The San Francisco call., 1909-11-13

perhaps he wiIl.". his uncle an
swered and I've sent his name in,
but before that time comes we must
give him a chance to learn the way.
Wen send him down TO San Jose and
let him hY back home from there and
then, it he does that well send him
farther on to- Paso Robles and Santa
Barbara. and then If he comes back
from there. he will not need any more
training; he'll know how TO come
home.
This plan was tried and Red came
home from san lose, came home and
didn't seem to mind the trip a bit. Then
he went down rs far as Paso Roblcs
and made the trip from there in less
time than any one would thinlN bird
could fly, but there was probably rea-
son for this, a. litte nest up in the
loft that called 10 him for he had
set up house Keeping on his own ac-
count and started i'm to raise "A family
OF his own.
That's all he needed" said the man,
when he had seen the young pigeon
beginning to build his nest Hell fly
Just so much faster and come into the
loft Just SO much quicker when he has
baby pigeons of his own TO think Of"
and this proved to be true one morn
ing Red was put into his basket with
little grain, cup and note to the
express messenger asking him to give
longest trip that he had made. Shut
up in the express car he could not see
where he was going aud theroar and
rattle of The train grew to be monoton-
GUS When lie thought of the little
nest back in the LOTT he trieS TO find
way out of the basket. but ii was fast
and tight and all that he could do was
to wait until the journey ended. All
day he rode and il was nearly 3 o'clock
at night before he felt the basket
lifted up and found himself once more
free from the noise and rattle Of the
train. Peering out from the little OPEN
ings in his basket he saw it was dark;
and. being hungry. he ate his supper
then rolled up into feathery ball and
went to sleep. Sometimes in the night
he thought about the baby pigeons in
his nest and wondered why he had been
sent away from them, bat having
learned that worry did no good he
went to sleep again, knowing that when
the first beams of the sun began to
shine he would be set free and allowed
to start back home. His trips had
taught him that journey in basket
WAS usually followed by a flight that
covered many miles and So when he
felt some one take his basket up early
the next morning he stretched his
wings and tried them to see if they
Were strong and sounds He was little
hungry. but all the grain was gone, so
When his cup was filed with water he
drank Just little and waited to see
what would happen next.
All of a sudden the cover Of the bas-
Net was lifted up, and with swift Beat
ing OF his wings he sprang into the air
ana swung around in circles that lifted
MIN up higher every minute, until he
was nothing but speck against the
Sky Below he saw the mountains and
the ocean and Islands that lie had never
n z \
on climbing UP toward the sky while
ms wonderful eyes took in the scene
that laid below. Far off and to the
,northWard he saw a city that seemed
familiar, and he remembered that he
had been there before, remembered that
on his last trip he had seen the same
piled up mountains and the same curv-
ing shore and then. knowing that home
was that way, he beat his wings more
rapidly and started off. For hours and
hours hes flew, and all the time his
heart Kept telling him about the little
pigeons IN the nest at home, which
made him fly the faster and when. far
off, he saw the church and steepi. and
the loft-he swept down to IT with his
wings Beating faster than they had
ever moved before. without delaying
for an instant he pushed his way into
the loft and flew over TO his nest, where
his mate sat. grumbling and fussing.
because SHE had been lett to feed the
hungry little pigeons all alone which is
no little task. soon after he had come
into the loft the boy who. owned him
came in and fed him, smoothing his
feathers and talking to him gently,
seeming to be very proud of him for
some reason or other You've made
your last long trip but one" he said.
and now you'll have couple of
weeks rest before YOU have to hy
again"
CONCLUDED Next Saturday,