Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-08-10
The Old Man And The Nervous Cow
There was an old man who said How
Shall Escape from this horrible COW?
will sit on the stile,

. ! 2
And continue to smile,
Which may soften the heart of the cow"
The old man was walking thoughtfully
through the field, with his hands behind
him, when nervous COW saw him. She
wasn't ordinarily bad-natured COW, but
she was mad just then. An aggravatine
fly had been biting her half the morning
and, just as she was drinking at tho
brook, frog had jumped up with CRY
and bitten her nose. These things had
completely unsettled her nerves.
She was ready to run at anything, and
the old man being the only living thing
in sight, she plunged toward him.
What could he. do? He was short
stout old man, and could not run very
fast, and, though he tried his best, he
only just managed to reach the stile and
plump down on it, all out of breath, as
the cow neared him.
Then he suddenly remembered read
ing somewhere that if you looked RICH,
into an animals eyes, 1t would run away
from you.
"Ah!" thought he, 'sI'll look straight
at her, and if smile at the same time
she wont have the heart to hurt me.''
So he put on u smilo (of course it was
not very beautiful one, for he was in a
hurry. but it was the best he could do),
and stared straight into the cows eyes.
She saw that smile, and it so touched her
that she stopped short. Then she saunt-
cred back little way, but the thought
Of that aggravating fly, and that awful
frog, was too much for her poor nerves,
and, turning around, she dashed madly
on again.
In another minute, the poor old man
cane, little legs, smile and all-was up in
the air.
He alighted in the top of the hickory
tree. One branch grazcd his eye, two
ran into his legs, while another held his
smile stiff and straight.
Thus he stayed until an eagle caught
sight of him, pounced right down, and
flew off with him to her nest, which was
on hugh rock that rose straight up into
the cold air and made the summit of a
mountain.
When the old eagle pumped the little
old man down into the nest, just imagine,
if you can, how astonished the eaglets
were! They opened their beaks as we'll as
their eyes, and cried out:
"What's this, mother? What Is this?'
ooh! it's only man." crled the old
eagle. found him roosting In the top
of tree. Don't know how he got there.
Suppose he was trying to fly, and
couldn't. Tell us how it was, old man"
"Can he talk?"
"Talk!" said the eagle. "Ot course he
can talk. And he can tell stories, too,
warrant you. So, if you like, you may
keep him to tell you stories"
ooh, won't that be nice! Tell US a
story, right off," they all screamed, jerk
ing the old man down into the nest.
';But it's so dirty here,' said he, look
ing around with his nose turned up a lit
tie. ''Let me sit on the edge of the nest,
won't you? anG III tell you all the stories
you want"
You'll fall over.''
ooh no, won't. I'll hold on with nv
cane and my legs. Now just shut your
beaks, so you won't look so savage, and
listen"
So the old man perched himself on the
edge OF the nest. The eaglets took hold
of his coat with their beak, to keep him
from falling; and he told them the story
of cali Baba and the Forty Thieves;'
and when that was ended, another I'd
then another
He didn't eat much supper that night
for they had not any convenience fol
cooking. And he didn't sleep we'll, eli.
ther, for whenever one of the eaglets
woke up IN the night, it always pinched
him with its beak, to make sure he was
there. So he resolved to get away as soon
as he could.
But he didn't seem to have any chance
so there he stayed and told stories till he
longed to wiring the necks of the gaping
birds that kept asking him for more.
Now, all this time the cow had been
getting more and more nervous. Every
day she thought of the poor old man and
his meek little legs and his sweet old
smile, and just how his coat-tails looked
as he went up till at last she laid her head
down on tuft of grass by the brook, and
cried regularly boo-hooed.
Having thus relieved her feelings, she
became calm, and, rising, said:
II IL go to his house and find out how
and where he is, if can"
| So off she started. But the house was
shut up and there was no one in except
the cat
Very much frightened the cat was, too
when the COW pushed up the pantry win.
dow with her hsrns, and beloved:
"Where's lour master?"
II don't know, said the cat, retreatine
to a far corner, with its back up. q
! haven t set eyes on him since last Sunday.
"Oh dearr sighed the COW, dropping
the window with a crash that broke ou1
two of the panes of glass. "What shall
! l do?'
"Whats the matter with you2- and
what do you want Of the old man ?"asked
Tabby, bounding out through one of the
broken panes.
The COW told him.
"Well," said Tab, stroking his whis.
kers retiectively, II guess I'll 90 with you
and hep you look for the good-natured
old creature"
So they journeyed on, asking every
body they met about the old man. But
nobody knew, until finally they came
across all old crow who knew everybody
business.
can old man?" said he. 'sThe eagle
took an old man the other day. Did he
have very slender legs?'
eyes, yes!'' said the cat and the COW
together.
ssAnd sweet smile on his face!''
eyes, yes!' cried the COW. 'sHe went
up with that smile, and it has been haunt
ing me ever SINCE" and she burst into 8
| flood of tears.
"Well," said the crow, shes in the
eaUla's nest telling stories to the eaelets