Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-03-15

Scotch. That was the beginning. 1t took
me years to break myself of the habit.
But there" he continued, lit has al
ways been the same. l hadn't been fort
night in my first situation before my en-
ployer gave me goose weighing Is pounds
as a Christmas present"
We'll, that couldn't have done you any
HARM" remarked. THAT was lucky
enough"
80 the other clerks said at the time, "
he replied. The old gentleman had never
been known to give anything away before
in his life He's taken a fancy to you,
they said. You are lucky beggarp"
He sighed heavily. 1 felt there was q
story attached.
"What did you do with it?' asked.
"That was the trouble, he remarked
II did not know what to do with it. 1t
was 10 O'Clock on Christmas eve, just as l
was leaving, that he gave it to me. It'd
ding Bros. have sent mo a goose, Bicycles, ;
he said to me as | helped him on with his
greatcoat. Very kind of 'em, but / don t
want it myself You can have it,.
"Of course / thanked him and was very
grateful. He wished me merry Christmas
and went out. l tied the thing up in
brown paper and took it under my arm
1t was fine bird but heavy.
under all the circumstances, and it
being Christmas time, l thought 1 would
treat myself to a glass of beer. l went
into quiet little house at the corner Of
the lane and laid the goose on the counter.
That's a big un, said the landlord.
You'll get good cut off him tomorrow
His words set me thinking, and for
hn IL ctr hnt / Il Hn1
want the bird; that it was no use to me at
all. l was going to spend Christmas with
my young lady's people in Kent"
WAS this the canary young LADY,"
interrupted.
that one. 1t was this goose I'm telling
you of that upset this one. Well, her folks
were big farmers. 1t would have been alb
surd taking goose down to them, and
knew no one in London to give it to, so
when the landlord came round again
asked him if he would care to buy it. 1
told him he could have it cheap.
II don't want it myself he answered.
I've got three in the house already. Per
haps one of these gentlemen would like to
make an offer
He turned to a couple of chaps who
were drinking gin. They didn't look to
me worth the price of a chicken between
them The seediest said he'd like to look
at it, however, and l undid the parcel.
He mauled the thing pretty considerably
and even examined me as to how l came
by it, ending by ursetting half a tumbler
of gin and water over it. Then he offered
me half crown. 1t made me so angry
that l took the brown paper and the string
in one hand and the goose in the other and
walked straight out without saying word.
II carried it in this way for some dis
lance, because l was excited and didn't
care how l carried it, but as l cooled be-
gan to reflect how ridiculous must look.
One or two boys evidently noticed the
same thing. l stopped under lamppost
and tried to tie it again. / had a bag and
an umbrella with me at tho same time,
and the first thing did was to drop the
goose into the gutter which is just what
l might have expected to do, attempting
to handle four separate articles and three
yards of string with one pair of hands. l
picked up about II quart of mud with that
goose and got the greater part of it over
my hands and clothes and fair quantity
over the brown paper, and then it began
to rain.
Il bundled everything up into my arm
and made for the nearest pub, where l
thought | would ask for piece more string
and make a neat job of it,
1.-The bar was crowded. 1 pushed my
way to the counter and flung the goose
down in front of me. The men nearest
stopped talking to look at it, and a young
fellow standing next to me said:
Well, you've killed it. l dare say l
did seem Il bit excited,
Il had intended making another effort
to sell it here, but they were clearly not
the right sort. l had pint of ale-for l
was feeling somewhat tired and hot
scraped as much of the mud off the bird
as l could, made a fresh parcel of it and
came out.
Crossing the road happy idea occurred
to me. thought would rattle it. At once
l set to work to find house where there
might seem to be likely lot. 1t cost mo
three or four whiskies-for felt didn't
want any more beer, which is a thing
which easily upsets me-but at length l
found just the crowd | wanted, a quiet
domestic looking set, in "a homely little
place off the Goswell road.
Il explained my views to the landlord
llO btllNl IlC ltN ODJCCllOll. Iic SuDlJOSbO
would stand drinks round afterward. 1
said l should be delighted to do so and
showed him the bird.
1T looks bit poorly, he said. He
was Dovonshiro man.
"Oh, that's nothing, l explained. L
happened to drop it. That will all wash
off
SIT smells bit queer, too, he said.
"'That's mud, answered You know
what London mud is. And a gentleman
spilled some gin over it. You won't notice
that when it's cooked.
"'Wcll, he replied, I don't think I'll
take hand myself but if any other gent
likes to that's his affair.
Nobody seemed enthusiastic. started
it at siXpence. | took ticket myself. The
potman had a free chance for superintend-
ing the arrangements and succeeded in in
ducing five other men, much against their
will, to join us. l won it myself and paid
out three and twopence for drinks. A
solemn looking individual who had been
snoring in a corner suddenly woke up as
was going out and offered me sevenpence
ha'penny for it, why sevenpence l have
never been able to understand. He would
have taken it away, l should never have
seen it again, and my whole life might
have been different, but fate has always
been against me. l replied with perhaps
unnecessary hauteur that wasn't a des-