, 1884-08-07
a Ruconrc EP1sonE
A Sacred Bulls Revenge, and a
Hired Mans Discontinue.

From the New York Times.
The handsome villa in this arcadian
township is the country seat Of Cornelius
V. Banta, a banker of the Exchange
Place, New York. House and grounds
are picturesquely laid out by q landscape
gardener, and an artificial lake lies beyond
the closely-shayen lawns and shimmers
through the shrubbery. Mr.. Banta is
very much interested in the breeding Of
fancy cattle, and he spends most of his
spare time among his live stock, which
number thoroughbred horses, registered
cattle and pedigreed sheep. Four great
dogs are chained at different vantage
points about the grounds to protect the
valuable live stock from thieves.
Among the other appurtenances of his
farm Mr.. Banta has a ''hired man. by
by the name, Of Henry S~trassburger, and
a sacred Persian bull, which once graced
the Geological Garden in Central
Park, New York. Henry and
the bull, which has only reached
the tender age of years, had always been
very good friends until the mar got into
a habit of hitting the bull OH the head as
he passed him in the stable to make him
lower his horns. Henry thought it was
lots Of fun to see the beast shake his
sacred head at him, and he continued 70
amuse himself with the animal, although
Nj. Banta warned him to keep away
from the Persian. Last Saturday the bull
was sent out to the pasture, whers there
were a lot of merino sheep and a donkey.
The bull and the donkey struck up an
immediate friendship, and being hard up
for amusement, decided to have some fun
with the sheep. Therefore they charged
upon the inoffensive muttons and chased
them all about the pasture, the donkey
prayed nj the top of his lungs and the
sacred bull shouted at them in choice
Persian. A lusty ram stopped to do
battle with the-oppressors of his flock and
succeeded in discouraging the donkey, but
the bull knocked him u on the first
round and he fed with the rest.
Mr.. Banta sent Henry down to put a
stop to the mischief, and that individual
got there just as the bull and the donkey
had tired themselves and were laughing
at the fright they had given the sheep at
the pasture bars. Henry crawled under
the fence and playfully hit the bull be-
tween the horns, as he had been in the
habit of doing at the stable, and passed on
toward the sheep. The bull slyly winked
his sacred left eye at the donkey, softly
stepped up behind the unconscious Henry,
and with a vigorous thump felled him to
the earth. He followed up the assault by
rolling his PROSTATE victim in the dust,
while the donkey hee-hawed in the widest
merriment, and finally rolled on the
ground and kicked up his heels in a par
oxysm of glee. The bull, observing the
approval of the donkey and anxious to
create a good impression upon his new
acquaintance, knocked the unhappy
Henry over again o as he managed to
scramble to his feet, and rolled him about
until the frightened man got hold of the
ring in his nose and 50 kept him off long
enough to roll under the fence.
When Henry staggered to his feet on
the safe side of the fence he put one hand
on the back of his head and the other on
his hip. and found that he still needed
another hand to place on his kneecap,
and another to fondle a tremendous bump
near the small of his back. The bull and
the donkey wept for joy, and the latter
animal, IN sportive humor, added insult to
injury by physically eating up the straw
hat which the unfortunate man had lost
in the emeute. Meantime Henry, by
slow and painful degrees, crept back to
the house, presenting an aspect somewhat
az if a ten story fat had fallen upon him.
His hair was disheFeled and full Of dust,
all the buttons were jolted off his clothes,
and he felt as if his entire system was dis
~integrated and disjointed. A physician
discovered that he had been badly bruised
but not otherwise injured, and he has re-
covered sufficiently to go to work to-mor-
row. The Persian bull is regretting the
affair in solitary confinement in the barn,
and the donkey is pining sadly for his lost
companion in the pasture.
Personal MENTION.