The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-22
THE HAUNTED CORN FIELD.
A THANKSGIVING STORY.


the old home fire, and Of all the tales that
used to be told by natural story-tellers on
the unipod, tripod or red settle, / know
of none that has a more genuine mystery
or that leaves on the mind a more pleas
ing impression.
L am uncertain as to the place where the
leading and suggestive incident occurred.
but will locate it in one OF the interesting
places where the story used TO be told.
There was In the latter part of the last
century great house with gambrel roof.
on hill overlooking the Mount Hope bay,
of historic fame. at place called Bowerss
Shore. at Somerset, Mass. Here lived a
widow by the name of lie Doit, who had
one daughter and five sons. Her youngest
son, a boy OF some fifteen years, was
named Biel. He had not been used well
by his brothers. for the reason that he had
a yielding disposition that could be easily
imposed upon. and that his generous and
afectionate nature made him a favorite
with his mother. his teachers and neigh
bors. and that excited the jealousy Of the
younger members Of his own family. He
became restless and unhappy. and began
to cherish desire, that was not uncom-
mon among farmers boys who lived near
to ports at that time, to so 20 sea-
Near Somerset, on the Fall river side
OF the bay. are large fresh-water ponds.
Here the fiocks or wild geese used some
times TO stop on their long journey from
the North to the South lake regions, and
at such a time the boy Bel once caught a
wild goose, and brought it to his home and
tied it by its legs to a post in the yard.
The captive wild goose excited a great
interest in the neighborhood, where events
outside of the coming and going of schoon-
It; the teacher of the school, and the min
lister himself. Children gathered in the
yard day by day, and it was kind of holi-
boy Biel drove up the home flock of geese
from the laurel pasture to make the ac-
quaintance of the feathered stranger. who
had, indeed, fallen from very high estate
and had been left TO very lowly associa-
lions. The domestic geese seemed to be
greatly surprised to find the royal stranger
thus pinned down to the earth in the farm
yard. and long and loud were their SEEM
ing discussions in regard to the matter.
But after time the wild goose seemed to
learn the language Of the flock, and 10 be-
come friendly, and Biel cut her wing feath-
ers so that she could not mount again into
the regions of the air. and gave her liberty
to waddie about with her kind in the lau-
rel pasture, which she usually did little
apart from the mock.
Inc next spring brought a wonder. The
wild goose maac Tor herself curious nest
IN the laurel pasture, at a pace called the
hazel pool" 1t was hidden nest, and
Il contained nine eggs when bel found II.
But one DAY, wnen the cowsIlps were be-
ginning to border tie nazei poor, Biel went
down 10 the pasture and found the wIId
goose sitting upon her nest, dead. Some
one had shot her. The grief OF the boy
as he came bringing her home in his arms
was intense and bitter lie suspected one
OF his own brothers as the doer of this act
OF cruelty. and the result OF it was that
GOODNESS sprang up between him and the
other boys.
Mother" he said one day, 81 have no
place here; let me go to sea-"
'Oh, Bel, SAID his mother, thou art
an oversensitiye lad. 1t is the wild goose
Cheer up, boy; we are all OF us sorry that
the goose has been shot; there is not one
OF the family that would have injured her.
Some one shot the goose accidentally.
thinking that she was game"
The woman looked distressed. She was
about TO raise her white apron to her face
when she felt a touch on her shoulder
Annie! she SAID, looking around.
You can set the wild gooSe'S eggs under
hens, mum, an they will hatch out mum,
and Blel VIII have his wild goose again,
mum, and dozen OF EN-. mum. On, it
makes our hearts heavy to see Bel so
down in the mouth, mum. Bel has been
good TO me, mum; ne means TO be good TO
Annie" said Mrs. lie Dot, you are
right. L like to feel your touch on my
shoulder; it IL always followed by healing
Annie says2"
Annie was a Scotch-Irish work girl, a
little older than himself. She had true,
feeling heart. and he liked her. His face
THAT will. 1 will set the goose's eggs
under hens"
He bounded away. saying, "Oh, Annie
you shall have half the gosl1ngs if the eggs
hatch. will ever be true TO you. You
have heart to be remembered on land or
sea"
\, The wild goose's eggs were set under
hens. but only one OF them Matched This
one gosling Biel took into the house, and
the Drlgnt, pretty, Gowny thing became the
pet of the family. Every person in the
neighborhood seemed to take an interest
in IL. for the people had all been sorry for
the boy when the wild goose had been
found shot. The costing was called the
bushel basket
AS the Cade became older, Bel took him
out OF the basket each day and let him
pluck the tender grass in the back yard
The back door, or porch door, opened into
an entry, out OF which was a cupboard
in the lower part of this cupboard Annie
the work girl, kept the Cade gosling's food
Wnlcn consisted or Indian meal and water
called dough When the Cade had become
cupboard. and often as he was in the
yard and the porch door was open, he
and find the dough dish on the floor of the
cupboard.
There was revival of trade between the
Rhode Island ports and Hayti. The French
revolution had freed the slaves on that
island. and Toussaint L'Ouverture OF i'm
mortal memory. had become the leader of
the emancipated race. Napoleon as first
consul. had caused these black peonle to
be re-enslaved, and the world knows the
struggle for liberty that Toussaint
L-Ouverture made against the cruel and
unjust decree.
AT this time big. lusty black man came
TO BowerSs Shore on one of his masters
vessels. he saw the American flag of ih
erty In the air. and his heart bounded He
was no gentle spirit like L'Ouverture: he
mad a soul OF fire. aud il made him rage to
remember the fnjusdce done to his peonle
rms strong negro, strange a 5 il may seem
under the name of Jean Jacques Dessa-
lines, became the leader of the Haytian
revolutionists. and after the fan of ToIIs-
saint caused himself to be proclaimed En-
Peror OF Hayu, under the title of jacques
This revival of trade with the heroic re-
puoiic or empire awakened in the farmers
poys In this part of Rhode Island and
massachusetts, a new enthusiasm for the
sea ana especially a desire 10 go 10 the
ports OF the Antilles. Biel may have met
DessanneS; at any rate. he had heard of
the noble struggle that Toussaint had made
IN sne Island or the mountains and palms
ana ne felt that he was one too MANY i'm
the large family. and he began to irrDor-
tune MS mother TO let him become a sailor
ana 10 let him go TO the West India
ISLANDS on one CT the vessels belonging TO
the Bowerses "
But IL Is wartime now" said the wild
ow. and IL Is dangerous to be in those
ports. You are the heart of my heart RIeI
and the world would seem TO he oone ~
YOU never came hack $40 ~