Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1840-07-31


the profession of card-playing, a close stu
dent, who over the midnight taper had
spent many silent hour studying out the
mysteries Of faro, Drag, poker, seven up,
and of stocking 'and putting up cards,
lately, after an unfortunate game of seven
up, found himself hard up in a western city.
His shutting began to be understood when
ever he made his appearance, and the con-
sequence was he seldom shuffled long in a
place before he was obliged TO cut. On
the present occasion he had concluded to
make Sudden and mysterious disappear
ance' in the night, and having in vain scar
ched about for some trihing tokens by
which to remember the friends whom he
was obliged to part so uncemoniously, he
took his departure at midnight unincumber-
ed with baggage and without sixpence in
his pocket.
1t happened that some few miles laybctwecn
him and the ferry which he meant TO cross
in the morning, and while jogging along in
The moonlight, studying how TO swindle the
fesryman and secure breakfast on the 9th
er side, he discovered cow,a poor molten
sive beast, which, by some misfortune, had
lost its tail, lying right in the path before
him. Feeling somewhat lonely, he tho't
it would afford him company and amuse
ment to drive the COW before him to the
ferry, and accordingly he aroused the ru-
minating quadruped with stick, and using
such persuasions as were likely to be un-
derstood, he went forward with his design.
The COW seemed to prefer the fields and
bushes each side of the road TO the road
itself, and this occasioned great delay and
inconvenience, so that daylight rose and
found the COW and her new proprietor still
far distant from the ferry.
With the daylight came also another dis
covcry which was by no means agreeable !;
the COW had no tail here was tale uniol-
ded The COW with no tail would be very
apt to prove a tell tale, and thereby sub
iect the COW hider to a COW hide. What
was to be done To tell false tale was
easy, but to tie on false tail required ge-
MUS of another kind. Fortune favored our
hero, however, &passing country slaughter
house he observed the hide of an OK, tail
and all, hanging on the fence. His bowie
knife soon whipped off the tail, and driving
the COW into the bushes where he would
not be observed, he managed to make the
dead tail hang to the live stump in man
ner very dubious and uncertain. Ii had lc
do, however, and fifteen minutes more
found the re-tailed, COW on board the ferry
boat along with the tailor who had provi-
ded her with new tail.
Success now seemed certain, when man
appeared riding in hot haste to the ferry,
mounted upon an old horse that seemed TO
have been urged nearly to its last gasp
The man dismounted and hurried on board
the boat. He marched right up TO the
COW, and his lips were already open for an
exclamation of triumph, when his eye fell
upon the tail. A strange mystery now
seemed to take possession of him. He
walked round and round the cow, looked
at its legs, its horns, its eyes, its head, and
then he would give mysterious and be-
wildered glance at the tail. He lifted his
hat carefully off his head, and holding il in
his left hand, with the five digits of his right
he commenced sort of chronological fric-
ton ofhis percranium.
Now the ox's tail was such a miserable
deception, and SO awkwardly managed al
best, that discovery of the trick seemed in
eyitable, and the state of perpexity and
feaI in which our professor of High, Low
Jack, and the Game was placed, may be
imagined. His alarm was probably high
his hopes low, he had missed his trick il
endeavoring to turn up Jack, and the
game was up with him. He had a dash O
impudence, always ready at pinch, anc
now with an admirable assumption O
open-hearted honesty and independence
he walked up to the man who was examin,
ing the COW.
sNeighbor, reckon there amt better
COW than that in these parts said he. il
such manner as to give his remark Tho
meaning of an interrogatory.
well, | don't know, Stranger replied
the man, and still continued his examina
ton Of the COW, seeming to grow more puz
zled every moment.
THAT ere is the finest critter, neiqhbor
that was ever MIXED. say, you seem /,
fancy the animal; may be you'd like to buy
her y
Buy her = exclaimed the man, openin,
his eyes with strange glare of perplexe.
astonishment, why, look here, stranger, !
that COW had no tall I'd swear she wa
mine y