The evening Republican., 1902-05-26
GREAT CAPTURE
ny 'ALDsH sAnDaRsoM.

Maine; but most OF the winter of 1900 had
>aszed when Abel Cushman and his wife set
IL, with horse and sleigh, to visit Mrs.
rushman's brother, who lived about 20
niles away. They left their bow Charley.
aged IA, to keep house and care for the cows
,heep and poultry at the barn, And in order
that he might not be lonely. they had sent
Town to Oldtown for his cousin. Charley
Stetson, to come and stay with him.
Mrs. Cushman had cooked food enough for
The bows during the week thew Wound he
Alone. To save them from that miscbievo,ls
dleness which Greens upon bows when thew
play all day long. MIR. Cushmau set off
lection of the woodpile for them TO reduce
10 stove wood. IL was a small section. how.
ever. hardly more than cord: thew would
Tot be OBLIGED to work ON it more than an
,our each day.
There was still much snov unon the
rround: but on the fourth dav after the de-
oarture of Mr.. and Mrs lsnshm,n there
ame a rainstorm which laid the fields hare
in spots, raised the brooks and flooded the,
pond behind the Cushman wood.lot till the
water stood a foot deem on the winter ice.
As it CHANGED, this portion Of the statelay
near the snow line: which mean, that NOT
man; many miles to the northward there
we're sleet and snow instead Of rain while
10 the southwark nearly all the snow had
gone. Looking north and northwest
Mount katuhdn showed wholly white. 70
the south the hills Law hare and brown Tba
rain ceased and the sky cleared in mart on
the next afternoon. Durino the foilow;ng
rorn at the sittius.room tireplace, Charley
Stetson thoupht that he heard n oueer noise
IN the chimney
"Sounds like peese" he said T,ots Of
reese a long way off =;
He continued hearing If nj he sbook tbe !
rorn and at last tba two hovs ran to the ont.
,ide door 10 listen, Then indeed thew
heard pease in earnest The skv the fields
and the whole surrounding countrv an. !
peared to he full of goose,
II was too dark 10 see them however and
Tor a long time the two lads stood at tho I
door. and listened to the cI,mor For moi
onIy were aocks passing over hut other
fIorl,s anpeared 10 be c;rcl;ny ahou, i, ron. /
fusion ar alarm
"Wi,d ucese Av;rg north said Chorlav
lmshman "Tbev fv every snrinq Inf !
never heard an mary.beforen Neither had
anyone else mot even the oldest inhabi,ant
although thi, repion il in thc-,;oe .f the
rreat ANIMAL snr;np migration of Wild geese
from the southern coast northward 10 Hind.
,on Raw
But this season the unusual meteorolop.
cal conditions must have been misleading,
Finding the earth bare of snow along the
coast and for 80 miles inland. the Aocks seem
% have passed the watchword to fly north,
But as they reached the latitude Of Malta.
yamlear. they upexpec,edly found the
whole country still buried in snow: and all
he lakes, streams and small ponds sealed
With ice,
The Hocks in advance turned back at the
mall lakes in alarm, or from lack Of food;
md when these retreatinp Horks met others
coming IN from the south great soualling
prevailed. The cap,oin randers loudly
,bused one another Somebody had blum.
lered. Nobody, that is to saw, no goose.
Knew what TO do. and it ended in many
thousands of geese aliphtjne in the fields and
III along the streams and nouds IN the snow
inc
The Aocks wore hungry and d;s,urhcd
md there was lille to cat excen. era a. roots
n The fields The unroar all n;oht was fro.
nendous; the two Charleys hardly closed
.heir ewes, and daylight revealed the fields
gray with wild geese, They were literally
rrnbbinp nm ihe entire farm
Mr. Cus Imam o,v,ed ann b,t ho hal
.,l,op Good cara to leave no ,,,mn,it;o, in
Ike house rho hovs rnabIo IN Shoot mo
,rese attemn,e1 70 dr;va Them out If tho
;,I1s rho a,rks rosa a. thov ran toward
hem and Ncw owov 10 ad;o;nipo Gn,ds. but
,ther N,ol, soor tool the;r n,,e,
Dur;ro tbe a,ternoon snow SQUALLS swami
avn fron, KstahJ;n anJ oo11 ,,,,,,, aar,o
~. i was hii,nalv fr,.tv .nd ,,,o,l, nv
,oyt ,rorn;nr ,ho ,an,,,or,,,,, =, NIL
Hamke,g was fen dcgrees below zero All
he omen puddles Of water froze solid The
reese probably had Turned southw,rd.
here were few TO be seen at DAYLIGHT but
he bors heard great clamor at The nond
beyond the wood lot. and wrann;nc tbem'
elves II, warm thev wont th,nnab tho
woods IA 500 what was eo;ng On
Several hundred peasa ware on ,he nond
some nvnc obou, over if o,hers r;s;no in
|ba air and SIN others a ,nn;no u,;IlI, m
The surface If the leo. all were raising n nro
3jrious cl,mor,
A. ,bo h,vs Jrou norman ,,,o,, Ill.,.
ar w. ,oo,,a aI.l's,,a,t .''u'
;,,u,. r.oro ,,,,II, - 70 i 80 a.
rrth of ,Lo ,;t,,t;an n,,;ro,,, Ma.
'han, LrnlraJ aaa,a ,,,a,o f,.aa. ;.,a ~
leo whnrs thsv IaJ s,t in tho ua, ,,,r' a W."
,onlI nj avir;oato tLa;r ,ans Tho oa,i