Just then in comes the judge, with Tellurium, Half Mile and Dirty Shirt helping to support him. They sets him in uh chair and he droops like uh wilted lily.
“How do yuh feel, Judge?” I asks.
“Paralyzed from the belt-line both ways, Ike,” says he, painful like. “I don’t reckon the shadder uh death is afar off. I sure have had particular —— kicked out uh me this day and date.”
“How about your claim to that bird now, Judge?” squeaks Scenery. “I’ll fight it——”
“Go to it,” wheezes the judge. “I’ll pay half your funeral expenses. I hereby waives all claim to said monstrosity, and grieves to think I ever coveted such uh piece uh property.”
“I’ll take it!” whoops Scenery. “I’ll——”
“With certain formalities, Scenery,” states Tellurium, wise like, producing uh piece uh paper and unfolding same. “This here proclamation was picked up this day in the street of Piperock, and unless I’ve forgot all the botany I ever learned in school we been bidding on the wrong bird. You might pe-ruse it, Scenery.”
He looks at me and Magpie, and hands the letter to Scenery. I leans close enough to see that it’s the letter that Magpie got announcing the shipment from the Fur and Feathers Pet Shop. Scenery spells it out, with uh squeak after each word.
“Cassowary,” he snorts at Tellurium, and then he turns appealing like to Magpie: “You ain’t going to send for another one are you? Honest, yuh ain’t, are yuh, Magpie?”
“Ker-boom! Ker-bang!”