Morris tribune., 1898-05-04
FREEDOM RESTORED.
A Young California Farmers Kindness to
an Eagle He Had Seen Before.

an Eagle He Had Seen Before.
There was an interested crowd be-.
fore a large glass front. Everybody
that came along stopped either to
make inquiries or elbowed N toward
the window to see what the attrac-
ton was. Inside was magnificent
white headed eagle There was a
chain from it's right foot to huge
piece of iron, some water in pan,
an untouched piece of fish, few
sods and large card with the words
"For Sale
The big birds wings dropped ON
either side to it's feet. It's eyes were
glazed and dim looking 1t opened
and shut them now and then, but
never once turned them to the JOS
Ting, noisy crowd that stood just
outside the glass. There were no
marks of violence to be seen, but the
dull, pathetic eyes, the dropping
wings, the soiled white about the
head and the rufied feathers over
the body showed that the captive
had been in chains much longer
than it had been in the window
One of the crowd in the street
was sturdy young farmer who had
come into town early that morning.
He had pushed his way to the front
and stood looking in silence for
long time at the great, helpless bird.
He was sure he had seen it before
It had been captured, he learned
from what some of the crowd said,
in the country from which he had
come. That settled it. 1t was the
same bird. f@##.#
He had seen it on the mountain
where he sometimes had hunted for
stray sheep. He knew the big pine
in the top of which it had its nest.
He had noted it soar majestically
and free about him as he worked in
the valley and had seen it sit mo-
tionless for hours on the top of some
tall, distant ranpike. Now and then
he had had suspicion that it had
carried off an occasional lamb and
had more than once tried to shoot |
the bird, but had never succeeded in
getting near enough. asasae
The young farmer elbowed his
way along the window to the door
of the store. Then he went in.
"What dye want for that birds"
he said. "I'd like to buy i'm. -
"Two dollars" was the reply.
every we'll, I'll take i'm. " 49,. :,
He paid over the money, and the
bird was handed out to him. i
The crowd at the window watched
eagerly as the farmer came out with |
the big eagle under his arm and
went straight across the street to
where a ladder leaned against a bill |
board that was some. 10 or ~ feet
high. At the foot of the ladder he
stopped and took the chain from the
birds leg. Then he went slowly up
and placed his old friend or enemy, |
he was not sure which, but no diff
forenoon the top of the billboard |
and came down.
The great bird had been a prison
er so long that it seemed for time |
to have forgotten how to be free, It.
sat for awhile as it had sat in the |
window, but gradually it came to it.
self. It lifted first one dropping wing |
and tucked it closely to its side, then
the other. It raised itself slowly to
its full height and stretched out its
great head toward the sky. The |
dullness went out of the eyes and
fierce new light flashed in; then,
nervously stretching out it's huge
pinions on either side and taking a
step or two forward, it rose with a
hoarse scream and swept out toward
the sun.
A burst of applause from the
crowd met the farmer as he recross-
ed the street.
II had seen him on the noun
tain," he said, IAN I couldn't bear
to see him there" He pointed to
the window, then in moment he
was gone.-The Whittier.