Mocking Bird Food

A north side cable car the other cia was the scène of a most comical incident It was about 4 o'clock in the r.fternoon and the car was comfortably lilled with ladies returning from their , hoping tours, says Chicago Tribune Jitting between two ladies was an old rentleman of patriarchal appearance. ,riPnlv both the ladies uttered a chriek and jumped from their seats. The conductor rushed forward, and on Uis inquiry what was the matter the ügitated ladies pointed to the old man. ■■See! See!" they cried, "look at the worms." And sure enough on the old man's overcoat and trousers crawled ibout half a dozen fat, yellow worms about an inch long. When the old man found out what was the matter, he slapped his hand on hie knee and commenced to laugh. "Well! well! nnti't be scared. ladies," he said; "they are onïy flour worms for my mocking birds. I can't understand liow the pesky critters got out of the box," and the oíd man hauled a round paper box, with a hole in the cover, from out of one of his pockets, "I got a couple of hundred in here," he caid. The worms were gathered together, thé ladies quieted down, anO the old man amused the passengen? with a description of his beautiful mocking birds. The car had by this lime approached Lincoln park, when a lady sitting third from the old man made a suelden grao ai nei u.cs= somewhere about the knees. "Oh, my. I must have some of them!" she excla. ned, to the amusement of the other passengers, ar.d an expression of agony swept over her face. She looked helplessly round at the passengers, and finally signaled to the conductor to stop the car, jumped out in a hurry, and disappeared among the trees in the park. The old man, unconscious of the new trouule his worms had caused, was talking to a lady on the other side about his mocking hirds, when he was told of what had happened by one of the ladies. He looked a little regretfully on the box of worms and said: "Why didn't she teil me? Why, they are absolutely harmless. I wonder how many she got away with?"