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THE STOLEN STARLING

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Nov 14, 1900

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 46.

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THE STOLEN STARLING.

THE starling is a pretty little bird, and it is often, when tamed, taught to whistle tunes, and even to speak a few words. This story is told of how one starling used its gift of speech:—
A lawyer had a cage hanging on the wall in his office in which was a starling. He had taught the little fellow to answer when he called it. A boy named Charlie came in one morning. The lawyer left the boy there while he went out for a few minutes. When he returned, the bird was gone.
"Where is my bird?" he asked.
Charlie replied that he did not know anything about it.
"But, Charlie, that bird was in the cage when I went out. Now tell me all about it; where is it?"
Charlie declared that he knew nothing about it, that the cage door was open, and he guessed the bird had flown out.
The lawyer called out, "Starling, where are you?"
The bird spoke right out of the boy's pocket, and just as plain as it could, "Here I am."
Ah, what a fix that boy was in! He had stolen the bird, had hidden it, as he supposed, in a safe place, and had told two lies to conceal his guilt.
It was a testimony that all the world would believe. The boy had nothing to say.