Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-12-05
reached his cabin he was almost ready


to fall down with fatigue, for the goose
was the heaviest he had ever carried.
lie found thai his wife and daughter
were fast asleep, so he thought he
would play a trick upon Wilhelmina,
and instead of putting the stuff for the
gown near her stocking, which she had
hung up at the chimney corner for st.
Nicholas TO fill, he placed the goose
there, and wrote on slip of paper,
"St. Nicholas sends this goose as a
dover and q merrie Christmas for
Wilhelmina," and with amerry twinkle
in his eye and a happy heart, after
thanking st, Nicholas for the goose, he
quietly slipped into bed, and was soon
in a blissful sleep, and knew nothing
again until the early dawn, when he
heard the merry voice of Wilhelmina
calling him to come Immediately and
see the dover st. Nicholas had sent
her, and her light laughter was such
as he had never heard before. So he
soon arose with his good wife, and
Wilhclmina ran and embraced them
ana kissed them. and wishing them a
merry Christmas, and said she would
soon be married, for st. Nicholas had
at last answered her fathers prayers,
and conducting her parents to the
kitchen she pointed to the great, fat
goose lying on the table, completely
surrounded by immense heaps of gilt.
tering, gold coins.
Peter Van Arsdale gazed in confused
wonderment at the sight, as though in
dream, while Wilhelmina explained
Il found the goose this morning, with
st. Nicholas note, and so l brought
it out here, thankful to have even such
gift, and l Immediately commenced
to prepare it for our Christmas dinner
After | had singed it placed it on the
table, for it was very heavy, and when
thrust the knife into it something
hard was hit. ] made long incison
and then lifted the goose up to see
what strange thing had struck the
knife, when out flowed not golden eggs
but all these heaps Of golden coins, an(
so st. Nicholas has answered youl
prayer; and Ill soon be married"
Now, TO end this true Christina:
legend, which happened in old New
York two hundred and thirty-twt
years ago, it must be told how thi:
goose came to give the shower Of golt
for Wilhelmina, and made her the
happy bride Of the young Amsterdam
merchant. 1t happened in this wise
On that Christmas eve, Jacobus Var
Vechten had succeeded in chartering ;
ship, and had received a large advance
in gold on his stock Of furs from th'
old Dutch skipper who commanded th'
craft, and Jacobus thought he woult
give the old lnisef Andreas Van Terwil
leger, a genuine surprise, and so h'
bought the biggest goose he could fine
in all New Amsterdam, and when ht
had had it killed and drawn, he stuffed
it full Of gold coins, covering tn,
amount he owed the old money-lender
and then neatly scwed it up and sen
it to him with the pretended messag,
that it WAS a gift from st. Nicholas
sUpposing that when the old fellow
discovered the trick lie would have {
good laugh. The sequel shows thert
were surprises all around, and the de
scendants of Peter Van Arsdale, wht
live in New York to this day, tell tn,
story Of the beautiful ancestress, vii
helmina, and the golden goose, and th'
legend has passed into the truthful
Dutch history of New Amsterdam
only the insignia of the Society of st
Nicholas, instead of being a cock, a
seen on the weather-yane of the st
Nicholas hotel, should be big fat -
Golden Goose.