The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-01-03
CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT.

turning messengers. Wei he went
this tia,e because ae coaidn'. help Il;
but his cunning iayed tiRe trick on
bis new owners. This bird WAS taken
20o0 miles by lAni to San TrancIsco;
20S0 miles by water 70 the Hawaii,
thence .24O mics by waipr 10 lie
Samoan lsland> thence 1900 miles BY
water TO AuciSiand-in al nearly Scp0
miles. and-naw Pete is ut home agiu!
The homecoming Of his bird is 1t
tie shori Of marvellous, and this IS low
he accomplished it. Watching care
fully for IN opportunity to escape.
after landing * Auckland. Pete took
to his Wings and huding in the har-
Dor the vesse; which hal carried him
so far from home. lie radiaIed from
its masts ia every direction. searching
for Il familiar scene o. object. which,
OF course. lie coald not find 50 many
thou.snd miias away from lis A'npri-
can doye-cD.p. However lie Siayal
near the ship. perhaps thinking it
would return 70 America ha Wien
the vessel hraily steamed ont Healed
for Australia instead of tiie Tinted
States. resc deserted his perch and
struck out Straight toward Dis home
land So il happensi that the Lucy
Bella an cl9-laShioned sailing vessel
laden with llmber from The Samoan
Isles. whel ihree days from Christmas
Island. was boarded ~ an almost s.S-
haussed stranger and the stranger was
rObody IN the world but Mr.. Pete.
AS the old sailosis q very superstitious
Of wonder at encounteriug Iomirg
pigeon il the middle OF the Pacific
Ocean. anl was allowed 10 rifle wher
ever he chose on shipboard The bird
was kindly treated and feJ. and one
Cay. Curing a storm which frightened
him and drove the Little tramp To shel-
ter o. Cack. it YVES discovered that ne
carried !. snail tag on one leg. hearing
number ara his name He was
placed "a a hnx with slats for bars.
ard IL this co@dl.ion cana inio San
Frfancisco Bay with tile Lucy Belle,
juss rs happy at sight Of land as amy
member of the craw, who considered
him g mascot.
The story OF the Lucy Bellies mas
cot sooa spread among The shipfolk
along the wnarves. aud III a few hours
Pete was identified as having been
shipped some weeks before for Aurk-
land. Then ii was that the people mn
derstood that the crafty fellow WAS
homeward bound
All this is wonderful enough; hut
the fact that Pete reached home un-
aided over 2oO0 miles OF land route is.
perhaps. only less wonderful. Bu. he
did.
1t was argued OIL the Lucy Belle that
a bird possessing brain wise enough
to egure out an ocean voyage conid
reach his home OIL laad; and after some
debate the sailors securely fastened
little story to Pete's leg, reciing his
adventures so far rs known to them,
and turned him loose. How the dear
little wanderor found his way home he
alone can tell.
Il took Pete nine days TO travel the
2090 miles, in covering which Of
Icourse, he must have stopped often;
ior. if lie could have gone straight
home. the distance could have hee~
made in thirty or forty hours. We who
had sent him OH to Australia had not
the slightest idea that he was this SIDE
Of the equator, or of the world. when.
one morning. not long ago. Alr Icte
quietly hopped down from The home
loft, and without any fuss whGlayer,
joined his mates at breakfast OF corn,
wheat ard crumbs!
Now. what 60 you think Of iiins?
He will never be sent away again,
for there is not sufficient money at the
disposal Of any one man 10 secure him.
If You know of any girls or hoys
who are discontinued at home. show
them this story Of Pete, who so loved
his humble abode of rough board and
hard straw that he outwitted cunning
men and defied the risks ard hardsiiiUs
Of an S000-mile journey over SEA and
land. in the effort to return 10 his
home Ross 3. Franklin in st. Niclo-
las.