I
just love to hear you talk, I haven't heard you for so long."

"Were you homesick for me?"

"Not ezactly," said Ethelwyn, "but I had a lonesome spot for you all
whenever I thought about it."

Ethelwyn always pronounced the word "exactly" wrong. Her mother liked to
hear her say it, however, and one or two more; "for they will grow out
of baby-hood all too fast," she said.

"I went over to see Miss Helen Gray yesterday," said Mrs. Rayburn, "and
she told me some funny stories about Polly, her parrot. You know she is
really a very remarkable bird. Ever since Miss Helen has lived alone,
she and Polly have been great friends, and it seems as though Polly
really understands things she says to her. She bought her in New
Orleans, where she boarded next door to the Cathedral. So Polly soon
learned to intone the service, not the words, but exactly the
intonation.

"One day Miss Helen, who allowed her all sorts of liberties, let her
out, but first she made her tell where she lived. '1013 H---- Street,'
Polly said. 'Will you be good and not get lost?' 'Yep,' said Polly, so
she went out, and Miss Helen heard her talking in the yard. A lady came
along beautifully dressed.

"'La, how fine,' said Polly.

"The lady looked around angrily, thinking it was a boy.

"'Didn't see me, did you?' said Polly, and then the woman saw the funny
little green bird on the lawn and she petted and complimented her until
Polly felt very much puffed up.

"Miss Helen went in for a few minutes, though, and when she came out,
Polly was gone, stolen probably by some one that slipped up behind her.

"Poor Miss Helen grieved and grieved over her, and offered great
rewards, but to no avail. In about a year she went to Florida, and one
day, going by a bird fancier's that she knew, the man invited her to
come in, saying that he had a lot of new parrots to show her.

"O I wonder: if Polly is there!' she said, and told him about her.

"'No, I haven't any that know as much as that,' said he; 'but there is
one who looks as if she understood things, but she won't, or can't,
talk.'

"So Miss Helen went in, and there, sure enough, was her poor Polly
huddled up sulkily in a cage.

"'Polly,' called Helen, and Polly started and came to the front of the
cage.

"'Helen, Helen,' she called, going perfectly wild; '1013 H---- Street.
I'll be good! Yep! Yep! Yep!' and then she began to intone the service.

"The bird fancier was astonished enough.

"'I bough