Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1889-06-29

her neck, like some rare creatures of
her kind. She was only plain little
dove-colored dove, looking as though
she might be the very commonest kind
of a bind; but she was far from being
that, as you will see.
One morning, Teddy Barker, the
miller's boy, SAID TO his father: Have
you noticed the dove that sits up on the
beams in the horse-shed, or flies round
there all day? She's been there for
quite Il while
Il saw one the other day" returned
Mr.. Barker. Il threw her out hand
full of grain. Hasn't she gone yct?'
no" said 7, Idly. Il wouldn't Won
der if she had come to stay 1t is get
ting to be pretty cold weather for her
to pick up things. am going to feed
her now"
81 would" said Mr.. Barker. Hev
q kind-heartcd man, and he knew v nat
a good thing it was for q en-year old
boy TO have pet. After that Teddy
fed the dove every morning and night.
One day he came in and said
Father, I've got a name for that
dove"
What is it :"
you see, when / go out to feed her,
she comes down so pretty! She doesn't
fly really, and she doesn't hutter She
soft o filters. I'm going to call her
Filter"
All right" said his father q used
to have a dove when | was boy, and |
called it Pete"
I'm not going to call my dove Pete"
rejoined Teddy, Indignantly. "lou
might call II bulldog Pete, but l don't
think it's a nice name for soft, little,
gentle dove. Now, Filter sounds
just like her"
All right" said Mr.. Barker, laugh
ing. So Filter she was.
1t was in early December when Teddy
first spied the dove. His father was
building nice new henhouse close by
the mill When it was finished the
hens focked into it gladly, They had
had only rough shelter before, and
the weather was growing very cold.
Father" said Teddy, one evening,
tits going to freeze like everything to-
night. l believe I'll put Filter into
the henhouse."
That's good idea" his father re-
sponded. "She might as well stay
there whenever she likes. There's
plenty of room"
SO Teddy introduced Filter into the
henhouse. She gazed about her new
home with bright, pleased eyes that
IS, Teddy said they looked pleased.
The hens, however, did not seem to
welcome her very gladly. For several
days, they made poor little Filters
life miserable by pecling at her, and
cackling all sorts of ugly noises at her;
but she showed no sort of resentment
when she was attacked. She merely
few out of the way very softly until the
naughty hens Gained down. Then she
would take her place among them
again, with sweet confidence, which
after little seemed to disarm their
wrath
Before Filter had been an inmate of
the henhouse two weeks, there was not
a fowl in it which did not seem glad 10
have the little dove snuggle down be-
side her at night. If dear little Filter
had understood the New Testament,
she could rot have followed lis pre-
cepts more closely.
One day, Teddy came running into
the mill in great excitement, "Come"
he called to his father. Come, quick"
Mr.. Barker could leave as well as
not. SO he followed Teddy to the yard
of the hen house, where there were two
hens fighting in the most vicious way.
Filter was on II perch just above the
combatauts, and evidently in great dis
tress. She futtercd about wildly, and
uttered little heart broken means. Fl
nally, she uttered gently through the
air, landing right between the angry
fighters.
There" whispered Teddy, "that's
Just what she did when | ran in to get
You, l wa in hopes she would do it
then, for L saw the hens wouldn't
stop. Now, how do you suppose q
little bit of a dove like her darcs to
go right in between those great cross
hens? l should think she would be too
scared"
Mr.. Barker shook his head Its bo.
You'd me-" he said.
The hens would not hurt their little
friend on any account, and presently
the fight stopped.
I've heard of the dove Of PEACE
and all that" declared the good miller
Rfterward, in describing the scene TO
oae of the ne:ghbors. bat didn't
suppose doves were really 50 much in
clined that way. This one is, though"
After that Teddy watched the dove
more closely than ever, and ran wheE-
ever he heard the noise OF battle in
the hcn-yard. He found that it was
part of the regular programme for the
dove to interfere in all the fights that
went on there. Teddy saw her break
up many and many petty squabble,
Just as she had broken up the one
which he had called his father out to
see.
The spring came on. The flock OF
hens had been considerably thinned
out to supply the good millers table.
and now he bought new supply from
his neighbors. Like their predeccs-
sors, these hens seemed TO regard lit
tie Filter a. first a an interlopcr, and
treated her very uLkindly; but she
won them over Just as she had won
over the others, by the uniform gentle
ness with which she treated them.
No Quaker in his garb of drab was
ever more determined apostle of
peace and fraternity than was the lit
tic dovc-colored dove.
One morning in the early summer,
one Of the neighbors came over to the