Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-04-05
GLOVER.

Bessie Moore was out in her fathers
pasture, back of the barn, picking black
berries, when she was startled by the
blast of the horn. A look of anxiety
came over her sweet face as she ran
quickly and climbed the fence to see if
Mr. Thyson, the meat-man," who
blew his horn twice week to announce
his coming, was to stop. She watched
the horses climbing the hill; and when
she saw her mother come to the back
door and swing towel she threw her
self on the ground and sobbed as though
her heart would break. She knew full
well that twas not to buy meat that
her mother had signaled for Mr.. Thy
son to stop, for, although she was but
ten years old, she was aware of the
fact that there was no money with
which to buy il. Ono! She realized
that the event she had been dreading
so long was to happen now-that her
pet calf, Glover, her only playmate, so
white and so fond of her, was to be
sold Week after week she had heard
her parents discuss the subject of sell
ing Glover, but week after week they
had heard the butchers horn blow and
had let the wagon go by. But affairs
had been coming to crisis lately. Her
father, who had been sick all summer,
was too feeble to work, and the small
stock of money he had saved was rap
idly going. She knew that he could
not afford to feed the calf through the
winter. and she knew that Mr.. ThysOn
wanted her and had offered a large
price for her. MIR. Thyson was a man
who wanted to possess all the rarest
specimens of cattle, and he had been
very anxious to buy this calf, which
was to be the handsomest creature, in
color and shape, ever seen in Loudoun
County. He was selfish man, withal,
and was very ready to take advantage
of Mr. Moore's misfortunes to get her.
He was known throughout the country
as man who always got the best of
bargain, who thought more of making
money than of anything else, and who
never worried himself about his neigh
bors' troubles or felt it his duty to share
or relieve them. He had one child,
boy about fourteen years old, named
Tom, and he was determined, if posi-
BILE, to teach him to be as shrewd in
business matters as himself; but so far
Tom had not shown much progress in
that direction. He often went with his
father as he rode through the country
with his meat, and was advised by him
to "watch sharp" for he would soon
be old enough to take the business HIM
self And Tim did "watch sharp"
and his large brown eyes grew moist
with tears to see his father take Bessie's
calf away, for he knew how Bessie
loved Clover, and that it was only ne
cesity that made MIR. Moore sell her.
Meantime Bessie had climbed the past
ure fence and crept quietly behind the
barn, where, through big crack, she
saw and heard all that passed. Then,
as the wagon turned to go out of the
yard, she went back, and, running across
the pasture with all her might, climbed
the fence on the other side, ran along
the road to the corner which she knew
the wagon must pass, and waited for it.
As she saw it coming she waved her
hand for it to stop, and, in a trembling
voice, said:
"Oh, please stop minute. want
to ask you something"
Mr.. Thyson drew up his horses, Won
dering what child it was in such appar-
ent distress, for he didn't recognize
Bessie at first, as, in her haste to reach
the turn in the road before the wagon
came along, she had fallen down in the
dust, and then, wiping her tears with
her stained hands, had smeared her
face so as to DO hardly recognizable
Her long flaxen hair was blowing in
every direction, and her hat was lying
on the other side of the pasture fence,
where it had fallen when she climbed
over.
"Oh, please, please, Mr.. Thyson,' -
she screamed, "you won't kill my calf
will youP"
Father said Tom, "that's Bessie
Moore. Why, Bessie, what's the mat
terp'
'"Oh, am so afraid your father viii
kill my Clover. YOU don't know how
l love her, aud / can't help crying"
and here the poor child broke down anC
sobbed bitterly. Then, as she saw Mr.
Thyson draw up the reins to start, she
continued:
Perhaps if papa gets well he car
buy her back, you know. SOyou won't
kill her, will you?'
"No, no, child; / won't kill her
She's too pretty to kill. / will take
good care of her, and you can come and
see her whenever you want to.
''Fhen guess can stand it better
came out here so that papa could moi
see me cry, for that would make hin
worse. / knew ! should cry when
said 'goOd-by' to Clover" And sure
enough, when the horses started hen
tears started again 100, and there sht
stood in the dusty road, weeping, anC
watching the ewagon until it disappeared
behind the next hill.
Queer" said Mr.. Thyson, as they
drove along, " that she should feel so
Well, / can't help it. If hadn't bOugh
her somebody else would. It's the way
of the world. 1t don't do TO give away
to your feelings for little things like
this, you know, Tom. If you do you will
never get ahead. They couldn't af
ford TO keep her and had to sell her, anC
that's all there is about It,.
But ii il was - all there was about IT,
II made him very uncomfortable. II
spite of all his reasoning he couldn'
help thinking how easily he could spar,
feed enOuOh from the loads of haV an(