18 
B Y THE WA YS1DE ' 
knock till the birds would fall to the 
ground, and then such scrambling as 
they and the dogs would make until the 
baskets and bags were filled. Then back 
to the house to take out the breasts as 
that was all we used of them. We would 
pack them in jars with a little salt and 
water, and eat them fried, stewed or in 
pot-pie. The season lasted, as I remem¬ 
ber now, about six weeks from the time 
they made their appearance until they 
suddenly disappeared. 
It was a long time before we heard 
where they located again. The next 
time we heard of them they were nesting 
in Ulster county, New York state. 
“It was a mystery to me how, after 
they had flown away miles for food they 
would return, each bird to its own nest¬ 
lings. One would always stay with the 
squab while the other hunted food. 
When they migrated the parent birds 
took all their young that could fly, and 
those that were not able to keep up were 
left to perish or struggle up as best they 
could and follow on. 
“There was a story told to give stran¬ 
gers some idea of the millions of birds 
in that flock—of a farmer who blazed 
away as the birds rose for flight. He did 
not bring down a bird, but picked up a 
bushel basket full of legs. He had fired 
low. It did not require a very remark¬ 
able imagination to invent even such a 
yarn after seeing fully 23,000 acres of 
dense forest filled with one army of 
countless millions of wild pigeons.” 
The Orphans. 
Some time ago, in a secluded, far-back 
country, a young loving couple were 
about to set up a home of their own. 
Although they had no wealth but healthy 
bodies and loving hearts, they did not 
wait or ask for help from their relatives, 
but went to work with a will to build 
their own home. 
There was plepty of material which 
they could have without asking but it 
was in a raw state, and must be gathered, 
prepared and carried to the little nook 
which had been selected as the site for 
their home. 
The wife bravely went with her hus¬ 
band and worked early and late in the 
fields, woods, and by-wavsgathering ma¬ 
terial for their future home. After long 
and patient labor they had a rude frame 
constructed, and after it was sided and 
made warm and comfortable their atten¬ 
tion was given to the adornment of the in¬ 
terior, and soon the cozy home was taste¬ 
fully furnished with soft little beds and 
couches filled with feathers, hair, down, 
grass, and any other material which 
they could find, and, when finished, they 
were very proud and happy indeed. 
The overhanging trees put forth their 
leaves, and so completely surrounded 
their home that one would hardly notice 
it unless especially looking for it. And 
it was well that nature threw out this 
protection for the land was infested with 
robbers and foul murders had been com¬ 
mitted in the vicinity for the small pit¬ 
tance of the very clothing that their vic¬ 
tims wore. 
Now these young housekeepers still 
wore their wedding suits, simply because 
they were not able to procure any others, 
and being made of good, substantial ma¬ 
terial, they would easily last a whole 
year, and by that time they were sure of 
a new suit. They were a beautiful shin¬ 
ing black with here and there touches of 
a bright orange. The husband’s coat 
was of a gayer hue than the wife’s, hav¬ 
ing more of the orange trimming, for she 
always liked sober colors even when a 
