Miscellaneous.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 190, 24 March 1893, Page 3

Miscellaneous.

* As Chappie married in haste I suppose he is now repenting at leisure,’ remarked Snipes, ‘ Yes,’ said Bailey, ‘ and an elegant leisure it is too. The girl wag worth three millions.’ Waiter : ‘ I see they are trying to put a stop to all betting in Manchester,’ Excursionist : I’m glad of it. Betting is a pernicious practice. I hope they will stop it.’ Waiter : ‘ But they can’t do it,’ Excursionist: ‘ I’ll bet you £lO they can.’ A Portland boy committed some mi* - demeanour, for which he was about to receive punishment at the hand of his mother. The. boy begged to be allowed to go to bis room. Permission was granted, and the child went up to his own room and closed the door behind him. The mother followed him and listened outside, after telling him he must burry and come down again and receive bis punishment Tbe boy went to the side of the bed, knelt down, and this was his prayer : ‘ Dear Lord, if you love little boys and want to help me out, now is the time.’ The prayer was answered. Pariots and Burglars,— We can easily believe that some parrots are as good as policeman. Not long ago two young men sold a parrot to the wife of a night watchman in New York. A tew days afterwards they visited the house, with dishonest intention, about) half-past three o’clock in the (morning ; but the bird shrieked out ‘papa! papa!’ until it woke his mistress and frightened the robbers away ‘ Papa ’ was the night watchman who was absent from the house on duty-. A Chicago parrot also once scared a burglar. He was trying to gain an entrance into the house by the dining-room window, when he was startled by a voice that asked him to ‘ come off the perch.’ Long silence ensued, and the burglar began work again. Once more lie was ordered in sepulchral tones ‘to come off the perch.’ This strange voice at dead of night bidding him cease his evildoing was more than the man could stand and be hastily left the scene. Cuvier, the great naturalist, was well looked after by his parrot. It kept watch at the study door and asked every stranger, ‘ What do you want with my master ?’ After receiving an answer his next piece of advice was, ‘ Don’t talk too much 1 ’