Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-04-26
CLOVER.

Bessie Moore was out in her fathers
pasture, hnck of the barn, picking black
berries, when she was startled by the
blast of horn. A look of anxiety came
over her sweet face as she ran quickly
and climbed the fence to see if Mr.. Thy
son, the meat-man," who blew his
horn twice a week to announce his COM
ing, 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 herself on
the ground and sobbed as though her
heart would break. She knew full well
that it was not to buy meat that her
mother had signaled for Mr.. Thyson 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
it. Oh, no ! She realized that the event
she had been dreadipg 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 selling 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 sum-
mer, was still too feeble to work, and the
small stock of money he had saved was
rapidly 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 large price
for her. Mr.. Thyson was man who
wanted to possess all the rarest speci-
mems of cattle, and he had been very
anxious to buy this calf, which was said
to be the handsomest creature in color
and shape, ever seen in Loudoun county.
He was q selfish man, withal, and was
very ready to take advantage of Mr..
Moore's misfortunes to get her. He was
known throughout the county 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 neighbors'
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 possible, to
teach him to be as shrewd in business
matters as himself; but so far Tom had
not shown much progress in that direc-
tion. 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 himself. And Tom
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 Glover, and that
it was only necessity that made Mr..
Moore sell her. Meantime Bessie had
climbed the pasture 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 trembling voice cried:
ooh, please stop minute. want
to ask you something" ~
Mr.. Thyson drew up his horses,
wondering what child it was in such
apparent 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
80 as to be hardly recognizable. Her
long, faxen 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 you?" .
Father" said Tom, "that's Bessie
Moore. Why, Bessie, what's the mat
ter ?"
"Oh, am SO afraid your father will
kill my Glover. You don't know how
love her, and I can't help crying" and
here the poor child broke down, and
sobbed bitterly. Then, as she saw Mr..
Thyson draw up the reins to start, she
continued:
perhaps if papa gets we'll he can buy
her back, you know. So you won't kill
her, will you?"
"No, no, child; I won't kill her.
She's too pretty to kill. Twill take good
care of her, and you can come and see
her whenever you want to-"
"Then I guess can stand it better.
came out here so that papa could moi
see me cry, for that would make him
worse. knew l should cry when said
'good-by to Clover" And sure enough,
when the horses started her tears started
again too, and there she stood in the
dusty road, weeping and watching the
wagon until it disappeared behind the
next hill.
"Queer," said Mr.. Thyson, as they
drove along, "that she should feel SO.
Well, I can't help it. If I hadn't bought
her somebody else would. Well, it's
the way of the world. It don't do &c
give way to your feelings for little things
Ike this, you know, Tom. If you dc
you will never get ahead. They couldn't
afford TO keep her and had to sell her
and that's all there is about il"
But if it was g all there was about it >
it made him very uncomfortable. II
spite of all his reasoning he couldnt
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