Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-06-08
CLOVER,

I Bessie Moore was Out in her iathef's
pasture, back Of the barn, picking blpck-
! Derric. when she was startled hy the
blast OF ahOru. A look OF anxiety came
| over her sweet face Ea she ran quickly
aud climbed the fence 10 see If Mr.. Tny.
son, the meat man who blew his horn
I 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 aud swing
a towel shs threw herself on the ground
and sobhed az though her heart would
break. she knew tull well that it was
net 10 buy meat that her mother had
| signaled for Mr.. Thysen to stop, for, al.
though she was but ten wears old she
was aware of the fact that there was no
money with which to buy it. Oh, no I
She realized that the event she had been
df2adiug so long was to happen now
that her pet cali, Clover, her only play,
mate, 70 white and 20 fond Of her, was
~ be sold. Week after week she had
heard her parents discussing the subjec.
of ceiling Glover bul week after week
they had heard the butcher horn blow
and had let the wagon 10 by, But
affairs hsd been coming to q 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, Size knew that he could
not afford to feed the calf through the
winter, and she knew that MIR. Thyson
wanted her and had offered large price
for her. Mr.. Thys0u Was . man who
wanted 70 possess all the rarest speci
mems OF cattle and he had been yery
snXiOus 10 buy this calf, which was said
to be the hsndsOmest creature in color
and shape ever seen in IOudOn county.
he was a selfish msn, withal, and was
very ready to take advantage Of Mr.
Moore'5 misfortune to get her He was
known throughout the country IS 2 man
who always got the best Of a bargain,
who thought more OF making money thsn
Of anything else, and who never worried
himself about his neighb0rs' troubles or
tet ii his duty to share or relieve them,
He had one child, a boy about fourteen
years old, named Tom, aud he was deter.
mined, il possible, to teach him to he a.
shrewd in business matters as himself;
bat 10 lar Tom had not shown much pro.
gresl in that direction. lie 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
,C0n be Old enough to take the business
himself. And Tom did watch sharp
and his large brown eyes grew moist with
tears 10 STE his father take Bessie's cali
away, l0r he knew how Bessie loved Glover,
and that 1t was only necessity that made
Mr.. Moore sell her. Meantime Bessie had
climbed the pasture fence aud Crept
quietly behind the barn, where, through
a big crack, she saw and heard all that
passed. Then, az the wagon turned to
20 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 10 the corner
which she knew the wagon must pasg,
and waited for it. As she saw it coming
she waved her hand for it TO stop, and
in a trembling voice cried:
"Oh, please stop minute, wan, 20
ask you sometl ing"
Mr.. ThysOn drew up his horses, wOn>
doring what child it gas in such apparent
distress, for he didn't recognize Bessie at
first, az, 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 90 as to he
hardly r, cognj1able. Her long, faxrn
hair was blowing in every direction, and
her hat was lying on the other side o.
the pasture ience where it had fallen
when she climbed over.
"Oh, please, please, Mr.. Tbyson," she
screamed, 'yeu won't kill my calf will
you!"
Father" said Tom, "tnat's Bessie
Moore. Why, Bessie, what's the mat
ter?'
"Ob, am 30 afraid your father will
kill my Glover. You don't know how !
love her, and 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 il papa gets well he can buy
her back, you know. So you won't kill
her will you?'
"No, no, child; went 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"
Then ] guess can stand it better
CAME out here SO that papa could not
zee me cry, for that would make him
worse. | knew should cty when | said
'goOd>bye' 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, can't help it. II / hadn't
bought her somebody else would. Well,
it's the way Of the world. 1t don't do
to give way to your feelings for little
things like this, you know, Tom. you
do you will never get ahead, They
couldn't afford tokeep her and had tosell
her, and that's all there is about it"
But If it was "all there is about It,"
it made him very uncomfortable, In
spite of all his reasoning he couldn't help
thinking how easily he could spare feed
enough from the loads OF hay and stacks
nf nrain with which his hlrns Vunnlh