The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-11-23

$500 - U tett W NV
time his boy was fairly out Of his hands
the windmill had become a sore subject
in his memory.
Tying the %cattle's tails together was
another Of his luckless schemes.
Thad did the barn chores. As the
Deacon had a considerable herd Of cat
tie, 1t was something of a task to water
them and clean the barn eve~v morn
ing.
Thad was almost always late to school
in the winter. How many scores Of
times did the rest of us boys call for
him, and help him do his chores, so
that he could go to school with us!
Thad was slow, and always Just 80 far
behind, for the chores were really too
hard work for such a small boy.
The Deacon owned a ~two-year-old
bull, which the boys called "Padduck."
He was as surly, unruly and ugly a lit
tie brute as ever ate hay. The cattle
were tied with wooden bows in a lean
to running parallel with the threshing.
floor of the barn. Little Paddock was
tied at the lower end of the lean.to,
next to the horse-stalls, which were
boarded up high. He was the worst
creature to un-boW and let out l ever
saw; and | used often to help Thad
turn out the cattle. Go to unite him,
and he would leap and strike with his
horns, and, swinging round sidewise,
press us up against the horse-stall.
Thad, in his patient, plodding way,
would work for fifteen minutes trying
to un-bow him. Generally, when we
called for him on our way to school
that winter, we would find him trying
to turn out Paddock. The animal grew
worse and worse, and no great wonder,
for we neighboring boys used to give
him many a sound thump; but | don't
think that Thad ever struck him.
One morning he was so ugly that
none Of lis could unite him. He would
press up against the horse-stall so
s~pitefully that it was as much as
ones life was worth to endeavor to
stand side of him, even if lucky enough
to get past his heels without u kick.
Veal gave up trying, and stood watch
ing the fierce animal at a safe distance.
We could have slaughtered the brute
with n good relish. 1t was then that
Thad proposed tying P%adduck's tail to
the tail of a large threc-year-old steer
that was standing next in the row, so
that the bull could not swing round
against us.
81 set out to do it yesterday morn
ing" said Thad.
To seize hold of the two tails and Tie
them together by the long stiff hair,
was but the work Of a minute. This
first knot slipped.
"That wasn't the way" said Thad.
So we held them for Thad to tie, Sc
cretly tickled, and expecting that some
serious pranks would follow.
Thad spliced the two tails as hand
somely as a sailor would splice a broken
cable. To make it the firmer, he took
an old whip-lash and wound that around
the splice. This took him some min
utes, but when done it was warranted
to hold"
"Let him reef now!" cried Thad.
And they did reef. But the splice
held fast. Paddock could not now
swing against us without swinging the
big steer; and the steer seemed inclined
to swing the other way.
There vas some vigorous jumping
when we came to unite Paddock. Out
leaped the ugly little bull. He got his
forefeet over the door-sill. There he
hung and dug in his hoofs. The steer
in the barn began to bawl. Paddock
roared. They tore about so ~furiously
that we did not dare to try TO loosen the
splice, but Thad united the steer. Once
free, the steer dragged his smaller COM
panion back into the barn. Then they
tried to fight. Down went the thresh-
ing-door boards! The s%tanchions were
broken. There was a fearful racket
and believing. We got out of the way
as best we could, and Thad took refuge
on the haymow.
At this juncture out rushed the
Deacon, with his spectacles on his head,
for he was in the midst of family pray
ers when the believing and stamping
began. Thad, having the stock to at
tend to before school, was lot kept in
to the morning devotions.
After one attempt to seize the steer
by the horns, eve the Deacon was glad
to jump out Of the way. A moment
later, however, the animals were sep
arated. Something gave way. 1t must,
l think, have been the hair on Padduck's
tail, for the splice was left on the steer.
Both the frightened creatures darted
out into the ~barn-yard and snorted.
Meantime We had withdrawn a little
n side, and assumed the attitude OF
disinterested spectators. The Deacon
turned excitedly to Thaddeus. But
Thad was absorbed by a single aspect
of the fracas. "Hokey, grandpa
wa'n'tthem tough tails! he exclaimed.
At that the rest of us laughed, and
the Deacon looked at Thad as If he did
not quite know whether to laugh at him
or cut him in two with the hay-knife.
1t all ended, 1 believe, in the usual
orthodox whipping; the Deacon being
a firm, and, as l have no doubt, sincere
believer in the use of the robin hero
ic doses.
l do not know whether Thaddeus
Thompson, as a man, makes any mon.
ey out of his numerous inventions.
think it doubtful. That class of inven.
tors-of whom he is a good example
rarely do, l am told. Yet it is a class
l. H. -.-