His young brother, Barrie, began to be troublesome about this time, and
to evince an unwholesome interest in the pigeons. The ladder, which was
placed against the stable under their house, at first seemed to him too
high to climb, but seeing the multitude of delighted spectators who
went up and down without accident, he resolved to try it, too, and so
successfully that he was able after a few attempts to carry a stick
with him, stand on the highest rung, and poke up the pigeons.

One day he was caught--with the goods--by Philip himself. So indignant
was Philip that for a moment he stood speechless. His young brother,
jarred by a guilty conscience and fear of Philip, came hastily down the
ladder, raising a few bruises on his anatomy as he came. Even in his
infant soul he felt he deserved all he had got, and thought best not to
mention the occurrence. Philip, too, generously kept quiet about it,
feeling that the claims of justice had been met. The only dissatisfied
parties in the transaction were the pigeons.

The next Sunday in Sabbath School there was a temperance lesson, and
Barrie Brown quoted the Golden Text with a slight variation--"At the
last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like a _ladder_!"

Philip was the only one who knew what he meant, and he said it served
him good and right.

The following entry appears in the Pigeon Book:

_My brother Barrie poks them, but he got his leson. tomoro I'll let
them out--there fond enough of home now I gess_.

The next day being Saturday, when Philip could watch them, he let them
out. All day long his heart was torn with pride and fear--they looked
so beautiful, circling and wheeling over the stable and far away across
the road, and yet his heart was chill with the fear that they would
never return.

That night the Pigeon Book received the following entry:

April 21st.--_I let them out and, they came back--they are sweet pets.
I dreem about them every night I have two dreems, my good dreem is
the've layd my bad dreem is about tomcats and two little heaps of
fethers its horrid_.

The next week another entry went into the book:

_I sold another pare to-day I've raised the price this pare is to be
delivered in Ogist. I gave them a bran mash to-day, it makes them lay
sure._

Under this Jack wrote:

_Thinking of the August delivery_.

The next entry was this:

May 1st.--_Wilfred G. is pritty meen, he thinks he knows it all. they
aint goin to lay all in a hurr