The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-02-04
The Brigadier and the Bull.

NNHERE was Brigadier Ruggles, who
Il got made Brigadier in the French
war, somehow. A sturdy old Tory he was,
and went over to Novia Scotia after our
war broke out. He wouldn't fight against
the colonies, but King George and the old
country had the strongest pull on him, and
lie couldn't live sguarely under new flag.
However, before '76, Brigadier Ruggles
kept good house in Berkshire, Massa-
chusetts, furnished pretty we'll all through
England. Half the chairs and tables had
history but the piece he was proudest
of was tall old mirror, beveled at the
edges of the glass, and set in carved
ebony frame, which some of his wife's folks
Madam Ruggles they called her-had
sent over as a present from old Berkshire.
Madam Ruggles' mirror was the finest
thing inside any house in Massachusetts,,
and stood in the hall right opposite the
front door, so that every one who came to
the house might see it at once. And Brig
adler Ruggles English bull was long way
the first beast in New England at least so
the Brigadier said, and the up-country far
mers used to come miles out of their way
just to get look at him. At last one of
them, after he had seen the Brigadier's
bull all around, guessed he knew Vernon
ter who had got home bred bull, along
sitle of which the Brigadier's bull was of no
account. This made the Brigadier rile up;
but as they could not settle it by talk, and
the Vermonter was coming down to fair
at Boston in the fall, it was agreed he
should bring his bull along, and stop a
night with the Brigadier. Well, according
ly, Saturday night before the Boston fair,
sure enough the Vermonter came along
with his bull. 1t was too dark to Judge
much of the beasts that night, so the Yer
monter's bull was put in the next pen to
the Brgadier's bull, and they went in to
supper. All night Brigadier Ruggles tossed
about, thinking about the Vermonter's
bull; and the next morning he was that
bad with fit of collie, that, though he was
an elder, Madam Ruggles thought it best
TO let him stop away from meeting Ac-
cordingly, she and the Vermonter went off
in the wagon with the farm-servants, and
left the Brigadier by the fire, with book
of Cotton Mather's sermons, and a chalk
dr. aught at his elbow. Somehow, they
an hour, when the Brigadier began to feel
better After reading awhile, he seemed
to think little fresh air might set him
right, SO he gets on his thick boots, just to
stroll out in the garden. Sure enough, the
air was just what he wanted, aad presently
it came into his head just to drop over to
the pens, and see if it was all right with
the bulls. So he opened the garden-gat
and stepped across, and looked eagerly int o
the pens. There was his bull, all in a
lather, marching up and down on one side
of the fence, and the Vermonter's bull on
the other, both of them moaning to them
selves in low tone, as If they were swear
ing, and nothing but gate on the latch to
hinder them getting at one another. The
Brigadier took up prong, and leaned over,
and tried to coax his bull, which was tame
enough to come to him, and be scratched
between the horns. But the bull took nc
notice, but kept marching up and down.
SO the Brigadier watched them both, and
fell to comparing them and thinking
"Well, that Vermonter's bull amt of any
account, after all, alongside of my bull
he amt so straight in the back, nor SC
square in the barrel, nor SO thick in the
neck-he don't weigh, now, not, should
say, within hundred weight of my bull. y
Somehow, as he was going on thinking
! of the bulls, the Brigadier kept on tip-tap
ping at the hasp of the gate, and not mind
ing what he was at with his prong, till al
of a sudden he just gave tip too much al
the latch, and Ithe gate between the peni
swung slowly open, just as the Vermonter'l
bull came opposite it. Next minute tho
bulls were together by the horns. The
Brigadier hallooed right out, though it wal
Sabbath, but all the men were away al
meeting.
Looking again, and there was the Yer
monter's bull driving his bull back on hi
, launches Bri0adier Rurples was brav,