Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1852-04-15
A Cow Re-taiied and Cur-tailed.

A cut and shuttle fellow, who had been
! regularly educated to the profession OF card
/ playing, close student, who ut the midnight
taper had spent many Il silent midnight hour
studing out the mysteries of poker, brag,
faro. monte, seven up and of stocking put
ting up cards, lately after an unfortunate
game of seven up. found himself hard up in
u Western city. His shutfiing began to be
understood wherever he made his appear
ancc. and the consequence was. he seldom
shufllcd long in amy one place, before he was
obliged to cut. On the present occasion he
concluded to make Sudden and mystcri-
Gus disappearance in the night, and having
in vain, searched about for some triiling to-
kens BY which to remember the friends with
whom lie was to part SO unccremoniously,
he took his departure at midnight, uncn.
numbered with baggage, and without sin
pensc in his pocket.
=. Il -happenrd- that some few -af;ies~ laSshe,.
fore HIM and tIle ferry Which ne 1Hreuued 10
cross in the morning, and while jogging
along in the moonlight, studying how to
swinde the ferryman and secure breakfast
on the other side, he discovered Il COW,
poor inoflenSive beast, which by some mis-
fortune had lost its tail. lying in the path
before him.
Feeling Il little lonely, he thought it would
afford him company and amusement to drive
the cow before him to the ferry, and accord
ingly he aroused the ruminatng quadruped
with stick, and using such pcrsuasons as
were likely to be understood, he went for
ward with his design. The COW seemed to
prefer the bushes aud fields on either side Of
road to the road itself, and this occasioned
great delay and Inconvenience, so that day.
light arose ard found the COW and her new
proprietor still far from the ferry.
With the daylight came also another dis
covcrv, which was by no means agreeable
The COW had 10 ail.-hcre was tale un-
folded. The COW with no tail would BE- very
apt to prove tcll-tale. What WAS TO be
doncs TO add Il false tail was easy but 10
lie on false tail required Il geni"us of an
other kind. Fortune favored our hero. how
ever, and pasSinga 4 country slaughter-house,
he observed an oxhidc, tail and ALL hanging
on the fence His bowic-knife soon whipped
off the tail, and driking the COW into the
bushes where he would not be observed, he
managed to make the dead tail hang to the
live stump in manner very dubious and ur,-
certain. 1t had TO do, however, and fifteen
minutes more found the rc-taiied COW on
board the ferry boat along with the tailor,
who had provided her with 4 new tail.
Success now seemed certain, when man
appeared, riding in hot haste, ut the ferry,
mounted upon an old horse that seemed TO
have been urged nearly TO his last gasp. The
man dismounled and hurried on board the
boat. He marched light up TO the COW, and
his lips were already open for an eNcIama-
ton of triumph, when his eyes fell upon the
tail. A strange mystery now seemed ia
take possession of him. He walked round
the cow-lookcd at her lcgs-its horns, its
head, and then he would give = mysterious
glance at the tail. He lifted his left hand
with the five digits of his right, and COM
menccd Il sort of chronological examination
Of this pcricranium.
Now, the ox's tail was such n miserable
deception, and so awkwardly managed AT
best, that the discovery Of the trick seemed
icnritable and the state of perplexity and feal
in which the 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 in endeavoring
to turn up Jack, and the Game was will
him. He had dash of impudence, however
always at Il pinch, and Row with admirable
assumption Of open hearted honesty and in
dependence, he walked up TO the man who
WAS examining the cow.
"Neighbor, reckon there aint bette
COW than that in these parts 2 said he in sucl
q manner to his intcrrogatory.
"Well, don't know stranger" replied tht
man. and he still continued his examination
of the COW, seeming to grow more puzzlct
every moment.
"That ERE is the finest critter, neighbor
that was ever MIXED. | say yon seem t.
to fancy the annual, may be you'd like t.
buy hcr!'
aBuy her" exclaimed the man, opening
his eyes with stranger glare of pcrplexet
astonishrncnt. "why, look here, stranger j
that cow had 10 tail, I'd swear she VA
mine!"
! You'd what !"