writing in a book, Polynesia sat
in the window--as she nearly always did--looking out at the leaves
blowing about in the garden. Presently she laughed aloud.

"What is it, Polynesia?" asked the Doctor, looking up from his book.

"I was just thinking," said the parrot; and she went on looking at the
leaves.

"What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about people," said Polynesia. "People make me sick.
They think they're so wonderful. The world has been going on now for
thousands of years, hasn't it? And the only thing in animal-language
that PEOPLE have learned to understand is that when a dog wags his tail
he means 'I'm glad!'--It's funny, isn't it? You are the very first man
to talk like us. Oh, sometimes people annoy me dreadfully--such airs
they put on--talking about 'the dumb animals.' DUMB!--Huh! Why I knew
a macaw once who could say 'Good morning!' in seven different ways
without once opening his mouth. He could talk every language--and
Greek. An old professor with a gray beard bought him. But he didn't
stay. He said the old man didn't talk Greek right, and he couldn't
stand listening to him teach the language wrong. I often wonder what's
become of him. That bird knew more geography than people will ever
know.--PEOPLE, Golly! I suppose if people ever learn to fly--like any
common hedge-sparrow--we shall never hear the end of it!"

"You're a wise old bird," said the Doctor. "How old are you really? I
know that parrots and elephants sometimes live to be very, very old."

"I can never be quite sure of my age," said Polynesia. "It's either a
hundred and eighty-three or a hundred and eighty-two. But I know that
when I first came here from Africa, King Charles was still hiding in
the oak-tree--because I saw him. He looked scared to death."

THE THIRD CHAPTER

MORE MONEY TROUBLES

AND soon now the Doctor began to make money again; and his sister,
Sarah, bought a new dress and was happy. Some of the animals who came
to see him were so sick that they had to stay at the Doctor's house for
a week. And when they were getting better they used to sit in chairs
on the lawn.

And often even after they got well, they did not want to go away--they
liked the Doctor and his house so much. And he never had the heart to
refuse them when they asked if they could stay with him. So in this
way he went on getting more and more pets.

Once when he was sitting on his garden wall, smoking a pipe in the
ev