The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-12-05
A THANKSGIVING DINNER THAT
FLEW AWAY.

u unEt Wuab luako5 yOu Keep ILot
gander, year after yeare" said 1. one
EVENING. as we were sitting on the lawn
before the door. ..Is IL because he is q
kind Of q Watchdog, and keeps trouble
some people awayr
"No. child, no; do not wish to keep
most people away, not well-behayed
people. nor tn distress nor annoy any
one. The fact is, there is q story about
that gander that / do not like to speak
Otto every yone-something that makes
me feel tender toward him; so { at il
he needs q whipping. 1 would ratter do
1t. He knows something that no one
else knows. Ycu have heard me speak
Of Nathaniel. my Oldest boye"
YES"
That Is his picture in my room, you
know. loved Nathaniel-you can not
think how much loved Nathan el. 1t
was on my account that he went away.
"The farm did not produce enough
for us all. One year-that was I, n
years ago-we were sued for our taxes.
"sNathaniel,' sad /, Il will take
boarders.'
"Then he looked up to me and said
(Oh, how noble and handsome he APP
peared to meD:
.. Mother. will go to sea-
".Where" asked ], in surprise.
In q coaster
You and john can manage the
place. he continued. sOne of the ves-
sells sai's next week-Uncle Aaron's; he
offers to take me-
1t seemed best and he made prepa-
rntions to go.
1.-THE spring before, Skipper Ben
you have met Skipper Ben-had given
me some goose eggs; he had brought
them from Canada, and said that they
were wild-goose eggs.
II set them under hens. In four
weeks had three goslings, and one of
those goslings is that gander.
"Skipper Ben came over to see me
the day before Nathaniel was to sail
Aaron came with him.
81 said to Aaron:
What can give 10 Nathaniel to
carry to sea with him to make him
think of homea Cake, preserves, ap-
plesP i haven't got much; have done
all can for him, poor boy
:. Brother looked at me curiously,
and said:
"sGive him one of those wild geese,
and we viii fatten IL on shipboard and
viii have It for our Thanksgiving din
ner.'
"What brother Aaron said pleased
me. The young gander was q noble
bird, the handsomest Of the lot; and
resolved to keep the geese to kill for
my own use and 10 give hin to Nathan
1.-THE next morning-it was late in
September-I took leave of Nathaniel.
! tried TO be calm and cheerful and
hopeful i watched him as he went
down the walk with the gander strug-
Cling under his arms. A stranger
would have laughed. but Ibid not feel
like laughing, although the boys who
went coasting were usually gone but q
few months and came home hardy and
happy. ~
u saw him go over the hill. On the
top-he stopped and held up the gander.
He disappeared; yes, my own Nathan
lei disappeared. think of him now as
one who disappeared.
November came-it was q terrible
month on the coast that year. Storm
followed storm; the sea-faring people
talked constantly Of wrecks and losses.
could not sleep on the nights OF those
high winds. used to lie awake think
ing over ali the happy hours had lived
with Nathaniel.
Thanksgiving week came.
.'It was full Of an Indian-sammer
brightness after the long storms. The
nights were frosty, bright and calm.
al could sleep on those calm nights.
''One morning thought i heard q
strange sound in the woodland pasture.
II was Ike q wild goose. listened; It
was repeated. was lying In bed. I
started up-I thought I had been dream
Ing.
7'On the night before Thanksgiving
I went TO bed early, being very tired.
The moon was fun; the air was calm
and still. I was thinking Of Nathaniel,
and I wondered II he would, indeed,
have the gander for his Thanksgiving
dinner; II IL would be cooked as well
as would have cooked IL, and II he
would think of me that day.
81 was just going to sleep. when sud-
denly heard . sound that made me
start up and hold my breath.
"sHonkr
II thought It was dream followed
by q nervous shock.
".Honk honkr
There It was again. in the yard.
was surely awake and In my senses.
II heard the geese cackle.
" .Hosk! hos,E! honkr
s1 got out of bed and lifted the
curtain. It was almost as light as day.
Instead Of two geese there were three.
Had one Of the neighbor's geese stolen
awayP
II should have thought so, and should
not have felt disturbed. but for the
reason that none of the neighbors'
geese had that peculiar call-that horn
ike tone that had noticed in mine.
al went ont Of the door.
"The third goose looked like the very
gander I had given Nathaniel. Could
It bep
.I did not sleep. I rose early and
went 20 the crib for some corn.
1T toas q gander-a wild gander-
that had come in the night. He seemed
to know me.
'I trembled all over rs though had
seen ghost was 20 faint that sat
down on the mezI-chest.
..As was in that place. q bill pecked
against the door. The door opened.
The strange gander came hobbling over
the crib-stone and went to the corn-bin.
He stopped there, looked ut me, and
gave n sort of glad .honk," as though
Be knew me and was glad TO see me.
sT was certain that he was the gander
had raised, and that Nathaniel had
lifted into tho air when he gave me his
last recognition from the top of the HILL
.sIt overcame me- It was Thanks
giving. The church bell would soon be
ringing as on Sunday. And here was
Nafhanial's Thanksgiving dinner; and
brother Aaron's-had 1t flown away?
Where was the vesselP
aYears have passed-ten. You know
Iwaitsd and waitei for my boz to come
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