Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-09-16

can't wait for it to get shade. Say"
he added, pausing with the half dol
lar in his hand, s's'posin' you take it
for your pay
81 wonder if it'll live" said Dick.
"Well, | don't say sure twill,
said the man. you'll have to take
your chances at that. It's only that
if you manage to bring it round it's
well worth So to you, and if you lose
it, you lose your fifty cents. You
take your choice you see. It's fine
breed"
Dick was too good farmer not to
be able to see at glance the posi-
bilities that lay in fine calf.
s'I'll take it, he said.
The man helped him with it out of
the wagon, and Dick had hard time
getting it into a shady place, where
he left 1t living until he could bring
some cool water. The poor creature
would not or could not drink, so he
bathed its head and then sought the
help of his mother, reliable coun-
sellor in all matters pertaining to
kindness to dumb animals, particu-
larly of the weak and helpless sort.
''Nothing better than you have
DONE" she said. LET it lie in the
shade and rest. By and by it will
take water if it ever picks up at all.
She was right. Before night the
exhaused animal lifted his head and
opened its eyes as if in grateful &C
acknowledgements of Dicks care and
solicltude. After few swallows of
water it willingly took the warm
milk which stood next in the list of
mothers restoratives. Dicks father
came around and looked at the inva-
lid. Dick told him it's history, add
ing: 'sIt's coming to like everything,
father"
ssGood-looking calf" said his ia
ther with an approving nod.
'sYes,' said Dick eagerly. ''Pm
going to take good care of it and feed
it up, and it will make good cow in
time. Be worth good deal, hey,
father?'
Sat my expense, suppose?' said
father.
Dick had not got so far as to think
of that. He had only, as the worn
out animal revived. considered one
side of the questionable pleasure of
raising it by his own care, and be-
coming after awhile the proud pos
SCISSOR of valuable COW. But here
was the other side presented. His
calf must be pastured through the
summer, and when winter came on
provided with food and shelter.
"Well-I don't mean just that, "
said Dick, after few minutes tho't.
/ want it to be every bit mine and
nobody else's, and I'd like to pay
you regular rates for it-that is, if
you'll hire me to work, so I'll have
something to pay with"
81 WILL said the farmer, we'll
pleased at seeing the boy interested
in work of any kind.
Dick as we have guessed, had high
hopes of the profits he was to make
on his calf, which, as it quickly re-
covered from the effects of its march,
gave good promise of not disappoint-
ing him. But he soon began to real
ize that it would require very fair
amount of what his father called
ssgood, solid work." in order to pro-
vide for his new charge.
He was not naturally fond of work,
and more than once felt tempted,
when the weekly pay for the pastur-
age of his pet was coming due, to
make a proposition to his father to
take the animal off his hands, paying
him a fair advance on what he had
paid for it. But his pride always
arose between him and such a way
out from under the burthen he had
undertaken. His piece of livestock
was doing well increasing in size and
beauty with rapidity which he could
almost see from day to day, and the
older it grew the less inclined he felt
to part with it.
Winter taxed him still more Sc
verely. He was then attending school,
and much of the time found that it
took nearly all of his leisure in the
short days to provide for the support
of his fast-growing animal.
''Don't work the boy too hard, -
said mother one day.
sit won't hurt him a bit," said fa-
Their. "The vim he's showing, the
steady stick to-it that it's bringing
out of him is worth a long sight more
than the calf isl
"Right you are" said grandfather.
"No, it won't hurt him. He gets a
little time to take a game of checkers
in the evening, don't he? %
Sometimes, when he doesn't have
to study said mother laughing.
''He takes too much after you, ia
Their, to let the checkers 60"
The calf quickly outgrew her calf
hood, developed into a dainty young
heifer, full of grace and beauty in
the eyes of many beside her proud
young owner and had settled down
into the dignity of young matron,
when one evening grandfather Wealth
t erby came over and challenged Dick