and behold, Annie Rooney
and McGinty had returned, and prouder and happier pigeons never were
seen.

ON BOARD THE ARK.

BY ALBERT LEE.

CHAPTER VII.

It seemed to Tommy as if the Gopher would never get enough. The little
boy had never before witnessed such voracity. By actual count he had
seen seventeen plates of soup vanish into his neighbor's system, and yet
there was no apparent ill effect. The Gopher threw each empty dish under
the table, so that the pile of crockery was now so high in front of his
chair that he could rest his feet on it.

"Really," said Tommy at last, "I never saw such a greedy thing as you in
all my life."

"I can't help it," answered the Gopher, complacently; "the eating
question is a most important one, and I'm afraid they'll all get up and
say dinner is over before I've had half enough."

"It seems to me that you have had more than enough. And, besides, I have
an aunt who says one should always arise from the table hungry."

"Never you mind that Ant," said the Gopher. "Ants don't count. They are
so little they can't hold anything, anyhow. As for getting up from the
table hungry, that is something I cannot understand. I always sit down
hungry: and it would never do to be hungry at both ends of the meal, now
would it?"

On reflection Tommy did not think it would, and as he had been more than
half inclined at the outset toward the Gopher's view of the case, they
soon agreed on this point. Then the little animal said,

"Thtsnawflyfnnyunsnt?"

"I can't understand you when you talk with your mouth full," replied
Tommy.

The Gopher made a great effort, and swallowed so hard that his eyes
fairly bulged. Then he said,

"That's an awfully funny one, isn't it?"

"What one?"

"The one next to you."

"Him?" said Tommy, pointing at the ex-Pirate.

"Um," continued the Gopher, nodding his head, for his mouth was full
again. "Ain't he?"

"He is a very nice gentleman," remarked Tommy, for lack of anything more
definite to say.

"What kind is he?" asked the Gopher.

"He's an ex-Pirate."

"A Pie Rat? Goodness, how he has changed!"

"Oh yes, he has changed," continued Tommy. "He is very good now. He has
entirely reformed."

"I should say he had. His form is entirely different. I knew a Pie Rat
once, but he was not at all like this one. _He_ does not look like a Pie
Rat at all."

"Oh yes he does!" exclaimed Tommy, eagerly, although he realized as soon
as he had spoken that