JEtttift ^iro ^liout ISTotiitnfl 107 



When this silence had been maintained 

 for several seconds the splendid grackle, 

 who had called order, began speaking. 

 His voice was wheezy and asthmatic like 

 the rest of the family, but what he said 

 was quite plain. 



" My friends,'' he continued, *' by the 

 authority vested in me for the past five 

 years " (here he swelled out his breast 

 and looked vain) " as chairman of this 

 goodly company" (squawks of ap- 

 proval) '* I call to order the tenth an- 

 nual assembly of Division Eighteen of 

 the North American Purple Crackles 

 Society." 



" Good, good," cried several birds in 

 chorus. 



" Order, gentlemen," piped the chair- 

 man. " Wait until I make a good point 

 before you applaud. There will be plenty 

 of chances later," and the magnificent 



