Part 3 (1/2)

He laughed loud and shrieked out, ”Oh-oh-oh! Where's your feathers, Tell-tale t.i.t? Where's your feathers, Tell-tale t.i.t?”

Tweaky was only a parrot, you see, and was not always quite correct in his grammar, as you are.

”What do you mean?” asked the master.

But for a long time Tweaky would say nothing but the same words over and over again, ”Where's your feathers, Tell-tale t.i.t?” However, by-and-by they heard the maid going to bed, tramp, tramp, tramp. Then Tweaky grew a little braver; and next time the master asked him what he meant, he replied:

”Every parrot has two eyes, Both the foolish and the wise; But the wise can shut them tight When 'tis best to have no sight.

Wisdom has the best of it: Where's your feathers, Tell-tale t.i.t?”

Then the master understood what had happened, for he was a very clever man; and without any delay he ran upstairs two steps at a time, and woke the maid, and made her dress herself, and turned her out of the house then and there. I wonder why he did not do it before, but that is no business of mine.

After that, poor Beaky never had the heart to talk again; but Tweaky, whenever he saw a bald-headed man, or a woman with a high forehead, shrieked out at the top of his voice--

”Ha! ha! ha! Where's your feathers, Tell-tale t.i.t?”

THE DISHONEST FRIEND

There was once a man who went on a journey, and he asked a friend to take charge of his plough till he should return. The friend promised to take great care of it. But no sooner was the man gone than he sold the plough and put the price in his own pocket. Was not that a mean trick to serve a friend?

The man came back, and asked his friend for the plough.

”Oh, I am so sorry,” the friend replied; ”my house is infested with rats, and one night a very big rat came and ate it up.”

”Ah well,” said the man, ”what can't be cured must be endured! It must have been a very big rat, though.”

”It was,” said the other, ”very big.”

You must not suppose this man was quite such a fool as he seemed. You will soon see why he did not make a fuss about his plough.

Next day he took his friend's son out for a walk. When they had gone some distance he took the boy to another friend's house, and told this friend to keep the boy safe, but not to let him go out of the house till he returned.

Then he ran back to the boy's father.

”Where is my boy?” asked the father.

”Your boy? Oh, I remember--a hawk swooped down and carried him off.”

”Oh, you liar! oh, you murderer!” said the friend. ”Come before the judge, and then we shall see.”

”As you please,” said the man.