Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-09-11
A Cow rctailcd and curtailed,
A TALE OF A TAIL

A cut and shuttle fellow, who had bee,
regularly educated to the profession of car,
! playing, close student, who at the mid
night taper had spent many a silent hou
studying out the mysteries of faro, brag 20
ker, seveniup, and of stocking and 'putin
up cards, latel y, after an unfortunate gam,
OF seven up, found himself hard up in a ives
tern city. His shufllngs began to be under
stood wherever he made his appearance
and the consequence was, he seldom shulllct
long in any place before he was obliged Il
cut. On the present occasion he had conclu
ded to make sudden, mysterious disap.
pcarance' in the night, and having in vain
searched about for some trilling tokens b,
which to remember the friends with whom
he was obliged to part so unccrmoniously he
took his departure at midnight, unincumbereC
with baggage, and without sixpence in hi.
pocket.
1t happened that some few miles lay be.
tween him and the ferry which he meant to
cross in the morning, and while Jogging on
in the moonlight, studying how to swiudle the
lerryman and secure breakfast on the 9TH
err side, he discovered a COW IA poor inollen-
sive beast, which, by some misfortune. had
lost its tail, lying right in the path before him.
fecling somewhat lonely, he thought it would
ailord him company and amusement to drive
the COW before him to the ferry, and accor-
dinghy he raised the Eliminating quadruped
with stick and using such pcrsuasionS = 6
were likely to be understood, he went for
ward 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 dav-
light rose and found the COW and her new
proprietor still far distant from the ferry.
with the daylight came also another dis
covery which was b. 40 means agreeable.
the COW had no tail here was tale unfold
ed! The COW with no tail would be very
apt to prove tcll-talc, and thereby subject
the cow-hlder to COW hide. What was to
be done! To tell false tale was easy, but
TO tie on false tail required genius of an
other Kind. Fortune favored our hero how
ever, and passing country slaughter-house
he obser' ed the hide of an OK, tail and all.
hanging on the fence. HIS bowe-knife soon
whipped off the tail, anddrlving the COW into
~ "'S"NS "HCic hc Woulu not Dc observed,
he managed to make the dead tail hang to
the live stump in manner very dubious and
uncertain. 1t had to do, however, and
iilteen minutes more found the re-taiied
COW on board the ferry boat along with the
tailor, who had provided her with new
tail.
Success now seemed certain, when man
riding in hot haste to the ferry,
upon an old horse that seemed to
have been urged nearly to its last gasp. The
man dismounted and hurried on board the
boat. lie marched right up to the COW, and
his lips were already open for an cxclama-
ton oftriumph, when his eyes fell upon the
tail. A strange mystery now seemed to
AXE possession of him. lie walked round
md round the COW, looked at its legs, its
horns, its eyes, its head, and then he would
1--WE mysterious and bewildered glance at
he tail. lie lifted his hat carefully of his
iead, and holding it in his left hand with
lie five digits ofhis right he commenced
sort archaeological friction Of his pericra-
hum.
Now the ox's tail was such miserable de.
option, and SO awkardwly managed at best,