JIMMY THE GOOSE 61 



ing. At the suggestion of his mother he cropped Jimmy's 

 wings before letting him out of the crib. 



Jimmy was forlorn for days, but finally made up for his 

 misfortune by hanging about the house and making friends 

 with the good mother. When she sat by the window sew- 

 ing, Jimmy was quite sure to station himself on the out- 

 side. He would sometimes sit for hours just outside the 

 window, watching her as she was about her work. She 

 had the habit of tapping on the window to call Jimmy 

 when she was ready to feed him. In time he associated tap- 

 ping on the window with food, and from that time, when 

 he wished to be fed, he would come to the window and tap, 

 tap, tap with his bill until the desired food came. 



There was an old lady in the neighborhood who always 

 raised a large flock of geese and sold feathers. For years 

 she had believed that if she could get a strain of half-breed 

 wild geese she would not only secure more feathers, but 

 when selling time came she might be able to sell the birds 

 as wild geese for a high price. Accordingly she would not 

 be satisfied until she owned Jimmy. 



Aunt Leah possessed a donkey as well as her geese. 

 Jimmy took no interest in her geese at all, but stayed by 

 himself in the donkey's pasture. At first he was furious 

 every time the donkey would bray, and the donkey resented 

 Jimmy's noise every time Jimmy grew lonesome and 

 honked. Sometimes the donkey would try to stamp on 

 Jimmy, but he was too quick for her, and it usually ended 

 by the donkey whirling to kick at Jimmy, who would 

 grasp her by the tail and pound her with his wings. Often 

 he would chase her all over the pasture in this way. But 

 both were lonesome and in time grew to be the closest of 

 friends. Wherever you saw the one the other was sure to 



