Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1929-08-23
THE
NEIGHBORLY
PIGEONS

ME HuDDarue nVeu U uTSe
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
nelghbors.
There we're three Hubbards, II you
did not count Humboldt, the ancient
fox-terrier, who was so much mem
Der of the family that he must be
treated like one. Mr.. Hubbard had
a position which brought him In big
salary which he chung TO with a grip
little short of niggardllness 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
ments of dieting to keep slight. Thin
ness was her chief charm and her
constant boast-she 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 thought-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-
lates with lnordinate f0ndness 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 dlsliked by her acqualntances
and on moonlight nights she wns left
to moon on her elegant porch while
less lovely but more gracious girls
went motoring In crowds.
II the Hubbard's dog went exploring
in neighbours garden or buried a
bone in somebody's flower bed or
chased cat, or licked much smaller
dog one endured outwardly, for II a
word Of protest were uttered Mr.. Hnb-
bard would take his pipe out Of his
mouth and proceed to freeze the hum
BILE objector to the spot II Gwendolyn,
seeking IN appropriate garland,
helped herself to Mrs Lyons lilacs
or crab blossoms or Mrs. Hyde's bios
soming almond which leaned obliglngly
close to the line, or II desiring bunch
of grapes she calmly broke off bunch
of Mrs. Gordons famous white beau
ties, nothing was said There were,
however, many hot little conferences
In private and sometimes Mrs. Hyde
dealapaa- abe. .n...~--ae 90 something des-
perate," but oh, la! Nobody ever did.
Then the Goulds moved into the
neighborhood in the little green house
with the garden which adjoined the
Hubbard place on the back. Mrs. GoVId
was sweet-faced little woman with
pretty, soft eyes, and shy smile.
Mr.. Gould was n stqy-at-home, quiet
man who put In all his spare time
working In his garden. The early
morning sound Of his hoe was about
all the disturbance the Gouds were
likely to make in the nelghborhood.
II was then that the Hubbards pro-
duced new nuisance in the nelghbor.
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
n poor sleeper and needed all the rest
she could get Worse of all they in
vaded gardens. Mrs. Hyde's English
violet bed became a 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 mir and. mischief
done, assembled again into the air be-
fore 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
lloquentIy 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 body
upon the Gould's garden ana when at
last they teetered away on pink feet
and with rustllng 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 VIII Hyde leaned over the
fence. themselves exnsperated, to see
what had been done.
Then out came little Mrs. Gould.