Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-06-15
GEESE AS prophetic.


."As hnow More Than the
signal Service Department
May be you have often noticed "
sad dealer in feathers, .that soms
farmers keep geese year in and wear
out, let them have the run of the farm
ana seem to show them all kinds ~
consideration, yet are always swearing
mat they are the biggest nuisance that
IL could be possible to have around. II
you have noticed that peculiarly in
the daily rounds of the husbandman
you have doubtless also wondered wbv
IN blazes the farmer kept such NUS
ances around his premises. 1 used r,
wonder why it was myself, but never
found out the reason until one day last
summer. was out on a Jersey farm
spending my vacation. The farmer had
pig Hook of geese. and he was eter-
naiiy 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 cron.
ping grass down along the road, a
great big gander leading them on.
Peace, tranquility and contentment
spoke in every movement the lawn-de.
stroying bipeds made.
~ Ihere wasn'ta cloud in the sky.
Inc farmers men were working with
out much apparent vim at rakinp and
loading hay down in 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 go. All the geese poked
up their necks at the sound Of the
gander's voice, lifted their wings and
with a chorus of noises that only a
hook 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 few in the direction
OF pond short distance from the
road. The geese raised and few after
him, filling the air with their discordant
cries. Gander and geese alighted in
the pond. where they all gathered in a
bunch, held a consultation or congratu-
latory confab in subdued chorus Of
cackles and went through all sorts Of
maneuvers on the pond for time,
when they separated and swan about
as placidly as they had been feeding a
few minutes before.
''At 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 be
turned toward the meadow. said:
There's them dinged haydn 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
THE farmer hurried down to the
meadow, spurred up the men, and len
hearty hand himself at the hay. Be
fore many minutes had passed l saw
clouds banking themselves in the hor
lion. and presently the mutter of dis
tant thunder was heard among them
The farmer was right. In an hour
time one of the hardest thunderstorm
I ever saw was raging over that part o
New Jersey, and it caught the last LOAF
of the old mans hay in transit. Afte
supper that night questioned my hos
on the geese. and found that the reasol
he kept them was to keep him poste
on the weather.
"'They hain't never failed me yet,
he said. When l git up in the mornin
an see them geese out on the pom
a-divin' an a-dressin' down their feath
ers as if they was gettin' ready to 60 t
some party or other, | know that we'r
sure of clear warm, dry weather, an
make my Gale lations 'cordin'ly. If the
!, hain't a-dressin' of themselves much
u but act kinder as if it wasn't to- niue
account a-sprucing up, then l keep m
I eve on 'em. That's warnin' that we
,, in danger of spell O. weather. If tn
! geese quits the pond an don't go bac
much through the day, know that tn
] danger holds, an git ready for ST
rain of day or SO. If they feed alon
awhile and waddle back to the pom
kinder clipper like, and go to dressil
themselves and divin' then I'm poot
sartin' that they won't be no set raj
. commencin' that day. If the geese gi
up all of a student an tears aroun
like you see 'em this afternoon, the
there's a shower comm, an it
a.nnnin' fast. We kin bet. wv Y SUI