The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-10
WInDFALL OF WILD GEESE.
soREEGHING OF GRANDPA's UN-
 CREASED CART WHEELS

CREASED CART WHEELS Sought ,Em Down in que Dark and
 He Gathered sEm In.
 No Thanksgiving dinner is complete In Maine unless there is an Indian pud- ding. made from home grown corn and filled with sweet apples from the home orchard, holding a place by the side of the roast turkey. Ruel Butterteld, or Frankfort. has inherited taste for h. dian pudding from his ancestors, and not for more than a century has the family omitted to have one prepared &C., cording to the ancient formula. ..e .s
 The Butterfieid corn crop was light this year and 1t had been slow about ripening, but two days before Thanks giving Reuel had shelled out bag from the best ears and was ready to go to the grist mili. The family horse was away at the village, having gone after a load of groceries. So the cid man hitched his oxen into the aged two wheeled cart, which had not been used since haying, and started for the mill in that.
 The wooden axles were very dry and squeaked for want of grease, but as Butterfield did not discover the fact un- til after leaving home 1t caused him small worry. He knew he could apply a pork rind after he returned, and a little noise, more or less, was nothing on frozen ground, where the wheels made load rumbling.
 At the mill he found that most of his neighbors were present, having their corn turned into meal, and as he was among the last to arrive it was grow ing dark before he could get away on the Journey home.
 The dry cart wheels, which had com plained loudly in the morning, were more sclamorous than ever going. home. Every time they turned around the dry rings Of .Ton came iii contact with dry spots on the wooden axle, causing 1t to give out squeaks and grunts and howls, which grew louder and more prolonged as the team advanced toward the farm house.
 There was always a sharp squeal at the beginning, followed by something which sounded like "honk," after which would come other honks by the score, with now and then ng-drawn-out honk to mark tally. Twice on his wa athe old man got off from the cart tongue behind the oxen and poured wa ter on the smoking hubs to prevent them from taking fire with the friction. Then. having performed what he con- sidered his duty, he went back to his jolting seat and fell asleep.
 The oxen had descended the long hill at trot and were crossing the meadow where the road was clad in ice when Butterfield woke up with start, and was almost scared to find the air filled with the outcrfes of tngreased cart wheels. @,..
 The noise came to him from overhead and from every side. The dry wheels called aloud for grease. and the cries were echoed from everywhere. After this the phantom cartwheels took shape and went by him with flying rims and twinkling spokes and groans for more grease. They dashed at him from the darkness and hit him in the face and pounded upon his head until he drew his goad stick and gave battle in self defence.
 The goad struck right and left, and with every blow the old man saw his enemies go down. Meantime the oxen, frightened by the blows, ran away and did not stop until they reached the farrnyard. The farmer told his story and was put to bed by his scornful kin dred, who believed he had taken more Thanksgiving fluid than was good for him. e. ss.t..&
 Early next morning the old mans grandson was sent out to hunt a fur cap and some mittens which had been lost on the journey home He came back with a wagon loaded with the bod les of wild geese.
 tGran'pa was all right in seeing fly ing wheels said young Reuel. q found more than twenty dead geese where he had killed them with his goad stick, and I guess there are lot more in the woods. You see the geese came along flying through the fog, and hear ing the cart wheels calling for more grease, nlistook the sound for other wild geese. They flew so near to grandpa's lead that they woke him up. After that more anne along, and he grew mac and fit 'ein. The poles of tte wheels vas so much like the call of the geese that grandpa thought the air was full of uugreased wheels that had ome tl haunt him. guess we had better leave the cart as it is and go out tonight an6 try snd tote some more"--New York Sur