, must have fallen into the water and drowned."

"O, wasn't that a good bird, mamma? I'm sure they all must have loved
her better than ever. Will you please tell the rest?"

"Mr. G. was for a long time ill, and was unable to rest well at night.
Polly, who always remained in their chamber at night, was in the habit
of rising early, and practising all her accomplishments by herself as
soon as she could see. She would begin, 'Mr. G.,' and then go on, 'My
dear,' the name he always called his wife, 'Francis, Maria,' until she
had repeated the name of every member of the family; after which she
chattered away a strange mixture of sense and nonsense until called to
breakfast. After the gentleman was so ill, his best hours for rest were
soon after dawn, and my friend would whisper, 'Still, Polly! keep
still!'

"This caution the parrot tried to enforce on herself by softly repeating
the words away down her throat--'Keep still; Polly! keep still!' and
ever after until Mr. G.'s death, whenever she saw her mistress point to
the bed, and put her finger on her lip, she began to whisper, 'Keep
still, Polly! Keep still!'

"At Mr. G.'s funeral, the clergyman, who was an Episcopalian, read with
great solemnity the funeral service.

"The strangeness of the scene, the great concourse of people, and the
sound of weeping, so interested Polly that she did not utter a word;
but no sooner had the family returned from the grave than she began to
utter sounds in sentences so nearly like what she had heard at the
funeral, that it was recognized at once as the service for the dead.

"I forgot to tell you that, having been in the habit of hearing the
children when they repeated the Lord's prayer, she had long ago learned
it, and never went to sleep on her perch without uttering the words
with apparent solemnity.

"After the funeral, whenever a number of persons were assembled and
began to talk in a mournful tone, Polly always seemed to think this a
proper occasion to repeat her funeral service, often occupying an hour
in the recital. There were no distinct words; but the sentences were so
similar in length, and the tone so exactly that of the clergyman, that
many persons recognized it without being told who the parrot wished to
imitate."

"I think Polly is the very best parrot I ever knew," exclaimed Minnie.
"I wish Mrs. G. would bring her here. I wonder what Poll would say to
her."

"Mrs. G.'s bird is dead, my dear; and a sad death it wa