Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-17
A Wild Goose Chase.
1ghI" shiyered Uncle Tom.

"Brrrrughr shivered Uncle Tom.
"Hurray?' cried Harry. I'VE were afraid
you might be asleep. Uncle Tom
Afraid said his uncle. well. l don't
know how you can be afraid of me. espe-
ciauy when I'm asleep: when I'm awake
which I'm not now I'm harmless enough,
too"
''He wasn't afraid of YOU explained
Jessie We've been looking for you, Tn
Gle Tom; We want to hear a story, and we
feared you might be asleep. as you often
seem to be just at the time we want you"
so that's the reason you opened the win
dow and let that cold air get down my
back Is It'll" growled Uncle Tom. ITS high
time you were all In bed. and I'm not going
to spoil you by telling you adventures all
the time. Good night"
Tom and Harry looked at each other in
establishment and Jessie's eyes opened
wider and wider.
why, Uncle Tom, we just got UP a few
hours ago. and 1t isn't dinner time yet"
exclaimed Jessie Uncle Tom certainly did
say peculiar things sometimes. especially
when he was asked to relate one of his in
teresting adventures for the children.
You're dreaming" said he sleepily.
open your eyes and see-it's bright day
light-only II o'clock. said Tommy.
'Why so It is,' said their uncle, slowly
opening one eye isn't that strange, l was
sure It was time for you to go to bed
Brrrugh! but It's cold. Close that window
Tommy. for goodness sakei Jerusalem
crickets! Don't you know any better than
to open a window right on me in that way?
I'll get as bad a cold as did the time I
went on a wild goose chase
The window hasn't been open," replied
Tommy in a grieved voice. But we would
like to hear about the other time" he add
ed politely. Did you catch the gooseT'
Did r. exclaimed Uncle Tom. suddenly
getting very wide awake. THE goosei Well,
1 guess SO! 1t was at least twenty years
ago when was quite q lad. that some one
gave me a gun for Christmas, and I got
an idea I'd like to shoot some wild geese.
So 1 went down to Florida with my gun
and my dog Grover. had named him G.
Rover after ex-President Cleveland, when
he was small puppy-the dog I mean, Of
course. because Ii sounds something like
Rover. which Is a name you can always
give dog-in fact, never heard OF a cat
named Rover yet But, speaking of horse
cars, / hadn't an idea"
II don't just understand, Uncle Tom"
complained Jessie. 81 think you must be a
little mixed
That's just like GIRL" said Uncle Tom
Grossly. Just because you can't under
stand me you think I'm mixed 1 should
say you were mixed-it's all perfectly clear
ever. you are at liberty to get some one
else to tell You stories
beg your pardon said Jessie. meekiy.
only didn't see what horse cars had to
do with cats or cats with the dog you went
hunting Wild geese with"
What nonsense you do talk Jessie,
said her uncle. 7 shouldn't think anybody
could see that Well as was saving e.
Rover and I went to Florida to hunt We
borrowed small rowboat belonging to an
old fisherman who lived few miles from
the mouth OF the Ohio river"
But" commenced Harry.
you'd make the best kind of goat I
admit, Harry" Uncle Tom went on, ''but
butting makes me nervous. If you inter-
rupt again I shall recommend to your
mother that she give you an early bedtime
tonight. The boat did belong to the Old
fisherman, and I did borrow it, so there's
no but to the matter at all. After Grover
got in 1 put the gun in, and then taking
the oars off we started with the rising tide
up the river The wild geese were very
numerous in that cold latitude. and killed
hundreds. They sat around on the topmost
hit them, and as they fell into the water
G-Royer would dive after them and bring
them back in his mouth to the boat I was
kept so busy firing at the geese that
didn't have chance to feel cold, although
| knew 1t must be cold from the fact that
the salt water froze on Growers body as
soon as he got out of the water, and when
salt water freezes you may know that it Is
very cold indeed. When I decided to go
btck to the hotel the tide had turned and
row as hard as l might against 1t, 1t car
RED me down the river. past the fisher
ans landing. and on rapidly toward the
mouth of the river. There was nothing to
b., done to prevent our destruction. The
mouth OF the ocean was yawning before US.
and the tide was swiftly and surely con-
Quoting US by the quickest route to the
oceans stomach. There were no vessels
or boats of any kind on the Ohio that late
In the afternoon. so there was no l.keli-
hood of our being rescued.
1t had grown very cold; the snow was
falling. and poor Grover was shfvering
and sneezing- Just as had given up hope
OF ever seeing you again."
Why. Uncle Tom" commenced Tommy,
that was long before
something caught my eye," his uncle
went on. ignoring the Interruption. land
then caught 1t with my hand It was
nothing more nor less than a buoy. Per-
haps you think that q strange place FOR q
buoy to be in, but 1t was buoy with u.
and belonged there. That saved US for the
present. chung to It with all my might.
while Grover barked with joy. Then !
made him set down in the bottom Of the