rstand one
another.

"What jargon is this?" he evidently tried to say, "that these people
are all the time jabbering? It is nothing but an unmeaning chattering
of monkeys. Can it be possible that they know what they are babbling?
And you understand that gibberish, too?"

I had taught Pippity no language but my own, and it was no wonder that
he was surprised when he heard people so like me talking quite
differently.

We soon reached the sea-coast; and if Pippity was surprised at what he
saw in the towns and cities, the citizens, many of whom were familiar
with the English tongue, were still more surprised at his wonderful
gift of language.

My own appearance until I bought myself some decent clothes, created
quite a sensation among the people I met. During my long stay in my
mountain home, I had been obliged to mend and darn my garments with the
fibers of plants until there was scarcely a vestige of the original
fabric remaining; and I looked like a veritable scarecrow.

But I was not poor. In a little, home-made wallet, I carried a small
handful of diamonds, which I had, from time to time, found in my
wanderings about the Tower-Mountain. These now did me good service. I
easily converted them into money, which gave me the means of living and
traveling as I pleased.

We took ship, Pippity and I, and sailed away to my old home in the
north. On the voyage, the gifted bird was the hero of the vessel.
Ladies, gentlemen, children, and even the officers and crew of the
ship, were glad to gather around him and talk to him. No such parrot
had any of them seen before. I had magnificent offers made to me, if I
would consent to sell him, but I refused them all, and, after awhile,
Pippity himself relieved me of the duty of declining to sell him. When
an offer of purchase was made, he would say, "I can't be bought!"--or,
if the proposal came from a lady, "Madam, your offer is most
respectfully declined!"

At last we reached my native city, and here a great misfortune happened
to me.

In walking about the streets with my parrot, Pippity was constantly
obliged to inhale the fumes of tobacco. He could not endure it, and
frequently asked me in his own fashion why people persisted in puffing
such sickening smoke from their mouths. I explained the matter to him,
but he never could see any sense in it. It was known on board the ship
that Pippity disliked the fumes of tobacco, and he was such a general
favorite that no one smoked