The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1843-11-14
The Farmer.
The BOb"Tailed Cow.

M ia, ,cr, that seemed TO be possessed Of think
~ h. a, r.onng powers in a remarkable degree:
1r5s bob.taiIed COW, Of whose sagacty and under
his my object to treat, as have said be-
e., ,,, notorious coward, whipped by every thing
N .,4s farm. and sometimes taking fright Mt her own
,,lov Py reason of this, her peculiarly, she was
,,,,,cr Of course the last to be driven into the
" ,,r, and the last to be tied up. Consequently, on
,,, ,;5o other there was no other creature, that
N u, ,r,. enphatically lord fall on that side. Now
uf,rpyrr The hay was put into the CRIB to the cattle
there tied up it was truly diverting To see this old
q nn, gfsiHss; Though extremely afraid Of her
II ,,,,,,rhbor, she would watch her opportunity, and
,b.,,,sr her neighbours head happened to bc turned
,he Other way, the Old hob tailed would make pass,
81 and stretching her neck to prodsious length, she
womb With her nose and horn, scrupe every wilt of
IA the hy from before the creature neat 10 her, and
VA b-o,h 10 Inc other side when, as have said be-
~ fore, she vas sole monarch Of the field, This done,
after fetching long groan in token of triumph, she
n c7d eat up the hay, 10 the starvation of the other
No matter how great the creature beside her, she
vosa rob it in its own face and eyes, because, as
s1ppose, she knew that the other creature was tied
up
remarked in NY other communication, that she
rsyr stirred ill the milk pail was full. This, MS u
general thing, was true; but she, like every thing
e,s, had her rules and exceptions. Her rule was to
flhe pail her except on, hold up her milk when
sH ithongh she had been misused. For when
she was driven INTO the farm-yard at night, just SO
uyO1 gave one Of tn other creatures any salt,
a wt DID 10. eve her some, she would pay you by
y holding ,p her milk. Not only this, she would show
signs Of rgn Too visible to be mistaken; she would
Il shake her heed size would snort, and manifest her
b u;'ra wrous ways, she would stand in some cor.
ner Dflhr !ard niering low muttering sound; and
though SIC never kicked when .fairly-use7, on this
C,cs'co You would be fortunate, in attempting TO
EHSter, if she did not kick both yourself and the
pail over haiia dozen times, at solitary milking
Truly, this old bob-tniled coward in these moods was
hsFce object 10 look at. Seeing her in Of these
A o'n.uP stranger would naturally suppose she
n V'sd whip the whole yard, but let n good sized
wearing make at her, and if she did not go the
a "d,'hc would make her way through crack be-
"sr' the Stats of the gate. taking on, and believing
a 1.-The old nick was after her
Another pcculiarty in the old COW was, that her
nO'ns and nose were key any barn door, fastened
u Inc Ordinary way. You might open the great door,
W instance, while she wns in the yard, and she
"O'' immediately take Il stand where she could look
~ ~Nere she cOnid survey the ground, and make
CALCULATION Tor an intrusion. Make calculation, say,
'of what else was she about? She would watch you
'' narrowly as ever cat did a mouse. When you
V'"e OOt oIthe barn, she knew it, when you a,ched
W. "oo'' she would appear 10 observe it like one
earning 10 90 through the operation; and when ,ou
&c" me yard she knew it assure YOU; for she would
Wv" round and watch till you were quite ont Of
's''' u'n she would 20 straight TO the door. When
'''e's"e would commence with rs much deliberation,
va doctor would TO anputatc a leg. E,s, she
,,,r "e' nose 10 uEaIch the door. If that did
s''"''he would turn over herhead on one side, so
s"' "O'n could be brought TO play, and then move
az "eau up and down TIL the horn hit the right spot
OD'u always open it, if the door was not fast
" some artifice. which she did not understand.
""en opened, and she was well on the floor, she
"0ud eat as fit was to be her las, bite NOT I'm,
"'"' ~ lime, however, for every now and then,
nv, "Vu'' STOP raise her head, stop chewing, and
"e gram corn or whatever she could seize half
., " "er mouth, and half in, she would listen
ue'n-l'ke stiffness, to see il any body was
ana II she happened to hear the tread Of
,,., s''' heaVens she was out of the barn at such
""' you could not see her for dust
h. "O' reeollect as ever the old COW bull any
nj, "u' certainly she used to tear do,on rods and
,.,., A"d as to bars opening into field, she was
,,..I no man in letting them down. She would
,l. " Oafs and Put her nose through between the
orc,., '" raising up the end ofthe bar TO get clesr
y,,,. ''" she would let it down with grea, deal of
6.m :, assure you In this manner she would take
one by one, and then enter AS usual with
of1.',l' oil elaboration, and commence the work
wo0,5 1a'0n' 1t would De asked, perhaps, il she
The ,n,' Us often push the bars the wrong way as
and g. answer, never: for have watched her
and d. e' lei them down times without number,
stand Tho a.a never miss, but appeared to under
operation equally as well as any man.
% 81. the fences she was complete leveler Small
be, '' she could take polls from the fence with
10 u,,. "t "orns' that would puzzle two stout men
'a1t again. hnye nam ,L,, IA .,.. "