The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-06-06
CLOVER.

CLOVER.
Bessie Moore was out In her fathers
pasture, back 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 70 see if Mr.. Thy
son, the "mest mar" who blew his horn
twice week to announce his coming,
was to stop. She watched the horses
elm bing the hill and when she saw her
mother come to the back doer and swing
g towel, she threw herself on the ground
and s0bbed as though her heart would
break. She knew full well that it was
not to buy meat that her mother had
signaled for Mr.. Thysen to stop, for, al
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 had been
dreading 50 long was to happen now
that her pet calf, Glover, her only play
mate, 50 white and so fond of her, was
to be sold. Week after week she had
heard her parents discussing 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 cening to a 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 3 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 LOudon county.
He was 81 selfish man, withsl, and was
very ready to take advantage of Mr..
MOore's misfortune to get her He was
known throughout the country as q man
who always got the best of a bargain,
who thought more of making money than
of anything else, and who never worried
himself about his neighbors' troubles OF
felt it his duty to 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 he IS
shreWd in business matters as himself
bat so far Tom had not shown much pro
gress 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
| himself. And Tom did watch sharp,
snd his large brown eyes grew moist with
| tears to see his father take Bessie's cali
away, tor he knew howBessie lOvedClover,
and that it was only necessity that made
| Mr.. Moore sell her. Meantime Bessie had
| climbed the pasture fence and crepi
quietly behind the barn, where, through
! a big crack, she saw and heard all that
| passed. Then, as the wagon turned Il
90 ont of the yard, she went back, and
running across the pasture with all hel
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, anC
in trembling voice cried:
| "Oh, please stop minute. want Il
ask you somett ing"
Mr., ThYsOn drew up his horses, Won
dAring what child it was in such apparent
| distress, for he didn't recognize Bessie a.
first, as, in her haste to reach the turn il
the road before the wagon came along
she had fallen down in the dust, anC
then, wiping her tears with her stained
! hands, had smeared her face 50 as to b,
hardly recognizable. Her long, faxel
hair was blowing in every direction, anC
her hat was lying on the other side o
the pasture fence, where it had talel
when she climbed over.
'Oh, please, please, Mr.. Thyson," sh
screamed, "yeu won't kill my calf, vii
you 2"
Moore. Why, Bessie, what's the mat
ter ?"
ooh, am go afraid your father vii
! kill my Glover. You don't know heW
love her, and can't help crying" an
here the poor child broke down, an
sobbed bitterly. Then, as she saw Nj
Thyson draw up the reins to start, sh
continued:
"Perhaps if papa gets well he can bu
her back, you know. So you won't ri
her, will you p
/ "No, no, child; went kill her. She
too pretty to kill. / will take coed car
of her, and you can come and see he
whenever you want to-"
''Then J guess I can stand it bettel
I came out here SO that papa could nc
see me cry, for that would make hil
worse. knew / should cry when l sal
| -2OOQNDy0 70 CtOVSE- anu SURE OuOuEA
when the horses started her tears starte
again too, and there she stood in th
} dusty road, weeping and watching th
wagon until it disappeared behind th
next hill.
"Queer," said Mr.. Thyson, as the
drove along, "that she should fet
, 50. Well, can't help it. If I hadn
, bought her somebody else would. Wei
it's the way of the world. It don't q
! to give way to your feelings for lit
t things like this, you know, Tom. If 20
!. do you viii never get ahead. The
r couldn't afford to keep her and had TO Sc
. | her. and that's all there Is about it.
But if it was call there is about it,
it made him very uncomfortable.
e spite of all his reasoning he couldn't he
:, thinking how easily he could spare fee
2 enough from the loads OF hay and sracl
: of grain with which his barns won
soon be overhowing to keep the calf for
q time. How happy that would mai
d Bessie, and how it would tighten b
? parents hearts He couldn't get Il
sick countenance of Mr.. Moore out
= his mind. or the tired, worn face of b
e vie, or, more than all, little Bess
standing alone in the dusty turnpik