I did n't see any sense in getting worked up over his swearing . There 's nothing I hate worse 'n profanity in a human being , but in a parrot , that 's just repeating what it 's heard with no more understanding of it than I 'd have of Chinese , allowances might be made . But Emily could n't see it that way . Women ai n't logical . She tried to break Ginger of swearing but she had n't any better success than she had in trying to make me stop saying ' I seen ' and ` them things . ' Seemed as if the more she tried the worse Ginger got , same as me . `` Well , things went on like this , both of us getting raspier , till the CLIMAX came . Emily invited our minister and his wife to tea , and another minister and HIS wife that was visiting them . I 'd promised to put Ginger away in some safe place where nobody would hear him ... Emily would n't touch his cage with a ten-foot pole ... and I meant to do it , for I did n't want the ministers to hear anything unpleasant in my house . But it slipped my mind ... Emily was worrying me so much about clean collars and grammar that it was n't any wonder ... and I never thought of that poor parrot till we sat down to tea . Just as minister number one was in the very middle of saying grace , Ginger , who was on the veranda outside the dining room window , lifted up HIS voice . The gobbler had come into view in the yard and the sight of a gobbler always had an unwholesome effect on Ginger . He surpassed himself that time . You can smile , Anne , and I do n't deny I 've chuckled some over it since myself , but at the time I felt almost as much mortified as Emily . I went out and carried Ginger to the barn . I ca n't say I enjoyed the meal . I knew by the look of Emily that there was trouble brewing for Ginger and James A . When the folks went away I started for the cow pasture and on the way I did some thinking . I felt sorry for Emily and kind of fancied I had n't been so thoughtful of her as I might ; and besides , I wondered if the ministers would think that Ginger had learned his vocabulary from me . The long and short of it was , I decided that Ginger would have to be mercifully disposed of and when I 'd druv the cows home I went in to tell Emily so .
But there was no Emily and there was a letter XXXXX the table ... just according to the rule in story books .
about as at for if in on since till to