The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1883-09-01
HOW TIIDY DROVE THE COWS
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HOW TuDY DROVE THE COWS
ssWhere is that boy 'BimelechP" said
Aunt Huldah, in an aggrieved tone.
There amt q chore done, and the
white turkey has gone across the field
to steal her nest again, and the guinea
pigs are squealing for their supper
enough to deafen you, and the wood
wantin' 70 be chopped, and Jonas gone
to see his mother. Why he couldn't
have mother Twin in this town in
stead of ten miles off / don't see; but
hired men have no consideration for
other people, any more than boys have.
should like to know who is going for
the cows!'
Aunt Huldah was q little cross, but
then-poor woman!-she had had a
hard time to manage the farm and
make both ends meet since Uncle
Joshua died. And although she did
scold sometimes, she was very kind to
'Bimelech and Tidy.
'1wili go and bring home the cows, :"
said Tidy. 81 can ride Lightning
'bare-backed. / have done it ever so
many times"
II don't think poor old Lightning
will ever run away with anybody" said
Aunt Huldah. ssBut it's hard work
for you to take down the bars and put
them up again. I don't believe in
girls doing such things, when it's what
boys are for. But there's no telling
what time that boy'll be home. Per-
haps you may as well 60. And you'd
better hurry, for it's lonesome road,
and it will be dark before long"
Tidy had old Lightning out of his
stall and was on his back in twink
ling. But there was no such thing as
hurrying old Lightning. He knew as
well as Tidy did that they were only
going for the cows, and he didn't mean
to hurry his stiff old bones on any such
commonplace occasion. 1t was long
time ago that Lightning had earned his
name. Jonas, the hired man, said he
was ''slower than stock-still'' now.
Tidy broke of a beech switch, and
tried that as . persuader. She did
want to get the cows home in good
time, so that Aunt Huldah need moi
think too much about 'Bimelech's alb
sence. He had a bright new half dollar
that he had earned by picking berries,
and there was circus over at Gran
berry Center. Tidy didn't En0sO that
he had gone there, but she was pretty
we'll acquainted with boys. You couldn't
have 'Bimelech for brother without
being.
Instead Of having his pace quickened
by the beech switch, Lightning, not
being accustomed to such things,
stopped short, and turned his head
around to look at it. Then he twitched
it out Of Tildy's hand and serenely
munched the green leaves.
After that Tidy returned to moral
suasion, and told him how important il
was to have the COWS MIXED, and the
milk taken care of at the proper time,
for OF the cream was to be made Aunt
Huldah's goldenest, sweetest, fragrant
est butter, that was expected to take a
prize ut the Agricultural Fair, and out
Of the prize money Aunt Huldah had
promised to buy her. Tidy, new cam.
brio dress bright blue with tiny spots
Ito wear to the Sunday-school picnic
/ can't say that old Lightning was
touched by these arguments, but he did
begin to 60 q little faster, and before
Tidy had fairly decided what color tc
have the hat trimmed with which Aun1
Huldah might have money enough tc
buy her, to 60 with the dress, she had
reached the pasture.
Instead Of being close beside the bars
As they usually were at night, the cows
were huddled together in a distant
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