The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-02-25
for a good cow. However, it may
ho q II rinht -


as lank an Rdder as she had car
ried away in the morning, and not
over a quart of milk could be OBJ
tanned from her. Mrs. Josephus
was horror stricken, while Joseph
US himself, too, stood aghast.
What could it mean2 The pas
ture was one of the best in the
country, and the grass was green
and tender.
Just then Amos Dean came
along again. He had feared some
thing wrong from the first. He
instituted q thorough examination,
and pretty soon an exclamation
of establishment signified that he
had found the "mice."
Look herei' said he, pulling
open the cows mouth.
Josephus looked and found that
the animal was almost toothless!
The front teeth were all gone.
But" he gasped, sit can't be
her age. Her horns don't show
it."
"Dont they2,' echoed Amos
'tLook a little closer. The upper
rings have been scraped down,
and the surface colored the cat is
out. The cow has been a good
mixer, but she's got bravely over
it now. She must be along to
wards twenty years old; and l
guess that for some years she's
been fed on swill."
Josephus was beside himself
with rage and modification.
''By the jumpin' Jonathan" he
swore, 81 will go back to John
Potman directly, and make him
take the COW, and return my mon
ey; and I'll tell him what think
of himp
"Don't do any such thing" said
Amos. "Potman would only
laugh at you. 1t was, he would
say, a fair trade, and if you got
cheated, he would say, it was your
own fault. I know him very well.
If there's any way in which we
can come up with the old rascal,
I'll study it out. Just keep quiet
until to morrow, and let me think
the matter over. Don't say a
word to anybody"
Josephus promised to obey the
instructions of his friend, and
Amos then went away.
Tie poor cooper did not sleep
wink all that night. The loss of
his money was something to one
in his situation; but that was as
notheng compared with the out
rage which he felt had been put
upon him. His wife. too, worried
a great deal; for she supposed the
purchase money Of the cow was
almost a dead loss; and she also
supposed that her husband would
be well laughed at for allowing
himself to be so cheated.
On the following morning,
Amos Dean came. and announced
that he had thought of a plan by
which Mr.. John Potman could be
corrected.
81 owe the old skinfiint a pun
Ishment," said he, "and if you
will trust your cow in my hands,
l think I'll pay him off both for
you and myself. In the mean
time, you can take one of my COWS
and use her until we can make
: arrangements for getting anoth-
er one."
Josephus did not stop to ask
any questions. He allowed Amos
to take the Anticipated animal
J away, and in return he brought
back a good cow belonging to his
friend.
Amos Dean put the old cow into
close stall, where she could not
be seen by those passing by, and
one of his first manipulative oper-
: ations was to saw off the tips Of
her horns, and darken what was
left with a mixture of potash, af.
ter which he rubbed them down
with a little French polish. A
: bottle of dye stuff, made of log
e wood and iron, carefully applied,
r changed the cows color from a
light red to beautiful brindle.
, One afternoon Dean saw John
Potman in the store, and he went
l in and purchased piece oftobac-
/; CO. After passing the time o.
l day with the skiDflint, he started
E to go out, and then turned as
I though he had forgotten some
thing.
ooh! look here, Stanley" ht
said, addressing the storekeeper,
''if Seth Folsom comes in here,
wish you'd tell him he can see
that cow this evening. have
got one that will suit him exact
! ly."
And with this, Amos left the
store. He had gone but a few
I steps, however, when he heard
his name pronounced.
"Dean-stop a moment. Yor
spoke of a cow"
It was John Potman. Amo:
: was expecting this, for he knew
that the old rascal still wanted
, two or three good mixers.
eyes sir, said Dean.
"a cow that was left with me By
e a friend who wants money"
: 'What is she?'
"Come and see for yourself"
i "Where is she?"
: "She will be in my yard at SUI
down this evening"
Y "I'n come and see her."
s That evening, when Amos drov'
e his cattle up from the pasture, hi
e turned the old COW out with them
L A handsomer brindle, in the fad
0 ing twilight, was never seen; he
hors were dark and glossy, ant
e her bag was so full that the mill
o ran out from the teats in streams
# In a little while Mr.. PotmaI
5 came. He looked at the COW, ant
s was favorably impressed. HI
" looked at the distended udder, ant
d nodded with satisfaction.
{, "How old is she?' he asked.
n 0T think she ia EIGHT in tn