She came upon me with
just such another supplication a few mornings since. As soon as she
awoke, she said, "Husband, do please have our parlor window-sashes let
down from the top." "For ventilation?" said I. "Yes," said she,
"partly;" but I saw that she smiled. "What has made you think of it so
suddenly?" said I. "Do you not want to catch some more canaries?" said
she. "I suspect," said I, "that you would like to have ours escape."
"Perhaps," said she, "that would be a relief to you from your present
embarrassment." Then I saw that all this was banter. She wished to teaze
me a little. The truth is, I have two fine singing canaries and a
mocking-bird. Some of my pro-slavery friends delight to pester me about
them. They say that they mean to issue a habeas corpus, and take them
before Justice Bird, (who, you know, queerly enough, happens to be
United States Commissioner,) and inquire if they be not restrained of
their freedom. I tell them that man has dominion over all the fowls of
the air. But they say, "Then might makes right! Is it not a fine thing
that such a lover of liberty and friend of freedom and enemy of
oppression should keep those little prisoners for his selfish
gratification.
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