Howard Times

Story of a Parrot.

A widow living in Paris would have had her house ransacked while she was taking her habitual Sunday promenade recently, had it not been for a faithful parrot, which she regards with particular affection as being a gift from her departed husband. "About half-past four in the afternoon the janitor of the house was aroused from his siesta by a fearful shriek from the parrot. Rushing up stairs, he met a man coming down the steps four at a time. He was a house-breaker, and upon meeting the janitor the latter just escaped a blow aimed at his head with a steel wrench. Passers by succeeded in stopping the thief, and dragged him before the police commissary of the district. He said he was disturbed in his work of ransacking the place by the parrot talking in the next room. The bird asked repeatedly, "Who is there? Are you there, Etienne?" and upon seeing the intruder roused the whole house.