RECREATION. 



dry and salty, as the family thought of 

 a juicy fat crane done to a delicious 

 brown. The little Knoltons went to 

 bed with visions of drumsticks and 

 soft dressing that would be almost 

 like Christmas. 



Early in the morning Knolton was 

 awakened by a great noise in the barn 

 yard. He got up at once and ran to 

 the window. Raising the blind he 

 saw a sight that made his nerves tin- 

 gle. Scattered over the yard, by the 

 well and even on the stable, were 

 scores of cranes. He understood it 

 in a moment. A late flock had decided 

 to pass the night on the fresh fields, 

 but attracted by calls from Jack, had 

 come right into the yard. They were 

 quite at ease, flapping their wings and 

 beginning to move about as it grew 

 daylight. 



All feverish with excitement Knol- 

 ton loaded his old gun, pounding down 

 the powder with muffled strokes and 

 spilling some shot, which sounded on 

 the floor like hail. When all was 

 ready he went quietly to the window 

 and opened it. The flock were grad- 

 ually moving away from the house, 

 showing signs of restlessness. Knol- 

 ton hesitated a moment. What if he 

 should kill Jack? Not likely among 

 so many. Still he hesitated. They 

 were getting farther ofT. Soon his 

 gun would not reach them. Then 

 with joy he noticed one leave the 

 flock and turn back. That must be 

 Jack. Knolton raised his gun and 

 fired into the flock. 



With a mighty clamor and flopping, 

 fully ioo blue cranes rose into the 

 air and sailed away, leaving one of 

 their number dead on the ground. 

 Knolton rushed on the game and 

 started in triumph with it to the house. 

 Suddenly he turned in alarm. Where 

 was Jack? He was nowhere to be 

 seen and considerable hunting and 

 calling only assured Knolton that 

 Jack was gone. Thoroughly fright- 

 ened, Knolton returned to his game. 

 This then must be Jack. His master 



felt like a murderer. Lifting the dead 

 bird tenderly he bore him to the house. 

 His wife and children were up and 

 received the news woefully. The chil- 

 dren recognized Jack by a thousand 

 little marks and both their parents 

 could now identify him. 



A sad party took breakfast that 

 morning at Knolton's. The children 

 looked with tearful, reproaching eyes 

 at their father, and Mrs. Knolton shed 

 silent tears. Knolton ate little, feel- 

 ing too much like a criminal, and he 

 would have given his best cow if 

 he could have put life into that poor 

 bird. 



After breakfast the whole family 

 went to the garden, where Mr. Knol- 

 ton dug a drave in the corner of the 

 plot and Jack was buried, wrapped in 

 white and enclosed in a soap box. 

 Many tears were shed over his grave 

 and a small wooden slab was placed 

 to mark his resting place. The chil- 

 dren planted flower seeds around it 

 and great gloom settled over the 

 family. 



With heavy heart Mr. Knolton 

 went to his work that day. He 

 plowed till noon and then unhitched 

 and turned his horses' head toward 

 home. As he went slowly along he 

 heard in the distance the familiar cry 

 of the lone crane. It made him shiver. 

 Nearer and nearer it came until it 

 seemed so close that he wondered at 

 its boldness. Looking up he saw it 

 coming straight for him. It lit a 

 few paces from him and walked 

 across to him in quite the same old 

 way. Filled with joy Knowlton hur- 

 ried home while the mild horses won- 

 dered at his haste. The children 

 ran out to meet him, clasped the bird 

 round the neck and kissed him. 

 Even the pig squealed gleefully and 

 at once renewed his attacks. 



As for Jack's double, the little 

 Knoltons say that Pa dug in the 

 garden that afternoon and that there 

 was crane on the bill of fare at sup- 

 per time. 



