Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-07-30
A GIRL AND
A GANDER.
BY M. QUAD

IL nad Deen decided III IhInlly cOuu-
ell that Miss Judith Bradshaw, daugh-
ter Of the banker, should spend the
summer in the country with her aunt.
There were two reasons for this The
first was that young Mr.. Stevens, of
good old family, but without much
cash, was calling at the house too fire.
quently for a mere acquaintance, and
the second was because a well known
oculist, who had been paid for max
ing the discovery, reported that Miss
Judith's eyes needed a long rest and
the green shade that the grass and
trees would throw over them.
Soon after Judith's arrival at the
farm Aunt Martha got word that her
sister, living ten miles away. was Ill,
and she hitched up the horse and
drove over there. When leaving she
said to her niece:
judith, It's going 10 be a hot day,
and l wish you'd look out for Wash
ington washington was a gandero.
If he's In the sun too much he gets
giddy and falls down as If dead. You
know l wouldn't have anything hap
pen to him for the world"
Judith solemnly promised, and the
aunt drove away, to return at sun
down. Then 1t was to find that things
had happened during the day and to
hear the whole story from her niece.
"Well." began Judith, 'as soon as
you went away 1 walked down to the
gate and looked down the road. 1
wasn't looking for anybody on any
thing, but just looking. You know
folks do sometimes just lookf"
yes"
II was just looking when that old
maid that lives at the next farm
house came along. Maybe she wanted
to speak to me, but l guess 1t was
simply to look at this muslin. / went
out to see the old gander. He was sit
ting under the wagon shed, but as
soon as l called Washington to him
he came nmping toward ne. I saw
at once that something allied him He
was jerking and trembling all over.
His one eye was rolled up to heaven.
his legs were spread out, and he was
making a kissing noise just as If he
was calling on me to saw his life. l
ran to the gate to see If there was a
man around to appeal to- There was
one coming up the road. l waved my
hand for him to hurry up"
$50 there was a manT'
"Yes, aunty. He just happened to
be coming along, you know"
"And did his name just happen to
be S~tevensT'
"Why aunty, how did You happen
to guess 1t the first time trying? Yes,
his name happened to be Stevens, and
when he came running up | called
upon him 10 save Washington's life or
lose his own-It was on your account
$1,000 Rnew now you would
take or II you came home and found
Washington dead You ought to have
seen how noble he vas He didn't
hardly wait to shake hands with me
and ask If that old maid was around"
"Then-then this Mr.. Stevens was
some one You had met before?S queried
the aunt
"Why-why, didn't I say that l had
met him once or twice in town? l am
so confused about Washington you
see. Well, we ran to the barnyard.
The poor thing lay right where he had
fallen. Not a leg kicked. Not an eye
lash quivered. Aunty. 1t was awful.
l don't know anything about first aid,
and l stood there wringing my hands
when Mr.. Stevens revealed the nobil-
ity Of his nature. He took Washing
ton up In his arms, just as II the poor
old gander had been a dying child, and
ran with him into the shade of the
shed. Then he stroked his back and
blew into his eyes and talked to him.
Then he sent me for a basin of water
and q rag. and after he had soaked
Washington's head he bound 1t up
with a wet rag. He also soaked his
feet to draw the fever down from his
head. / just wish you could have e
how heroic be acted. Some girls would
have fallen In love with him with that
old gander In his arms"
"But you didnt?"
"I told you how confused and over
come l was. It's a dreadful thing to
see your good aunts favorite gander
perish right before your eyes. Well,
when Washington got better we rubbed
his head with camphor, his legs with
vinegar and laid him OF a horse blan-
ket under the shed. He went to sleep
as quietly as an infant He seemed to
realize that he must do just as Arth-
MI. Stevens told him"
"And he didn't der
mo, aunty. Three hours later he
got off his siekbed and licked the old
black rooster. No, he didn't die. Mr..
Stevens says he will probably live
many years yet to bless you"
"And about this Mr.. Stevens? 1t
seems odd that he should be out here
In the country at the same time you
are
mot a bit of II. His eyes are also
i - IA