The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-11-06
How q Kentucky Boy Watched q Pt-
+ .r,.g geon and . Kite. ;sa.,t.,, +
49, louisville Post.I :

/, Little Johnny Green was the happy youn:
owner Of very strong-fying kite, made b,
his: :fathera and very strong-fying pigeon
both white. as snow. A fews' days agt
Johnny began to speculate as 10 which 10
the two was the stronger flyer, and beiny
Eunable to decide the>questiop IN his. mind
he Yesterday afternoon pitted them, agains
each other in a test Of strength. Arriving
at the, common near by. with the pigeon in
a basket and the kite in his hands, he soor
sailed the latter, before a nortbeasterly
breeze, to, the limit OF his two hundred
yards OF cord. He then tied the end OF the
string to one OF the legs of the bird, and
| turning him loose, the contest began.
The pigeon, feeling bali free, few toward
home, which was directly against the wind
The resistance OF the kite caused his flight
10 tend upward, and, in turn, the efforts oi
his wings caused the kite to sail upward in
the air. For while the bird seemed 10
have the best OF the struggle, making slow
progress for at least a square. but, in spite
Of all efforts to make direct course, flying
higher and higher. l.. 4..;..~ j.
After the bird had reached an altitude OF
perhaps four hundred feet, the kite being
about one hundred feet higher still, it was
plain that the latter had greatly The adyan.
taSc. LII WIS ucSuS ufOUu. duA ACatuCfs ,
against the untiring winds. Unable to con-
tinue the strain the pigeon changed bis
course to one side, thus Stacking the string,
and causing the kite to fall slanting from
side to side 10 helpless sort Of way, But.
feeling free again, the pigeon once, moi e
made break for home, when, the string
being hauled taut, the kite rose rapidly to
its former level. These movements were
repeated again and again, the bird and kite
in the mean time drifting before the breeze
more and more rapidly to the southwest.
The boy watched it all with intense eager
ne S. -. s.- . ..4s -.ff. 7..t..-
When the snowy contestants were above
the Eclipse Park, where the shooting tour
nament was in progress, gentleman who
looked up after wild pigeon that had es.
caped the gun espied the kite, which, as
such, was barely discernible. The pigeon
had then quite vanished into the blue. The
attention OF several persons was drawn to
the curious spectacle, and some doubt was
expressed as to whether kite could be
flown so high. "The other end OF the
striug," suggested an observer, "must be
two miles off," But the wonder grew as
the kite gradually rose higher and higher
and sailed further and further to the south
west, until it finally vanished into the sky
over the lower bend Of the Ohio, or high
above the blue line Of Indiana hills.
In the mean time little johnny Green
stood gazing after his vanishing property.
He stared at the empty skies long after both
bird and kite had darkened into specks and
then into nothing. 1t was after sundown
before he fully realized not only that his
kite and favorite pigeon had carried each
other away forever, but that the momentouS
question that he put them together to settle
would reach a solution far beyond his OBJ
servation. Ouly half satisfied with his eN-
pertinent, he started home. As he entered
the house he turned his eyes sadly toward
his pigeon. boxes, when what should be be-
hold but that same strong-fying pigeon
quietly resting in front Of his hole, with q
piece OF the string still hanging to his leg.