The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-02-26
INTOXICATED GEESE.

When geese take to drink the result il
preposterous. For nature. says the Lon
| don Telegraph, never meant geese to get
intoxicated. In the first place, they have
no hands 10 hold on to lamp posts with
while at the best of times their balance
is precarious. Even when sober a fat
goose, if travelling on uneven ground
constantly cants forward on to its beak.
OF backward on to its tail; but when in
ebriated it is utterly helpless. A short
while ago farmers wife in GERMANY
had been making some cherry brandy:
but as she found. during the process. that
the fruit was unsound. she threw the
whole mess out into the yard. and, with
out looking to see what followed, shut
tie window. As it fell out party of
geese, good fellows all Of them, happen
ed to be waddling by at the time, and.
seeing the cherries trundling about at
once investigated them. The preliminary
inquiry proving satisfactory, these mis-
guided poultry set to and ate the whole
lot. NO heeltaps' was the order of
the carouse, and so they finished all the
cherries off at one sitting. SO to speak.
The effect of the spirituous fruit was soon
apparent. for on trying to make the gate
which led f.Om the scene OF the debauch
to tie horse pond, they found everything
against them. Whether high wind had
got up, or what had happened, they conld
not tell but it seemed to the geese as if
there was an uncommon high sea running
and the ground set in toward them with
4 steady strong swell that was most en-
barrassng to progress. To escape these
difficulties some dashed their rulders and
hove to, others tried to run before the
wind. while the rest tackled for the pig
sly. But there was no living. in such
weather, and one by one the craft lurch-
ed over and went down all standing.
Meanwhile the dame, the unconscious
cause of this disaster. was attracted by
the noise in the fowl-yard. and looking
out saw all her ten geese behaving as if
they were mad. The gander himself,
usually SO solemn and decorous, was bal
ancng himself on his bcak, and spinning
round the while in proli,,ious furry of
feathers and dust, while the old gray
goose. remarkable even among her kind
for the circumspecton of her conduct,
was lying stomach upward in the gutter,
feebly gesticulating with her legs.
Others of the party were no less conspic-
uoTs for the extravaganza of their atti-
tudes and gestures. while the remainder
were to be seen lying in a helpless con-
that is to say. the gutter by the pig-sty.
PerplcXed by the spectacle, the dame
called in her neighbors, and after careful
Investigation it was decided in council
hat the birds had died of poison. Under
these circumstances their carcaSSes were
worth nothing for food, but. rs the neigh
oors said, the feathers were not poisoned
md SO they set to work then and there
Dlucked the ten geese bare.
Next morning the good woman got up
Is usual. and remembering the feathers
Town stairs, dressed betmes. for it was
market day and she hoped to get them
,ff her hands at once And then she be- |
hought her of the ten plucked bodies |
ying in the porch and resolved that they |
should be buried before she went out. |
But as she approached the door on these
lecent rites intent and was turning the |
he key. there fell on her ears the sound |
If familiar voice-anti then another and |
mother. until at last the astonished dame
leard in full chorus the well-known &C
'ents Of all her plucked and poisoned |
reese. The throat of the old gan,ler was !
10 doubt a trit1e husky. and the gray
.oose spode in unified tones suggestive
If Il Christening headache; but there was
10 installing those tongues. and the
lame, fumbling at the door. wondered
What it all might mean. Has goose
.host? Did any one ever read or hear of
he spectre OF gander? The key turned
It last, the door opened, and there.
Iuacking in subducd tones, suppllant