Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1895-05-09
TWO BOYS AND A COW.
How Poto Found tho Bost Home
He Had Evor Known.

Iclc phIJeu the shoulders of the COW
he was about to drive to pasture. Il
was Squire llil's COW, and the squire
thought great deal of It. He had n
large farm, on which he raised little
but horses, keeping only this one COW.
The squire was passing and stopped
to give more sturdy caress than
Pete's hand had been.
If you ever let anything happen to
that COW, Pete" he said, "I'll be likely
to break every bono in your body"
"Ycssir," said Pete MS soberly as If
the words had not been accompanied
with genial twinkle in the squire's
eyes.
You're the first small shaver I've
ever let drive her"
"Yessir, repeated Pete, with an i'm
pressive shake of the head.
You'll always look out for the rail
road?"
"Yessir--sure."
"And the mill. There's n mighty
mean slope down to the log boom If an
animal got started down"
"Yessir-awful~
"And no fence along it,"
"Not bit"
"Be sharp, then"
"Go long, Bunxr
Pete trudged after the COW, very glad
and proud of being trusted with such
IN important duty. lie was poor lit
tic stray, who had turned up on the
farm from nobody knew where. After
hanging about for awhile, making
friends with the animals, attracting
attention by his light-hearted, fun
loving spirit, he had gradually fallen
into place as chore boy and general
convenience, rejoicing in every new
labor set him as giving evidence that
he was gaining foothold on the big
farm, on which he soon came to have n
homo feeling.
Bunker ploddcd lazily along until,
coming near the MILL Pete faithfully
frightened his hold on the rope by which
he led her.
The mill and it's surroundings pos
sesscd fascination for Pete. He had
spent hours and hours lounging about
the old-fashioned building, taking u
kind of awe-strickcn delight in it's won
derful tangle of queer machinery. He
had watched, with his breath held, the
great saws eating their way through
the logs which were hauled up an in
cline by the help Of heavy rope and gi-
gantic hooks. The dam, the boom,
every feature bore its charm for him.
The othcr of the squire's bugbears,
the railroad, passed just beyond the
mill, crossing the road. One danger
passed, Pete always began looking for
the other, always bearing on his mind
the many stories told by the squire OF
valuable animals killed by locomotives.
He usually aimed to get Bunker past
the slope abov boom as fast as posi-
bic. But just now he made sudden
pause.
Hello, Billy What you doing
thcre?"
Billy was q diminutivc boy belong
ing to the miller. Pete had spent
many an hour playing with him before
his duties on the farm had become SO
well defined
Billy was playing truant, Pete knew
at glance. And not only that, but
the truancy was of dangerous char
acter.
"Billy, como here!"
INC ont said Billy, with an obsti-
nate shake of his shoulders.
.'Billy, you keep off that log"
"Me goin' to sail my boat"
The small rebel held in his hand q
block of wood, and, with the words,
stepped out on tho first of number of
logs which lay side by side in the boom.
Pete fully appreciated the danger
which the little rascal was Drawing.
''Billy, I'll give you some nuts if
you'll como here"
Billy stepped on the next log.
"a whole pocl1etful, Billy"
AS Billy set his foot on the third log
1t gave little roll under him, but he
recovered himself by quick step on
the fourth.
"Billy" Pete's voice took on tone
of desperation, ''if you don't come here
I'll thrash you within an inch of your
life!'
Billy hastened his step on the fifth
log.
Pete looked around in despair. NJ
one was in sight. There were still two
or three hours of the long summer
evenings daylight, but the saws were
stopped and the wheels quiet.
What should he do? With every mo
mert his frightened eyes perceived the
increasing danger to the small boy
When he should reach the other los
and attempt to launch his tiny craft
what then?
Pete called aloud for help, but wa
answered by only the hollow roar o
the water washing over the dam. Th'
millcr's house was beyond the mill
back out of sight.
A switch was so arranged as to bacl
cars up for the convenient loading o
lumber. Pete's perplexed glance fel
upon a loaded car standing on th'
track With rougher pull on th'
rope by which he was leading Bunkc
than that animal had ever before felt
Pete dragged her towards it. Anothe
moment and he had secured the COW t.
one Of the iron step-ladders and wa
wildly rushing down the bank toward
the logs.
"Billy boy"-Pete said it coaxingly
oil the while realizing how gladly hi
would have carried out his threat of {
thrashing-"if you'll wait just on
minute I'll make you boat with thre'
masts Honest, BillyP
Carefully he made his way over tn
logs just as Billy stopped to launch hi
boat. Whether the catastrophe woul'
have come quite SO soon but for tn
friendly pursuit can never be known
but Billy, quickening his motions Il
fear of being prevcnted in his design
stumbled and toppled into tho vsAar
With few swift steps