Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-07-13

anu hcidlCufb 'tA A'll N'''''"
worth Of dahla.bulbs aud about a
peck Of gladlOlas and all the
choice seeds which Mrs. Perkins
had planted with so much care in
her flower beds.
Aud by and by Perkins thought
he would set a hen. Chickens were
such lovely and interesting crea.
lures! SO he put fifteen eggs IN u
box, and caught a hen and put her
ON them, and she pecked the skin
OF his wrist and then flew into his
face and broke five of the eggs and
scratched bloody murder and eX
hibted signs Of total deprayity of
temper, and finally flew through
the wood shed window into the top
of the h0rse.cheSinut tree, where
she sat al day, and would no. be
poked out with a fishing.pOle or
stoned out by any number of stones
hurled in her direction. And Mr.
Perkins told his wife that probably
the reason she would not "set" was
that the man who sold her TO him
! mad been cheat and sold hens that
had never been taught TO "set,"
Perkins next venture was a COW,
IA gentle creature and a great
mixer and pet for women and
children" said the mild-mannered
old granger of whom our hero pur-
chased her.
SO, when Perkins got her home,
Mrs. Perkins and the hired girl and
the two boys and the baby all came
out to see her.
"We'll have bread and milk for
SUPPER" SAID Mrs. Perkins. "lpll
be so nice to know just what we're
eating. No filthy adulteration |
declare, am quite in love with
her already. She has beautiful
eyes and such handsome antlers "
"Them is horns, ma'am," said
| Biddy, the hired girl, card ioine
ones. too! And faith, | never seen
any finer IN this country"
"Can you milk her" asked Mrs.
Perkins, addressing her husband a
little doubtfully.
"Milk her? OfcOurse | cam said
Mr.. Perkins. "Here are the direc-
tions in this book on dalrying,'
and, pulling a book from his pock'
ct, he began to read always be
gentle with COW. Never speak
loud or cross. She will yield her
milk more readily if the mixer
sings or Whistles while performing
the operation Of milking. Sit well
forward, and keep the pail just in
front of the hind legs. If the ami
NAL whiskes her tail so as to be
troublesome, tie it to the Leg
There, Anna, what can be easier
than that You can hum some
soothing tune, l Will whistle, and
we shall succeed as well as if we
had been born farmers"
Perkins placed himself in posi-
ton on an inverted feed.box and
started mp his whistling, and Mrs.
Perkins began to hum. The hired
girl stood with her hands on her
hips, and the two young members OF
the Perkins family looked on with
eager delight.
The COW looked surprised. She
stopped chewing her cud and turn
ed out the whites Of her eyes, as
she glanced apprehensively be-
hind her. She fetched her tail a
vicious switch and knocked the
glasses ont of Perklns's spectacles
and filled his eyes with strong
smelling dust.
81 must tie her tail,D said he,
after he had got his eyesight rub
bed back again. "rhat is what
the book says. Strange that | did
not do that at first~
So Mr.. Perkins proceeded to tie
it. The COW evidently did not rel
ish this method of being anchored
to herself, and she lifted her foot
and sent the mllk.pail spinning
across the yard, and the half.pint
of milk that was in 1t spattered
over the front Of Mrs. Perkins's
brown silk dress.
"Oh, the burning shamew cned
Bridget. All that illigant milk
wasted ~
"There is enough more" said
Mr.. Perkins, "but the COW does not
like having her tail tied to her own
leg. Let me see is 1t possible |
have misunderstood the meaning
of the author OF this book ! |
must have. 1t reads thus 'Tie
the tail to the leg' 1t must mean
to the leg of the mixer. Or course
thai is what it meansl How stupid
of me not to understand. Bridget,
you bring me a piece of line, and
I'll fix her."
Bridget brought the line, and
Perkins took twist with it around
the animals tail and secured it to
his own leg.
"Now she's all right" said he
Gamma, you may sing n little,
guess. Something soft and sooth
ing, to show her that we are heI
friends.o
As he spoke, he put his leg