The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1890-07-16
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LIVING IN The couNTRY.
The Pleasures of Keeping a Horse and 9
Cow In the noorwarsl

The Pleasures OF Keeping a Horse and q
Cow In the Dooryard.
sPll tell you," said the doctor, sswe'u
buy COW and make our own butteri
And We'll fence in the adjoining lot and
keep pony for the childreni What's
the use of living in the country if you
don't keep COW or horseT"
To this outburst there came no answer
save a maniac smile, for the doctors
only audience was a feeble minded wo-
man, whom sad experience in suburban
life had bereft of hope.
Perhaps she remembered the slow
alienation Of neighborly affection
brought about by marauding fowls, and
also those lurid months during which
blithe Newfoundland pup had devastated
the land, but If so she made no sign. A
long experience with men had taught
this gentle being that the only way to
get the best of men and hens is to appear
to give them their own way in the start,
so she smiled slow, weird smile and
consented to the insertion Of an adver-
tisement in the county paper for a su-
perior COW and tractable pony.
Scarcely week had fitted by when
ons day there walked into the back yard
a strange cavalcade. First came de-
jected dwarf of a steed, whose head had
evidently been designed for Normandy
draught horse, but whose legs had been
sawed off short in dream. His bust
measure was all right, but he presented
the general appearance of an oak that
had started with the best of intentions
from an acorn, but had suddenly changed
its mind and decided to become head
of lettuce. There was masterfu1 look
in his eye that bespoke decision and
force, and the way his fore shortened
members touched the ground was indie
alive of business. Behind the horse
came wrecked COW. put it mildly
when I say a wrecked COW, for she had
no horns, no tail and scarcely any hair
She had bones, however, and they show
ed and seemed to creak in the morning
air like a weeks washing frozen on the
line. Back of the horse and cow strobe
q gigantic boy. He was evidently young,
for ne wore knickerbockers, but he was
very large and powerful. soon discov-
cred he was Swede, and neither spoke
of his adoption. He seemed resolved to
leave the horse and COW. In vain i
gesticulated, danced, expostulated. Sad
ly, yet resolutely, he cast off the leading
strings from the two beasts and turned
them loose in my dooryard. followed
him to the corner, and IL had had
shotgun should probably have stained
my innocent soul with boyslaughter, but
he paid no attention to me and retraced
his steps to the unknown country from
whence he and his living menagerie had
come.
went home in tears and found the
horse had regained his spirits and was
chasing the cow around the yard When
he got tired of that he began to kick at
the hired girl, who had gone out to the
rescue Of the COW, frightening the poor
girl so badly that she fell in fit upon
the door sill, over which I dragged her
at the risk of my own life.
After time the horse wearied of his
surroundings and started off at a tearing
run down street, leaping five barred
gate as easily as wind blown feather
skins the air. Where he went know
not, for my eyes have never rested upon
him since he disappeared in the direc-
ton of the lake bluff, but am told that
after nights wandering he was taken
up and returned to his owner.
Turning from the window where had
stood spellbound with delight to see the
gentle beast vault through the crowd Of
helpless school children on their way to
school, / turned my attention to the
hired girl and the COW. They both
seemed delirious. The former moaned
something about taking the first train to
town, and the latter was rubbing herself
against the side of the house in a way
that made the windows rattle. went
out and gave the poor thing basin Of
water, which she absorbed with one
loud inhalation and seemed anxious for
more. The better part of the morning
was spent in humanitarian service. / do
not think the poor animal had tasted
food since the preceding June. When
the doctor came home at night he found
the hired girl gone forever and the COW
asleep on the garden walk like an enact
ated watchdog on guard.
"Who brought that rack of bones
heref" he asked.
I WANTED to say who l thought had
direct hand in it, but the children stood
around too near, 30 contented myself
with few gentle words, descriptive of
the boy, the goblin pony and the COW.
Next morning the large and muscular
boy came back and evidently wanted
money. The doctor gave him the COW,
and chased him up street with Ratchet,
but that did not bring back the hired
girl nor restore the lightness of heart of
which such experiences are likely to rob
an emotional nature. Chicago Herald.