The NEW BERN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
IN THE HEART OP
NORTH
L
;rc 2.0
:?6o
VOLUME 16
NEW BERN, N. C. 28560, FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1973
NUMBER 14
Yesterday was wben life
changed on tsper East Front
Street, after Elvis, an amorous
acting young parrot moved into
the neighborhood. Jipi and
Betsy BuMles,had carted him
down here from Yankee Land
What he lacked in Southern
drawl, Elvis made up for with a
wolf vdiistle that would put a
freshly docked sailor to shame.
A wolf whistle may be all right
in some places. In this instance,
the choice of location was poor.
George and Lou Ellen
Slaughter lived next donr, and
the repercussions were
tremendous. It wasn’t that
George and Lou Ellen hated
parrots in general and Elvis in
particular.
They got along well with
everybody and everything,
including dogs and cats. Their
two sons, George and BUI, and
their own dog, Aleck, were
much the same way. You could
bdge them rightly as a live and
let live famOy.
This wouldn’t be much of a
story, if Lou EUen hadn’t been a
dress maker. An expert in her
field, with such ac-
comidishments as the uniforms
for New Bern High School’s
majorettes, she sewed for some
of the City’s most
discriminating laches.
These good women, when
they were being fitted up,
occasionally got rather close to
a first floor ^ndow. This gave
Elvis something better than a
bird’s eye view of the
proceedings, and put the lady
invohred weU wittdn the range
of the parrot’s unseemly
vocalizing.
Imagine her startled reac
tion, when that wolf whistle
disturbed her equUibrium, and
sent her scurrying for a trifle
more raiment. It wouldn’t
have been so bad if the young
whipper snapper hadn’t winked
at her too, when she sighted him
sunning on the Blades porch.
Not content with con
centrating on Lou Ellen’s
emporium, Elvis conveyed
complimentary whistles to
other attractive ladies who
hq>pened to pass along the
street. His fowl play mounted in
volume if the gal obviously had
more than her share of physical
endawments.
All of this was a matter of
great travail to Blades,
Slau^ter, J. T. Harlow, and
other male residents of ttie
nei^borhood. They shared ttie
parrot’s unqualifi^ approval,
but were much too discreet to do
it orally. However, they got
many a dirty look from the
opposite sex.
Hie story has no moral, but it
did pose a question. What is the
best way to cook a parrot? .
Yesterday was when one of
Oiose forlorn Easter biddies, on
sale here annually, proved to be
the exception and remained
very much alive after 10
eventfii years.
A fat but rather unproductive
hen, she belonged to 12 year old
Tommy Davis, Jr., and ruled
the roost at 312 Crescent Street.
Tommy and the chicken
libwally grew up together.
Qreenie was h«t name, given
to her by little Tommy when he
(Continued on page 8)
•Njpui Sfrit-Olraupu (Countij ^ubitr ICtbrarg’
SWEET AND LOVELY-We can’t think of a bet
ter way to describe Robin Dawn Hardison, who
won’t be celebrating her third birthday for almost
half a year. She is the daughter of Bobby and
Cherj^ Smith Hardison, former New Bemians who
now live in Hoiderson. It doesn’t seem any time
since Cheryl was'vtriting the Mirror’s Teen Topic
column, while attending NBHS. Doris Smith, who
delights in photographing children at Wray’s Studio
here, got extra pleasure in doing this assignment
for us. The young lady happens to be her grand
daughter.