The Portland daily press., 1881-12-14
Animal Sagacity IN Pike.
Incidents that Prove the Superior Intelli.
gence Of the Blooming Grove Steer.


1t was little chilly this morning. A farm
er from the hooppole fields of Cbucktown
stopped his yoke of steers in front of the Criss-
man House, and went into the bar-room to get
10-cent piece changed. The dog Cesar occu-
pied the only bit of sunshine that has as yet
found a place on the front stoop. Unc Ira
came out with his chair. He kicked Caesar
into the street
"Blast lazy dog" said he, chats always
a loppin' around in the sum-
Then he sat his chair on the patch of sun
shine, set himself on the chair, and gazed pen
sively at the yoke of steers The Sheriff
came up from late breakfast of buckwheat
cakes and sausage, and remarked to Uncle
Ira, that there was frost in the air this morn
ing.
you'd hardly think" said Uncle Ira, still
taking in the points OF the Chuektown cat
tle-"You'd hardly think, to look at one, shat
5-year old steer, especially a brinde one,
kpow'd any more than enough to chaw its cud,
and kick with its off-hind leg at any fool of a
dog that got within ten foot of it,"
Caesar, steers hind foot and a howl sug-
gested the concluding sentence of the old gen
tlemans remark.
"But don't you make any mistake" he con-
tinued. "Take a steer that's got enough to eat,
and whose agricultural training has been some
thing more than hauling hooppoles to market,
and he'll be as cute as a coon, If he's a mind
to, and have heap OF fun in him bigger'n
haystack. But you'd hardly believe il, to
look at them steers yonder."
"Oh, don know, said the Sheriff. ~ re-
member"
gs"You remember" interrupted Uncle Ira.
eyes, of course you remember You re-
member too derned much. If one quarter of
the wonderful things you remember had ever
happened. you'd be older than Methuseler,
and the history o. Pike County couldn't be got
into twenty-eight volumes bigger'n dictiona-
res."
Uncle Ira likes his meals on time. He had
been up since tour o'clock, and his breakfast
wasn't ready yet.
sNow YOU take Bloomin' Grove steers" he
continued, "and you won't find many lunk-
heads among 'em. III never forget that one
Nose used to have. It's funny thing, but
that steer was too smart to die, and at the same
time he was too smart to live. I'll explain that
to you by one or two little things that 1 remem-
ber about him."
some of the boys had gathered at the hotel
by this time.
"Was he a muley steer, Uncle Ira?" one of
them ventured to ask.
ssNo, he want muley steer" said he HE
had two horns; and If you feilers never had
any more horns than he did, neither you nor
the Crissman House slate would be quite so full
when night come.
was as slick as a beaver, and in good condition
to start with, but Nose wanted him leetle fat
ter. Nose was always wanting things leetle
fatter than they was. If he went to hoss trot
and see a hoss go in two ten he'd say it was
purity good, but he thought it ought gone in
two nine, and it would if it'd been drove right.
So we went to stuffin' this steer to make him
fatter, but we want long in noticin' that the
more victuals we turned into him the thinner
he got. OF course, we had talked right before
the steer what we intended to do with him.
About the same time there was some sporting
men from New York putin up at Moses, and
they were talkin' most o. the time about the
exercise some fellers was takin' to keep down
their flesh 10 be in condition for hghtin' or
rowin', or walkin', and so on, and about the
diet of Graham bread and other chip victuals
thew indulged in. The steer didn't eat half we
give him, and kept gsttin thinner and thinner
/ noticed that every day he would walk down
the road. and in about two hours come back
foamin' with sweat, and tired almost 10 death.
So one day made up my mind to see what in
the great nation he was up TO, and follered him,
keepin' back so he couldn't see me-. He stop
ped about two miles down the road. hid in
the woods, in place where could see him.
After lookin' up and down the road for spell,
as if he wanted to see whether he was being
ohserve,I he started on "a tignt run up ono
SUael ne TORE aIUng for half a mile, and then
turned and tore back again. He kept that up
for an hour, and then started back home as
wet as bog medder, and as tired as livery
horse in 'lectioreerin time. This strange CON
duct puzzled me. thought the steer was crazy
but kept it to myself, waiting to see how 1t
would turn out.
'fWell one day the steer started up the road
lords Klienham's. Thinks said l, this is a new
move. and I'll see what it means. i followed
him and he never stopped till he got to Klien-
hams store. He squared himself around in
the road, facin' the store, and begun to bellur
as though his heart would break. We couldn't
drive him away, and couldn't make out what
allied him. Ali of sudden noticed sign on
the side of the store. In big letters it said: