| Show cheerio fun un for or all the children chapters 0 edited by DOROTHY EDMONDS THAT WISE OLD BIRD peter had been a much prized in member ember of jacob beans bird and pet shop tor for a long time n now ow so long in fact that hardly anyone remembered the day he be had arrived jacob remembered it if anyone asked him about it ile he had been sitting bitting in the front of his bis shop thinking how very dull bustness business was when a man came up to him carrying carrein g peter in a cage n the man was vale pale and hungry and frightened looking you yon buy my parrot the man had said aid to jacob 1 I poor man cannot teed feed both him and myself jacob had bad been very surprised that such a poor man possessed such an unusually fine and rare bird as peter turned out to be but taking pity on him he had bought him for a few dollars and the man had gone on his bis way again today jacob was sitting in n front of his bis shop sunning himself peter was happily chattering in his cage doing the same thing around the busy street cortier corner came a man and a w woman 0 man arm in arm suddenly peter straightened in his cage and grew brew very angry stop thief I 1 stop thief I 1 morris stop that thief V I 1 peter con tinned to shriek this excitedly jacob had never heard h him I 1 in u uso s 0 these words before but apkor apparently e n t the roan man and woman had for or they quickened their pace and hurried down the street jacob watched them and putting two and two together he be beckoned to a policeman who had also heard peters excited call peter was still chattering after them more excitedly than ever and he was dancing about in tits his cage tn in a pretty fury ury stop thief I 1 stop thief I 1 morris stop that thief I 1 the policeman came rushing over ov er say he said that bird knows something so ething when did he start making that racket just as that nan and woman came in sight jacob said getting excited himself all I 1 wanted to know said the policeman if they pass here again get them into your shop were after those two and tt it looks as if wed have to put your bird on the detective squad A few days later when jacob was wondering what hae ha taken place the policeman again walked up to his bis shop and handed banded him a check for five thousand dollars jacob did not know what to do with it well he said big check whose is it yours tours said the policeman or roal maybe y ste we should say may your parrots 1 it t really belongs to him I 1 suppose those people ile he got so excited about the other day were e the ones weve been looking tor for for about ten years they robbed this city and its residents of over halt a million dollars and thelast place they tackled was where this bird lived I 1 got in touch with that place the other day after I 1 left here and mr banks who owned the bird before you yon got him the he was stolen and sold by his gardener while they were away said mrs banks was shriek ing that stop thief stop thief when she discovered the robbers at af work how the bird learned it thava how we finally caught the thieves so I 1 guess you get the reward all right but I 1 will be rich rich exclaimed jacob and he was still saying it as the policeman disappeared and peter resumed his stin aun bath |
