Chapter 25
CHAPTER XXV. CARRIER PIDGINS Pidgins are swell birds, aren't they? Well, when I was a boy I always wanted to own some pigeons. A little way from my house there was a big flower mill.
Big wagons used to bring wheat to the mill every day, and, of course, much of the wheat was spilled along the road. The pigeons were wise. They waited for the wagons to come along, and when some wheat would fall on the ground, the pigeons would fly down and pick it up.
Now boys and girls, there are many different kinds of pigeons, but the real extra special kind of pigeon is the carrier pigeon. Carrier pigeons are pigeons that carry messages, and they never get lost. No matter how high they fly or how far they go, carrier pigeons can always find their way home.
Carrier pigeons cost lots of money, but they are worth it. You never have to worry about them. They fly away, but they always come home. The other day I read in the paper about a man who lived in New York. The man owned two carrier pigeons.
The man put the two pigeons in a box, and he took them on the train with him to California. When he reached California, the man opened the box and let the pigeons out to fly. And, do you know what happened? Why, the pigeons flew right up into the air and headed straight back home for New York City.
The pigeons flew from California, over the mountains, across the desert, over the rivers, and all the houses. They flew all the way across the United States. The pigeons flew right back to New York and landed in the man's backyard. They were smart pigeons.
Wait until I tell you what I saw carrier pigeons do. Once I went to a football game in New York. The army team was playing Notre Dame. The army team had brought a box of carrier pigeons with them. A man sat in the grandstand holding the box of pigeons.
Every ten minutes, the man would write the score of the game on a piece of paper. Then, he would tie the piece of paper to the neck of one of the pigeons and let the pigeon loose. Up, up, the pigeon would fly, and then hurry back home to West Point to tell the boys back home what was the score of the football game.
Yes, you can always depend on a carrier pigeon. Wherever he goes, he will always come back. I wonder how many of us are like carrier pigeons. How many times does your mother send you on an errand to the store? She wants something in a hurry.
What do you do? You stop for a while to play MIBS. You sneak into the playground for a few innings of baseball. You forget all about your errand. You forget to go home until it is time to eat.
You are not like carrier pigeons. Maybe your mother would rather have a carrier pigeon. It's a good thing to be dependable, especially when no one is watching you. When you are given a job to do, it is a swell thing to be able to do it and finish it all by yourself.
People like boys and girls who are dependable. Your mother and father want you to be reliable. They want you to be able to stand on your own two feet. What good is a boy or girl who always has to be pushed to do something or checked when he is doing it?
I don't think that a boy or girl who has to be pushed and watched all the time is worth very much. I would rather have a pigeon. Keep in mind that God is always watching you. God hates to see you lie down on the job.
God hates to see you be disobedient. Just remember that God is always checking up on you. When God sees you go on errands in the right way, why, it makes God glad. He even pays you for going on the errand. God pays you by putting grace in your soul.
The next time that you are sent on an errand for your mother, go on the errand. Do it as fast as you can. Forget about the ball games and the gang. You have a job to do. Just think about those carrier pigeons.
What kind of a carrier pigeon would you make? End of chapter 25.
