The Pigeon Tale | Page 7

near-sighted. He finally pushed a
revolving globe on a stand toward Laurie, evidently thinking it a stool;
it was very uncomfortable to sit on, and it had a way of turning round at
the least little motion, and Laurie hoped that whatever the message was
the pigeon would not remain long.

[Illustration: The owl reads over the paper]
The pigeon now brought out a folded paper from a pocket underneath
his wing, and handed it to the owl, who opened it, and said he would
give it due consideration on reading it over. After listening to their
conversation awhile Laurie learned that the owl, because of his wisdom,
was the judge who decided the serious affairs and quarrels among the
other birds and animals. The room was built in the hollow of a dead
tree--it was quite snug, but not half so nice as the squirrel house, for
there was no pretty wall paper, and a great spider-web instead hung
across one corner of the room; on one side was an oval window, out of
which could be seen wood and meadow, and on a peg against the wall
hung a warm winter cloak of soft moleskin. The owl now gravely
folded and sealed several legal-looking documents, and gave them to
the pigeon, who, tucking them away in the same pocket, flapped his
wings, and, nodding to Laurie to jump on his back, flew out into the
sunshine. Laurie had hardly time to wonder where the pigeon was
taking him to this time, when he saw the farm below them, and they
alighted on the roof of the barn.
[Illustration: Laurie was standing on the top of the barn roof]
"Cock-a-doodle-doo," crowed the rooster on the weather-vane, but he
really thought he was saying "How-de-do-de-do?" He was a splendid
fellow, for he was pure gold and shone in the sunlight; he turned this
way and that for everybody to see him, until the common fowls in the
barn-yard envied him and wished themselves in his place, though if
they had only known it they were far better off than he, for they could
pick up corn and worms, while he was obliged to stand there always,
which was not so pleasant on rainy days. He was terribly hoarse, too,
from the damp weather, and it made his voice sound like a rusty hinge
that needed oiling. "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" he said to Laurie, and Laurie
bowed the best way he could, which was not very easy considering that
he was standing on the top of the barn roof. "So you are the little boy
who has come to visit at the farm-house; I saw you drive in. I see
everything and everybody, people come and people go; it is a mistake
to think that one must travel to see the world: I prefer to remain at

home, but then every one is not as bright as I"--he certainly was
conceited--"still I am never idle," he continued, "for I have my work to
do; the farmer cannot do without me. I warn him of a change of
weather, but not everyone who is changeable can be depended upon."
Here the pigeon interrupted him to tell him what the wind had said of a
storm coming, and he promised to look toward the east for it. The wind
had certainly got up, there was no doubting it; the weathercock and
pigeon were right, it was going to rain, big drops were pattering down
on the roof.
[Illustration: Beside him stood the turkey-gobbler]
Laurie looked round to find the pigeon, but he had disappeared, no
doubt for fear he would get his feathers wet. "Serves you right, serves
you right!" sounded close to Laurie's ear, and beside him stood the
turkey-gobbler. "So you thought the pigeons just flew round in a silly
sort of way, picking up crumbs did you," he said--or gobbled I should
say, his voice was so cross--"and you didn't suppose we had our work
to do as well as the people on the farm, did you?" he really looked very
alarming as he ruffled up his feathers and spread out his tail like a great
fan. "Serves you right, to be left out in the rain this way," he went on,
"next time you'll have better manners, I hope, than to call any one a
rude bird." Laurie was very much frightened indeed--it was raining
harder and harder; he started to run: patter, patter, patter, sounded the
feet of the turkey behind him, "gobble, gobble,"--patter, patter,--no, it
was only the rain drops this time, he was quite out of breath, where was
he?
[Illustration: The turkey-gobbler]
He looked about him, he was no longer in the barnyard--of course he
knew where he was now, but--how frightened he had been; he rubbed
his eyes,