AN HONEST OLD GOOSE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1946, 23 March 1885, Page 2

AN HONEST OLD GOOSE.

An old lame man who lived at the oxtreme end of the town got his living by shaving shingles, A neighbor wanted him to shave an extra lot, and to accommodate him the old man worked lute in his little half-open shanty.' One night it was very dark and the air was full of snow. The old nmn heard a noise, a terrible quacking and flutter, and he started up to see what it was, and behold, a spent wild goose, which had fallen behind the flock and got lost, had Been his light and fluttered down to it. . : The. man said to himself, "This is a good-'Sign, a wild goose So he turned down a barrel, gavothe bird some food, and keptherall winter'., She-became very tamo, and would eat of 1m hand! When the spring came the geese began back to the north again. One davjaia old man heard a flock flying over*uio shanty, and let his tame pet go. She heard the quacking of the flock high in tho air and answered it; for a minute she Beemed to hesitate whether to go or stay with her kind protector. But it "ivas only a minute; and then spraying hor'. wings away she flew and was-S® out of sight. " What a goose I was to let her out," said tho old man. "She has not paid her board bill.' It is only a goose that trusts a goose, and I am a lame old gander." Ho broke up the coop and went to work again, rather sorry to lose his handsome pet whose company lie had come to enjoy.- •

It was just at dusk one' day in tho autumn that the old man was taking off his leather apron. His day's' work was done, and he was just about- trudging into the house, when ho heard; the Bong of a flock of geese directly overhead. He looked up to see where it was, but before he could see it the whole flock dropped rightabout him, his pet with thirteen more. She remembered his kindness and had come to pay the board bill. ■