"Porter, where is little Polly?"
"Yessum. I secluded 'at green chicken in de linen closet. Does you crave him now?"
"Yes. I want to have her with me for breakfast—the poor lonesome darling."
"Accordin' to de words 'at varmint used last night, he's too tough to make much of a brekfus'."
The Wildcat went to the end of the car and opened the linen closet wherein he had cached the parrot.
With the opening of the door the mystery of the thumping noise which he and the Backslid Baptist had heard was explained. In a low falsetto the parrot was repeating the two military commands which she had learned.
"'Tenshun! At res'! 'Tenshun! At res'!"
Lily, the mascot goat, was contributing the last fragment of muscular energy to the business of obeying orders. In response to the parrot's commands the goat languidly flopped at rest on the floor of the linen closet and came to her feet at attention.
"Lawd Gawd, Lily! At res' an' stay 'at way!"
Gratitude rang in the answering "Blaa" of Lily the goat.