River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-08-14
The Old Man And The Nervous Cow.
There was an old man who said How
Shall ] 'scape from tn horrible COW?
will sit on the stile,
hIIN NUHtIIIuE VI hIIIIIt,
Which may soffpn fha h earf ~ fha

which may soften the heart Of the cow
The old man as walking thoughtfuily
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 aggravating
fly had been biting her half the morning,
and, just as she was drinking at the
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 do2 He vas a short,
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 il you looked right
into an animals eyes, 1t would run away
from you.
"Ahr' thought he, 'I'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 smile (of course it was
not 2 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 grazed 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 eaglels
were! They opened their beaks as we'll as
their eyes, and cried out:
Whats this, MOTHER What Is this2'
"Oh. it's only man. cried 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. -
Scan he talk2"
"Talkm said the eagle. "Ot course he
can talk. And he can tell stories, too |
warrant you. So, if you like, you may
-, +n taIl 1-o., Stariac
"Oh, 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 lit
tie. LET me sit on the edge of the nest,
won't you2 anc I'll tell you all the stories
you want"
You'll fall over"
"Oh no, won't I'll hold on with my
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 tooN hold
of his coat with their beak, to keep him
from falling; and he told them the story
of ''Ali 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 y convenience for
cooking. And he didn't sleep well, ell
Their, 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 Wring the necks of the gaping
birds that kept asking him for more
Nov, 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, ano just how his coat-tails looked
as he went up till at last she laid her head
down on tutt Of grass by the brook, and
cried-regularly boo coed.
Having thus relieved her feelings, she
became calm, and, rising, said
II IL go to his house and find out how
and here 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 h ms, and bclloAed
where's Iour master9"
81 don't know, said the cat, retreating
to far corner, with its back up. Il
haven It set eyes on him since last Sunday"
"Oh dearl' sighed the cow, dropping
the window with crash that broke out
two of the panes of glass. "What shall
| do?"
''What's the matter with youl-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 III go 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 an old crow who knew everybody's
business.
IAN old MANI" said he "The eagle
took an old man the other day Did he
have very slender Iegs?"
''Yes, yes" said the cat and the cow
together.
"And a sweet smile on his tace!"
Yes, yes!" cried the GOV. He went
up with that smile, and it has been haunt
ing me ever since" and she burst into
flood of tears
"Well," said the crow, ''he's in the
eagles nest telling stories to the eaglets,
and if he isn't tired of the business by
this time, I'm mistaken"
where's the nest2-and how can we
get thcre?'
''Up at the very top Of the mountain
yonder Go straight ahead, and you
can't miss it,
So straight ahead they went till they
came tot crock where the eagles nest was
Then what should they do? They could
hear the old mans little, thin voice teP ng
stories to the birds, but they knew he
wouldn't dare come where the COW was,
even if he could Chamber down that steep
rock. At last, Tab suggested that the
COW should hide herself, while he climbed
up intc the nest and persuaded the old
man. So the COW hid, and puss scram-
bled up to the nest and carefully poked
his head in.
sAh, master" he whispered; s'climb
down the rock tonight, and ali show
you the way home" And he disap-
peared.
The visit biaced up the old mans
Hnr = IL