The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-06-13
CLOVER.


pasture, back of the barn, picking blacks
berries, when she was startled by the
blast OF horn. A look of anxiety came
over her sweet face Ms she ran quickly
and climbed the fence TO sec If MIR. Thy
son, 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
a 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 mea' that her mother had
s'gnaled for Mr.. Thyson to stop, for, 81
though 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 bad been
dreading 80 long was to happen now
that her pct calf, Clover her only play
mate, 10 white and 80 fond of her, was
TO be sold. Week after week she had
heard her parents discussing the subject
OF selling Clover, but week after week
they had heard the butcher horn blow
and had let the wagon 20 by. Hut
affairs had been coming to a crisis lately.
Hes father, who had bean 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.. Thyeon
wanted her and had offered Il 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 10 buy this calf, which was said
! TO be the handsOmcst creature IN color
and shape ever seen in i.oud0n county.
He was selfish man, withai, and was
very ready to take advantage Of Mr..
| MO0re's misfortune to get her he was
| known throughout the country q: man
who always got the beat OF bargain,
who thought more OF making money than
of anything else, and who never worried
| himself about his neighbors troubles or
felt il his duty 20 share or relieve them.
He had one child, boy about fourteen
years old, named Tom, and he was deter
mined, If possible, to teach him to I've rs
| shrewd in business matters as himself !;
! bat 20 far Tom had not shown much pro-
gresq 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 ne would
soon be Old enough to take the business
himself And Tom did watch sharp"
and his large brown eyes grew mOlst with
tears to see his father take Bessas calf
away, Tor he knew how Bessie lOvedClOyer,
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, a. the wagon turned TO
90 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 ii. As she saw il coming
she waved her hand for it to stop, and
in trembling yOlce cried
ooh, please stop minute. want 10
ask you something"
Mr.. Thyson drew up his horses, won
! daring what child it was in such apparent
distress, for he didn't recognize Bessie at
first, a., 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 - is to be
hardly recognizable. Her long, tiaxen
hair wss blowing in every direction, and
her hat was lying on the other side oI
the pasture fence, where it had fallen
when she climbed over.
"Oh, please, please, Mr., Thy.on," she
screamed, "you won't kill my cali, viii
you?"
Gather said Tom. "tnaCs Besai,
Moore. Why, Bessie, what's the mat
ter"
"Oh, am so afraid your father vii
kill my Clover. You don't know hew
love her, and | can't help crying" ant
here the poor child broke down, anC
sobbed bitterly. Then, as she saw Mr.
Thyson draw up the reins 10 start, sh'
continued
perhaps if papa gets we'll he eau bu,
her back, you know. 50 you won't xii
her, will yOu?'
"No, no, child; | won't kill her. She
too pretty to kill will take good car,
OF her, and you can come and zee he
whenever you want to-
Then ! guefs ! can atand it better
CAME out here 50 that papa could no
zee NE cry, for that would make hin
wore. knew should cry when sal
'good>bye' to Clover" And sure enough
when the horses started her tears starte
again too, and there she stood in th
dusty road, weeping aud wstchiug th
wagon until II disappeared behind th
next hill.
Queer" said Mr. Thyson, as the
drove along, that she should tet
, so. Well, I can't help it. Il I hadn'
bought her sOuebody else would. Wei
it's the way of the world. 1t dQu't d
! to give way 70 your feelings for litti
, things like this. you know, Ton. Ifyo
do you will never get ahead. The
couldn't afford 20 keep her and bad TO eel
her, and that's all there Is about It,"
But II IL was "all there 10 about u,