The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pigeon Tale, by Virginia Bennett

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Title: The Pigeon Tale

Author: Virginia Bennett

Illustrator: E. Stuart Hardy

Release Date: February 11, 2007 [EBook #20567]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE
PIGEON TALE

BY
VIRGINIA BENNETT.

[Illustration: Title]

ILLUSTRATED BY
E. STUART HARDY.

_LONDON:_ _NEW YORK:_
ERNEST NISTER. E. P. DUTTON & CO.

E.N. No. 2074.

[Illustration: Flower ornament]
[Illustration: Pigeons]
[Illustration: Branch ornament]
[Illustration: The boy Laurie with a pigeon]

The Pigeon Tale

CHAPTER I.

Something unusual was about to happen--any one could see that; the tall
pine trees swayed and nodded to each other as if whispering together,
the leaves blew up against a corner of the fence as though they meant to
sweep the old-fashioned brick path clean, and the gate swung to and fro
on its hinges as in anticipation of a visitor.

In a far-away corner of the United States stood an old farm-house which
had put on its company manners and quite left off being an every-day
house, though it really never could be called an "every-day" house--it
was too old for that.

Ever so many children had been born there, and had grown up under its
sheltering roof, loved, married and had gone out into the world; it was
a _very_ old house, and could have told wonderful stories if any one had
listened to them; no, it could not be called an every-day house at all,
but to-day it had a look of expectancy quite different from its usual
sleepy air.

[Illustration: Aunt Laura]

The ancient box-hedge by the rose-garden stood like an old soldier at
attention, so! The fresh muslin curtains at the window