick thinker, however, how-ever, and before I could collect my wits, Miss Travers continued: "Dear.dcar.to think your poor Holly's (dead! Well, J am sorry! I would besonv to lose you, l'olly deaf," she said, addressing- the parrot. 'But really, (-'apt. Manley," looking me straight in th face, "I can't, make our I'oIJyoui. Sometimes 1 could almost belitvo she was u different bird. She hasn't onen seemed ple.isecto see me all the week." J felt the blood rapidly rising to nn cheeks lyid forehead, but 1 trusted Ij my tanned complexion for it not to showf I feebly replied: "Perhaps she', moulting." It was an unlucky slip. "Well, now J come to' thipk," .said Mi.su Travers, "I noticed that ils tail looked much paler after its bath the other morning-, and the water was quite red. . Is that a sign of moulting"' "Yes, I o"ften used to notice it about my own parrot." "But I thought your bird hud no red about it," she pursued. "Confound the woman's persistence," 1 thought, but l shimmered: "f mean- -that, is to bay you see I've noticed it in nil red parrots J have ever eomc across. They shouldn't be bathed at all, it injures their constitution." "Oh! T thought you recommended it," she said. So I hud, do.ens of times. "Only, fur the jjray onee,"I a:M, form hit? '' en lent distinction on the hpur of the moment. Mh Travers did nol seem Inclined to pursue tho wtibjecl. further, much ti my satisfaction, md then there wu a dead pause. .Continucdjon pnge(T. i I During tho liolo of our conprsti- ' I tion the subji'iit of it hud not rinsed I "to continue It anllcs in the wire ratri'. J I Whether it wnn tho aouml of iu voirr I that cnuHL-d it to lx' thus oxritrd I do I I not. know, bnl at this opportunity it I burst in with "Hi., hi!" I I wns netting de.-praU. and rould I ihink of noth'mpr to ch.uuru the subject: I . nml yet If I didn't city jtnotfiiiiK I ' I ' auib terribly afraid lh" -parrot would. t A bicycle bell Bounded down the road. ; ' "Are you thinking' of pelting a hi I cycle, Mitts Ti avers?" I said. "No, certainly not," she replied: , ' "how caii you ask such u question'?" h Another awful puune, during whieli , 1 mopped the perspiration from in, brow. ;t "lla lt&--Rachel, I love you!" e:tr.u in clear tones from behind my Kt" - . The wretched bird bad, caught the i;- net tone of my oice. Ii "dipt. Manleyl Sir!" said MIsh T rav ers, raising herself to her full five f,'t one and ow-lutlf inches. "Did you ;mI-tlrest ;mI-tlrest that remark to nte,sir?" 1 had, however, utterly collup-sed, and luirylng my bead in my hands, I leaned down on the little round table. "Whet h- . il,. On-iit of the noor old nhip in tlW- I- tress touched her tender heart I don t know, but she added, hi softer tones: "This is very unexpected, Capt. Man-lev." Man-lev." I could hold out no longer. "Mls.i Rachel," l cried, "I'm a thundering thun-dering old hpyoerite. My parrot 'iiilx' dituil lit all; Uicrc it is in that Cage; Us voiirs that's dead; I shot it. I dulu t liiwin to. Can you forgive me foT ah . the lies I told you?" "All right! All right!" said tlie .sol- 10.11111 oice of the parrot behind inc. "It was Tolly that made that remark ; just now, not I; but, believe-me, hh- speaks the truth, if 1 don't. Rachel, T do really loe you." I vent nml l look up. Tears were standing in her eyes and the enrosMo.t , on lier face made me. hope that 1 did not I look quite such a big inby in. her oj e, I' as 1 felt 1 did in my own. I Moving nearer, t clasped her hand. I and as, it wa not vfitbdrnwn, Lpiil one I arm gently round her ample waist. I "Now we shan't be long," said the I gray parrot. -Tit-Hits. |