Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-06-06
A Clever Pet .Pfge.r.

Would you not like toA heaf an &C.
count OF a,clever little pet PigeonP I
have been told the story, and, believe Il
to be quite true. I fancy my little
friends will be as much touched by the
story as I was.
In o certain town in Belgium. lived q
man who kept a great many pigeonaa
He bred them to sell. He had all sorts
of these pretty birds-pouters, fantails,s
carriers, nuns, and all kinds Of pigeons
that you ever heard of. For some het
was paid a great deal of meaey-foM
those that were very handsome or were
of q rare kind; but now and then ther1
appeared amongst the number Of his
pigeons a poor little ugly one, and then
l am afraid it. was killed OF sold for
next to nothing.
Now, the pigeon-keeper had p little
daughter, who used to love her father'a
pretty birds very much; she used to!
feed them, and help her father general
" to look after the pigeons: Littava
Marie was a sweet, gentie little girl
and the pigeons ali knew her ands
would come at hex cdl, but there was
one very ugly little pigeon, that nobody,
else would have noticed much or,caredI
for, that little Marie took under her ca,
pecial care. This little pigeon was do
voted to her little mistress; she wouldi
perch on her shoulder, kiss,her as weYs
as a:Bpigeon could, and Indeed display
an amount of gratitude and affection TO-
the child that was quite wonderful ina
any bird.
One day, when little Marie happened.
to be away from'heme for. a.short time.
an E~nglishman came II her fathers.
house to buy some pigeons. He was a
good'customer, and made a large pur-
chase of many expensive birds, and then
said. just as he was going away; that he
would take a few common birds, as he
wanted them for Hurlingham-you
know that is. the place. where cruel.
men, who call themselves sportsmenJ
shoot the poor little pigeons. By some'
Ill chance, Marie's little petbird, whom
she had named Laidrone-the French
for ''ugly one"-was among those of
she common pigeons taken away by the
Englishman. You may imagine the lit,
tie girls distress when she found, IN
her return home, that her pigeon was
gone. And when she knew the sad
fate for which it was destined, she was.
inconsolable. She implored her father
to write and insist upon having the
bird back again, but This he declared.
it was to late to do. So the child could.
only cry bitterly, though quietly, and
go about the house, looking a pale, sad
little likness of her former merry self.
But now comes the wonderful part Of
the tale. One day little Marie was
feeding the pigeons out in the yard
when she saw a.little dark speck in the
air coming toward her. She watched
it as it came nearer and nearer, and
she could scarcely believe her eyes
when there tlutterd down at her feet
her own dear little ugly pigeon'Lai-
drone! uglier, though, than ever, now
for the little creature had been deprived,
of her tail by n of the Hurlingham
sportsmen. Yet the affection of that
little bird and her courage had enabled.
her to fly back to her little mistress all
those hundreds of weary miles tailless.
How She had found her way is q mys-.
terry.
You may we'll suppose that after this
the little pigeon was a greater petzthan
ever.-Phuade1phia Gail.