me. I like best to have my new 

 mother hold a grape in her right hand 

 while I perch on her left and suck all the 

 rich, sweet juice next the skin out first ; 

 then I take the grape over on the table 

 on a paper and knock it until all the seeds 

 come out before I eat it. I like bananas, 

 too, and go to the fruit dish and open one 

 myself. Every morning I perch on the 

 plate or finger-bowl and eat my orange. 



We usually have our orange in our 

 room, and sometimes I get so impatient 

 I fly over to the bed, back to the orange, 

 and beg my new mother to get up. I al- 

 ways take a drink out of the finger bowl 

 and often said to myself, "What a fine 

 bathtub this would make." When fall 

 came I began going to bed at 5 o'clock, 

 and at 7 was awakened and taken out to 

 dessert. One night I became tired of wait- 

 ing and went out into the dining-room 

 very quietly, and the first thing I spied 

 was a finger-bowl, so thought that was 

 just the time for a bath. In I went, They 

 heard the splashing and looked up to see 

 everything as well as myself soaking wet. 

 Of course they thought it very cunning, 

 but after I did it for three nights I was 

 told two baths a day were too much for 

 me. I made up my mind if I could not 

 take a bath in the finger-bowl at night, I 

 would in the morning and, as I refused to 

 go near my old bathtub, the bowl was 

 given me for my own. There was a 

 bowl of Wandering Jew on the dining- 

 table, and several times I took a bath in 

 the center. All said I made a beautiful 

 picture, but when they found I was tear- 

 ing the vine all to pieces it was not so 

 pretty and many lectures were given to 

 me, but I heeded them not, and if taken 

 away I would walk (for I can walk as well 

 as hop) all over the table on the ends of 

 my toes and look every way but towards 

 the bowl ; then, when no one was looking, 

 grab a piece and take it up on top of a 

 picture. One day I trimmed all of the pic- 

 tures, and there was none left in the 

 bowl, so I had to look up some other mis- 

 chief. 



^ When I go out to dinner I have my own 

 little table cloth and plate put by my new 

 mother's. I usually take a little of ev- 

 erything; chicken and cranberry jelly is 

 very good. Sometimes I do not behave 

 very well, for I go tiptoeing across the 



table to my grandmother's plate, hop on 

 the edge, and see if she has anything I 

 like. When dinner was ready to be 

 served I went over on the sideboard, 

 made holes in all the butter balls, then 

 took some mashed potato and boiled on- 

 ion and put them to cool in a big hole I 

 had made in an apple. Few people know 

 that birds are ever sick at their stomachs. 

 I had been in the habit of eating a little 

 shaved hickorynut that was put in a half 

 shell and kept in a dish on the back parlor 

 table. When I came down stairs I usual- 

 ly took a taste, and it seemed to agree 

 with me. For a change I ate a little chest- 

 nut, and soon began to feel bad, so 

 went off by myself and tried to go to 

 sleep. When my new mother saw me she 

 said she knew I was not well, for I never 

 acted that way in the daytime. She put 

 me in my cage, and sat down beside me. 

 I would close my eyes and open my bill, 

 and she thought I was dying until I open- 

 ed my bill very wide and out came the 

 chestnut in a lump a half inch long and a 

 quarter wide. 



My mother's writing desk is a fa- 

 vorite place of mine. I get into drawers, 

 pigeon holes and ink; pictures and all 

 sorts of small things I throw on the floor. 

 Once I stole ever so many dimes and 

 pennies. I can lift a silver dollar and 

 often carry a coffee-spoon all about the 

 room, so you see I have a very strong bill. 

 If anything is lost all say "Dewey must 

 have taken it." One day my new mother 

 looked until she was tired for her thim- 

 ble. When she asked me for it, I pretend- 

 ed I did not hear, but as she was going 

 into the dining-room I dropped it down 

 on her head from the top of the portiere. 

 I often perch on a basket on top of the 

 book case in the writing room. When I 

 saw a new white veil beside me I went to 

 work and made ten of the prettiest eyelet 

 holes you can imagine, right in front; 

 some were round and some star-shaped. 

 As I grew older I said, "I will not sleep 

 in my cage." For a few nights I insisted 

 upon sleeping on the brass rod at the 

 head of the bed, then changed to the top 

 of the curtain. I have a piece of soft flan- 

 nel over some cotton put on the ledge 

 and on the wall, so I will not take cold. 

 If it is very cold I get behind the frill of 

 the curtain, so no one can see me. If 



