Chapter 17There were two pigeons pecking at the grass, looking for bits of food. They wobbled from place to place, occasionally bumping into each other, burbling and cooing in their throats as they went. When one reached an appropriate spot, it would bend down and jam its beak in the grass, then bob up and down for a second or two. Sometimes, one of the birds would find a tidbit and would lift its prize triumphantly in the air. It was usually a crumb, or a piece of trash or an insect, and the pigeon would hastily gulp it down. Then, the bird would resume its search, waddling back and forth across the sparse grass by the Stonybank River. Joe just sat and watched the birds. He watched as they bobbled around and pecked at the ground and ate. He watched as they approached him, and, sensing th
