The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1929-07-12
THE
NEICHBORLY
PIGEONS
20 by D. J. walsh.)

"HB Hubbards lived in large
white house that for length
and effect overshadowed every
other house on Maple street.
So also the personalities of the Hub
>bards overtopped those of their gentler
neighbors.
There we're three Hubbards. Ii you
did not count Humboldt, the ancient
fox-terrier, who was so much a mem.
Der of the family that he must he
treated like one. Mr.. Hubbard had
a position which bi,)ught him in big
salary which he chung to with grip
little short of niggardliness. He loved
solitude and silence. had throat trouble
necessarily. Besides that he worked
in his garden. Nothing else seemed
to interest him. Mrs. Hubbard had
a slight figure which she suffered tor
nents of dieting to keep slight. Thin.
ness was her chief charm and her
constant boast-sfte could wear youth.
full styles and sizes. For the rest she
had slightly crossed eyes and an ugly
pursy mouth out of which flew full
set of china whenever she found occa.
sion to open her lips. Gwendolyn, the
daughter. was twenty,fOur and with
one thoughr-tO get married and away
from her taciturn father and her
moody mother, with whom she was
never on good terms. GwendOlyn was
languid and tall and dark, ate choco-
iates with inordinate fOndness and
dreamed dreams of doing something
bigger and better than the other girls
in town. without. however. having the
least inclination to strive for the
realization of her ambitions. She was
cordially disliked by her acquaintances
and on moonlight nights she was left
to moon on her elegant porch while
less lovely but more gracious girls
went motoring in crowds.
If the Hubbards dog went exploring
in a neighbours garden or buried
bone in somebody's flower bed or
chased a cat, or licked much smaller
dog one endured outwardly. for IL a
word of protest were uttered Mi. Hub.
bard would take his pipe out of his
mouth and proceed to freeze the hum
BILE objector to the spot. If Gwendolyn.
seeking an appropriate garland.
helped herself to Mrs. Lyons lilacs
or crab blossoms or Mrs. Hyde's BIOS
soming almond which leaned obligingly
close to the line, or If desiring bunch
of grapes she calmly broke off bunch
of Mrs. Gordon's famous white beau
ties, nothing was said. There were,
however, many hot little conferences
in private and sometimes Mrs. Hyde
declared she 'would do something des-
perate." but, oh. la Nobody ever did.
Then the GouIds moved into the
ne'g npeSnoo3 - ' (which adjoined the
on the back. Mrs. Gould
eE-faced little woman with
Soft eyes, and a shy smile.
Gould was a stay-at-home, quiet
AN who put in ell his spare time
working in his garden. The early
morning sound of his hoe was about
all the disturbance the Goulds were
likely to make in the neighborhood.
It was then that the Hubbards pro.
duced new nuisance in the neighbour
hood-a flock of doves. They billed
and cooed under the caves of Mrs. Cor
don's house. awakening her early and
keeping her awake. Mrs. Gordon was
poor sleeper and needed all the rest
she could get. Worse of all they in
vaded gardens. Mrs. Hydes English
violet bed became ruin; the doves
loved the succulent crinkly white
roots. They descended upon Mr..
Lyons pea vines and neatly denuded
them Of The runners without which no
pea vine can yield a crop. They were
far more destructive than chickens
and absolutely invulnerable. for they
descended from the air and. mischief
done. assembled again into the air be-
fore a finger could be raised.
Mr.. Gordon appealed to Mr.. Hub
bard, who only took his pipe out of
his mouth long enough to say grand
iloquently that they did not belong to
him any more than to other folks.
Pigeons were pigeons, wanderers of
the air. Mr.. Lyon likewise made a
complaint, but Mr.. Hubbard had no
time that morning to hear complaints.
The pigeons descended in a body
upon the Gould's garden and when at
last they teetered away on pink feet
and with rustling of their crisp wings
there was no longer need for Mr..
Gould's hoe. He scratched his head
and sighed when Mr.. Lyon and Tom
Gordon and Will Hyde leaned over the
fence. themselves exasperated, to see
what had been done.
Then out came little Mrs. Gould
Her eyes were full of tears.
"It's shame, downright shame"
she said. "All those lovely peas! You
could fence out chickens. but pigeons
drop right down out of the sky. Why
don't you men do something's"
"What can we dO?" asked Tom Cor