The Morris boys said that they found the old Italian sitting on an empty
box, looking at the smoking ruins of the hotel. His head was hanging on
his breast, and his eyes were full of tears. His ponies were burned up,
he said, and the gander, and the monkeys, and the goats, and his
wonderful performing dogs. He had only his birds left, and he was a
ruined man. He had toiled all his life to get this troupe of trained
animals together, and now they were swept from him. It was cruel and
wicked, and he wished he could die. The canaries, and pigeons, and
doves, the hotel people had allowed him to take to his room, and they
were safe. The parrot was lost--an educated parrot that could answer
forty questions, and, among other things, could take a watch and tell
the time of day.
Jack Morris told him that they had it safe at home, and that it was very
much alive, quarreling furiously with his parrot Bella. The old man's
face brightened at this, and then Jack and Carl, finding that he had had
no breakfast, went off to a restaurant near by, and got him some steak
and coffee. The Italian was very grateful, and as he ate, Jack said the
tears ran into his coffee cup.
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