The Gray Gooses Story | Page 9

once more.
"It isn't what you might really call a story," Mrs. Goose replied. "I only
spoke of it to remind Mr. Gander how he himself talked about those
who think only of what can be eaten. Not more than a month ago Mrs.
Wild Goose flew down into our yard, and one would have thought that
she owned the entire farm, to hear her talk.
"'This seems to be quite a comfortable place,' she said, walking around
and poking her bill into every corner before she had spoken to any of us.
'I have seen better yards, of course; but a goose who has traveled as
much as I have, learns to make the best of everything. It looks as if Mr.
Man gave you all you wanted to eat.'
"'So he does,' Mr. Dorking Rooster said, and we have nothing to do but
enjoy ourselves.'
"'Indeed!' Mrs. Wild Goose cried. 'Then I'll stay right here. The doctor
says I mustn't move around very much, and the climate seems to agree
with me.'
"Well, she was the greediest goose I ever saw. She would gobble up
fully half of all the food that was brought into the yard, before one of us
had time to swallow a single mouthful, and it did seem as if she
couldn't get enough. Even Mr. Gander, who has just shown how greedy
he can be, said that it really made him feel faint to see her show of
gluttony.
"When Mrs. Wild Goose had been with us about two weeks, Betty, the
housemaid, came into the yard with a cloth over her head, and a big
apron on. All of us who lived there knew what it meant, and ran for
dear life, with Mrs. Wild Goose at our heels, as she shrieked:
"'What is she going to do?'

"'She's going to pull out our feathers with which to stuff pillows and
beds for Mr. Man to sleep on,' Mr. Gander said.
[Illustration: Mrs. Wild Goose Goes Away in a Hurry.]
"Dear me, dear me, I never will put up with such treatment as that! I
only came here for a change of air and food, and couldn't think of
parting with my feathers!'
"Then, without stopping to thank us for the pleasant visit, off she flew
to find another place where she could make a glutton of herself without
having to pay or work. Some birds seem to think, as did Mrs. Pea-Hen,
that they have nothing to do in this world but enjoy themselves; but I've
lived long enough to know that we must do our full share of the work,
if we want to take part in the play."
"What did Mrs. Pea-Hen believe," your Aunt Amy asked, and Mrs.
Gray Goose replied:

WHEN MRS. PEA-HEN ABANDONED THE ORPHANS.
"She always has looked, and always will look first after her own
comfort or pleasure, no matter how much others may suffer. Any other
bird on this farm would have been so ashamed, after doing what Mrs.
Pea-Hen has, that she'd never hold up her head again, and what I'm
going to tell you isn't the first selfish thing she has done.
"About four weeks ago Mrs. Pea-Hen made a great fuss over wanting
to bring up a family, and began to set on anything and everything she
could find that looked like an egg. Well, Mr. Man made a nice nest for
her, and put in it thirteen white eggs. No hen could have asked for a
better place in which to show what she was able to do, and whenever
any of us went to call on her, Mrs. Pea-Hen had a great deal to say
about what she would do when her family came out of the shells.
"I can't deny but that she sat there faithfully, and took proper care of the
eggs, and, of course, out came thirteen as pretty little chickens as you
could want to see. Mrs. Pea-Hen seemed to be real proud because she
had so many babies, and after the last one was hatched she called all of
them out for a walk.
"They came from the nest with considerable noise, such as all
youngsters make, and no sooner did she hear the first peep than Mrs.
Pea-Hen turned around like a flash, looking at first one and then
another until she had seen the whole brood.

"'Why, they are nothing but ordinary chickens!' she cried, and off she
walked, paying no heed to the poor little things when they called after
her for something to eat.
"'Are you going away and leave those dear little babies with no one to
care for them?' Mamma Speckle asked angrily, and Mrs. Pea-Hen
replied, as if to say she didn't allow any one to meddle