e barn ready to close for the night, Laddie
took the milk to the house, while Leon and I caught the blue goose,
carried her to the well, and began to shell corn. She was starved to
death, almost. She ate a whole ear in no time and looked for more, so
Leon sent me after another. By the time that was most gone she began
to eat slower, and stick her bill in the air to help the grains slip
down, so I told Leon I thought she had enough.

"No such thing!" said Leon. "You distinctly heard mother tell me to
give her 'all she would eat.' She's eating, isn't she? Go bring
another ear!"

So she was, but I was doubtful about more.

Leon said I better mind or he would tell mother, so I got it. She
didn't begin on it with any enthusiasm. She stuck her bill higher,
stretched her neck longer, and she looked so funny when she did it,
that we just shrieked. Then Leon reached over, took her by the bill,
and stripped her neck to help her swallow, and as soon as he let go,
she began to eat again.

"You see!" said Leon, "she's been starved. She can't get enough. I
must help her!"

So he did help her every little bit. By that time we were interested
in seeing how much she could hold; and she looked so funny that Leon
sent me for more corn; but I told him I thought what she needed now was
water, so we held her to the trough, and she tried to drink, but she
couldn't swallow much. We set her down beside the corn, and she went
to eating again.

"Go it, old mill-hopper!" cried Leon.

Right then there was an awful commotion in the barn, and from the
squealing we knew one of the horses was loose, and fighting the others.
We ran to fix them, and had a time to get Jo back into his stall, and
tied. Before we had everything safe, the supper bell rang, and I bet
Leon a penny I could reach the house while he shut the door and got
there. We forgot every single thing about the goose.

At supper mother asked Leon if he fed the goose all she would eat, and
I looked at him guilty-like, for I remembered we hadn't put her back.
He frowned at me cross as a bear, and I knew that meant he had
remembered, and would slip back and put her inside when he finished his
supper, so I didn't say anything.

"I didn't feed her ALL she would eat!" said Leon. "If I had, she'd be
at it yet. She was starved sure enough! You never saw anything like
the corn she downed."

"Well I declare!" said mother. "Now after this, take her out alone,
for a few