The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-04-19
GEESE AS PROPHETS.
stupid Birds That Know More Than the
Signal Service Department

Stupid Birds That Know More Than the
signal Service Department
MAY be you have often noticed"
said dealer in feathers. "that some
farmers keep geese year in and year
and seem to show them all kinds of
consideration, yet are always swearing
that they are the biggest nuisance that
it could be possible to have around. II
you have noticed that peculiarly in
the daily rounds of the husbandman,
you have doubtless also wondered why
in blazes the farmer kept such nuis-
ances around his premises. | used to
wonder why it was myself. but I never
found out the reason until one day last
summer. Twas out on a Jersey farm
spending my vacation. The farmer had
big flock of geese, and he was eter-
nally throwing the most hefty kind of
Jersey cuss words at them. One day l
sat on the farmers piazza talking with
him. The geese were placidly crop
ping grass down along the road, .
great big gander leading them on.
Peace, tranquility and contentment
spoke in every movement the lawn-de-
stroying bipeds made.
''There wasn't cloud in the skv.
The farmers men were working with
out much apparent vim at raking and
loading hay down in a meadow not far
away. Suddenly the old gander poked
up his head, gave voice to peculiar
squawk, lifted his wings and started off
on run as fast as his big web feet
would let him 60. All the geese poked
up their necks at the sound of the
gander's voice. lifted their wings and
with chorus of noises that only q
flock OF geese can produce, started
after the gander as tight as they could
waddle. The gander ran twenty yards,
perhaps and then, with wild shrek,
he took wing and flew in the direction
Of pond short distance from the
road. The geese raised and flew after
him, filling the air with their discordant
cries. Gander and geese alighted in
the pond, where they all gathered in u
bunch, held consultation or congratu-
latory confab in subdued chorus Of
cackles and went through all sorts of
maneuvers on the pond for a time.
when they separated and swan about
as placidly as they had been feeding o
few minutes before. So
cat the first movement of the gander
when he broke the tranquility of the
feeding flock, my friend, the farmer,
arose quickly to his feet, and as he
turned toward the meadow, said:
There's them dinged hayin' hands
workin' as if they had all the rest o
the year to get that hay in, an here
we're goin' to be ketched in tearin'
old shower in less'n an hour. or else
their hain't no use in keepin' geese
1.-The farmer hurried down to the
meadow, spurred up the men, and lent
hearty hand himself at the hay. Be-
fore many minutes had passed l saw
clouds banking themselves in the hor-
izon. and presently the mutter of dis
tant thunder was heard among them.
The farmer was right. In an hour s
time one of the hardest thunderstorms
ever saw was raging over that part of
New Jersey, and it caught the last load
of the old mans hay in transit. After
supper that night questioned my host
on the geese, and found that the reason
he kept them was to keep him posted
on the weather.
"They hain't never failed me yet
he said. When git up in the mornin'
an see them geese out on the pond
a-divin' an a-dressin' down their feath-
ers as if they was gettin' ready to go to
some party or other. know that we're
sure of clear. warm. dry weather, an I
make my calc' 'lations 'cordin'ly. II they
hain't a-dressin' of themselves much.
bat act kinder as if it wasn't to- much
account a-sprucing up, then keep my
eye on 'em. That a warnin' that we re
in danger of spell o weather. If the
geese quits the pond an don't go back
much through the day, / know that the
danger holds. an git ready for set
rain of day or so. If they feed along
awhile and waddle back to the pond
kinder clipper ike, and go to dressin'
themselves and divin' then I'M pooty
sartin' that they won't be no set rain
commencin' that day. If the geese gifts
up all of suddent an tears around
like you see 'em this afternoon, then
there's shower comm. an it's