The Wild Geese of Wyndygoul 
ie we pitied him, self-deluded, faithful, doomed to a 
= long, lone life. 
a Then balmy April swished the woods with green; 
the lake was brimming clear. Old Blackneck 
never ceased to cruise and watch, and answer back 
such sounds as touched him. Oh, sad it seemed 
=< that one so staunch should find his burden in his 
= very staunchness. 
~. of 4 But on a day, when the peeper and the woodwale 
{ ever waiting, was astir, and more than wont. Who 
can tell us whence the tidings came? With head 
at gaze he cruised the open pond, and the short, 
: strong honk seemed sad, till some new excitation 
SN raised the feathers on his neck. He honked and 
“+. honked with a brassy ring. Then long before we 
heard a sound, he was bugling the marching song, 
and as he bugled answering sounds came—from 
the sky—and grew—then swooping, sailing from the 
blue, a glorious array of thirteen Wild Geese, to 
sail and skate and settle on the pond; and their 
loud honks gave place to softer chatter as they 
crowded round and bowed in grave and loving 
salutation. 
There was no doubt of it. The young were now 
mature and they seemed strange, of course, but this 
was sure the missing mate: the mother had come 
220 
: aN, ~ sang, there came the great event! Old Blackneck, 
f 
+ 
£. 
Mins 
ot litte the 
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