The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-08-14
The Old Man And The Nervous Cow
There was an old man who said How
Shall 'scape from this horrible COW?
| will sit on the stile,

| There was Hu old man who said How
| Shall 'scape from this horrible COW?
| | will sit on the stile,
! And continue to smile,
Which may soften the heart Of the cow"
The old man was 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, a 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 do9 He vas a 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 ncared him.
Then he suddenly remembered read
ing somewhere that if you looked ri ght
into an animals eyes, 1t would run away
from you.
"Ah!' thought he, ell look straight
at her, and if smile at the same time,
she won't have the heart to hurt me-
So he put OH Il smile (of course it was
not very beautiful one, for he was in a
hurry. but it was the best he could dol,
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 a 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 a!ighted 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, pounccd right down, and
flew off with him to her nest, which was
on Il 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 caglcls
were! They opened their beaks as well as
their eyes, and cried out:
"What's this, mother? What is this?"
"Oh it's only u 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. ''Of course he
can talk. And he can tell stories, too, l
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 II lit
tic t'Let me sit on the edge of the nest,
won't you? anC I'll tel! you all the stories
you want"
you'll fall over"
'Oh no, I won't. I'll hold on With my
cane and my legs. Now just shut your
bcaks, SO you won't look so savage, and
listcn.'
SO the old man pcrched blmselt on the
edge of the nest. The caglets 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 a I'd
! then another.
He didn't eat much suppe: that night,
| for they had not ary convenience for
| cooking And he didn't sleep well, ci-
thcr, for whenever one of the caglets
woke UP III the night, it always pinchcd
him with it's bcaE, to make sure he was
there. So nc resolved to get away as soon
as he could. ...
| But he didn't seem to have any chance
50 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, ano lust how his coat-tails looked
as he went up till at last she laid her head
down on tut't of grass by the brook, and
cried--regularly boo ooed.
Having thus relieved her feelings, she
became calm, and, rising, said:
II II 90 to his house and find out how
and u 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 beloved:
"Where's our master?"
~ don't know, said the cat, rctreating
to far corner, with its back up. 81
haven't set eyes on him since last Sunday
ooh dear' sighed the COW, dropping
the window with crash that broke out
two of the pancs of glass. "What shall
do:" ...... ...-..
'"What's the matter with you!-and
what do you want Of the old MANI asked
Tabby, bounding out through one Of the
broken pancs.
The COW told him. -..
"Well,n said Tab, stroking his "his
kers retiectively, II guess III go with you
and hep you look for the good-natureo
old creature
So they journeyed on, asking every
body they met about the old man. Blu
nobody knew, until finally they cam'
across an old crow who knew everybody
business.
can old man:n said he. "Thc cagl
took an old man the other day. Did HI
have very slender legs
Eyes, ycs," said the cat and the GOV
together.
..And sweet smile on his facet
.Yes. yes!' cried the COW. "He wen
m with that smile and If has been haunt