Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-07-02
A STRANGE ATTAcHMENT.


Unusual Affection Between . Pet Deer
and y Young Ok.
-Four years ago Horace p. Albright,
of Knob mountain, caught male lawn
In the Compton woods and petted 1t un-
til it followed him to his home, moro.
than two miles distant. The little ami
mail soon answered to the name of
Dick, and in few weeks became very
much attached to one of AIbright's
calves. At first the calf was shy of the
lawn, but Dick chased it around the
pasture, cornered it up and licked it on
the head until it became fond of him,
and after that they were almost con-
stantly together. Dick didn't pay the
slightest attention to the other calves
on the place, and during the summer
and fall Dick and the calf fed and
played together In the fields
and woods near by. When
the cattle were styarded" in the
winter. Dick stuck close to the calf and
lay down in the straw with it, and If
any of the other animals came near
his chosen companion while they were
resting under the shed, Dick would
bristle up and drive them away. The
calf grew to be a steer, and year ago
last winter Mr.. Albright began to work
off side, and Dick walked by him when
ever the team was at work He licked
the steer on the head and neck, and the
steer did the same thing to him. If
Dick happened to wander away in the
woods to browse while Mr.. Albright
was tagging, the steer would low for
him as COW does for her calf, and
Dick would come bounding and bleat-
ing through the brush, and he and the
| steer would lick each other as
though they had been separated
all day. Dick never noticed
| the other steer in the least,
and when Mr.. Albright began to stable
the steers Dick made such fuss over
being kept out of the barn that Mr.. AL
bright enlarged the off ones stall SO
that Dick could lie with his companion
| at night. The affection of the buck
and steer was never 1essened in the
| slightest; in fact, it became stronger
right along, and Mr.. Albright allowed
them to be together the year round.
A few weeks ago, while Mr.. Albright
| was drawing a load of logs down the
mountain, the off STEER lay down in the
road and began to groan and froth at
the mouth. Mr.. Albright Immediately
unyoked him and tried to get him to
stand up. Dick was walking by his
side when he lay down, and the mo-
ment the steer began to groan and roll,
the buck got down on his knees, licked
the steers face, bleated mournfully and
showed remarkable sympathy for the
suffering brute. The steer grew
J. worse, and in a few minutes
stretched out on his side and
died. The buck continued to moan
and lick the steers head, and Mr.. AL
bright left him there, drove the other
steer to the foot of the hill and went off
to get man to help him skin the dead
animal. When he returned Dick was
still on his knees by the steers head.
He was bleating piteously and licking
the face and neck of his lifeless COM
panion. Mr.. Albright drove him away
several times, but he came back repeat
edly, and seemed to be determined to
stay by the carcass. Then they started
to skin the steer, and when they had
removed the hide from the head and
chopped the horns off, the buck, bleat-
ing furiously, stamped his hoofs, bound
ed back and forth and acted as though
he was crazed with grief. The spot was
half a mile from Mr. Albright's place,
and every day Dick visited it, sought
everywhere on the farm for the steer,
refused to eat, and became SO thin that
he couldn't walk. Mr.. Albright tried
to force food down his throat, but it
was useless, and one morning he found
N. Y. Tribune.