"See—de—coon; see—de—coon!" called the boys softly, imitating the queer sounds made by the doves cooing.
Harry tossed the corn inside the cage, and as the light and dark homers he wanted tasted the food Harry lowered the little door, and took the birds safely in his arms.
"Now, Bert, you can get the quills," he told his cousin. "Go into the chicken yard and look for two long goose feathers. Tom Mason, you can go in the kitchen and ask Dinah for a piece of tissue paper and a spool of silk thread."
Each boy started off to fulfill his commission, not knowing exactly what for until all came together in the barnyard again.
"Now, Bert," went on Harry, "write very carefully on the slip of paper the message for Martha. Have you a soft pencil?"
Bert found that he had one, and so following his cousin's dictation he wrote on one slip:
"Have dinner ready at five." And on the other he wrote: "John, come for us at four."
"Now," continued Harry, "roll the slips up fine enough to go in the goose quills."
This was done with much difficulty, as the quills were very narrow, but the task was finally finished.
"All ready now," concluded Harry, "to put the letters in the box," and very gently he tied with the silken thread one quill under the wing of each pigeon. Only one feather was used to tie the thread to, and the light quill, the thin paper, and the soft silk made a parcel so very small and light in weight that the pigeons were no way inconvenienced by the messages.