Mr. Raymond and I couldn't find him downstairs, and he told me to look
up here. Have you seen Polly?"
The big, green bird answered for himself then, for he cried out:
"Look out for tramps!"
"Oh, there you are!" exclaimed Miss Winkler. "Aren't you ashamed of
yourself, Polly, to fly off like that? You'll catch your death of cold;
too, coming out this wintry weather! Here, come to me!"
She held out her hand, and the parrot fluttered down to one finger. Miss
Winkler scratched the green bird's head, and the parrot seemed to like
this.
"No tramps allowed!" he cried.
"I taught him to say that!" said Miss Winkler. "I thought it would be a
good thing for a parrot to say. Often tramps come around when Jed isn't
at home, and if they hear Polly speaking they'll think it's a man and
go away. Now, Polly, we'll go home!"
"No tramps allowed!" said the bird again.
"I hope my parrot didn't spoil the play," said Miss Winkler to Mr.
Treadwell and the children.
"Oh, no," answered the actor. "We didn't know he was in here, and when
he began talking I thought it was one of the boys or girls speaking out
of turn. But he did no harm."
"I'm glad of that," said the elderly woman. "A parrot is a heap sight
better than a monkey, I tell Jed. He ought to teach Wango to talk, and
then he'd be of some use!"
The children laughed as she went downstairs with the parrot on her
finger, and Sue said:
"A monkey would be funny if he could talk, wouldn't he?"
"I should say so!" exclaimed Mr.
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