were begun, the gray goose was decidedly
the fattest in the flock. Dan had always given Crippy a share of his
luncheon, or had supplied for him a separate and private allowance of
corn, and by this very care of his pet did he get into serious trouble.

"Dan's goose is the largest and the fattest, and I think we had better
kill him for the Thanksgiving dinner," Dan heard his father say three
days before Thanksgiving; and Mrs. Hardy replied:

"I had thought of that; gray feathers never bring as much money as white
ones, and the goose is terribly in the way; he is always in the house,
and always directly under foot."

Dan could hardly believe his own ears. The thought of killing and eating
Crippy seemed wicked. Why, he would as soon have thought his parents
would serve him up for dinner, as Crippy, and as for eating any of his
pet, it would, to his mind, be little short of cannabalism.

"You wouldn't be so wicked as to kill Crippy, would you, mother?" he
asked, while the big tears came into his eyes, almost spilling over the
lashes.

"Why not?" Mrs. Hardy was so busily engaged in her work of making mince
pies that she did not notice the sorrow on Dan's face. "Why not? He's
only a goose, and gray. We've got to have one, and Crip is the fattest."

"But mother, I couldn't have poor Crippy killed. He an' I do love each
other _so_ much."

"Now don't be foolish about a goose, Danny. Come help me stem these
raisins."

Dan said nothing more, for he knew by the way she had spoken that his
mother had fully made up her mind and that it would be useless to try to
induce her to change her cruel plans. He stemmed the raisins as she had
requested; but he worked as quickly as possible, and when the task was
done he ran out to the barn.

When the gray goose toddled toward him immediately he opened the
barn-door, cackling and hissing with delight at seeing his young master,
the tears which Dan had managed to keep back, came at last, and, with
the goose in his arms, he seated himself on the barn floor with a
feeling in his heart that he and Crippy were the two most unhappy and
abused fellows in the world.

"O Crippy! they say they're goin' to kill you, an' I'd a heap sooner
they'd kill me! What shall we do, Crippy?"

The goose made no reply; he was perfectly content to nestle down in
Dan's arms, and, so far as he could see, he and his master were in
remarkably comfortable quarters.

Much as the goose had been petted by Dan, t