The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-05-02
TWO BOYS AND A COW.
How Pete Found the Best Home
He Had Ever Known.

WAS ulre nit COW, anu inc squire
thought great deal of it. He had
large farm, on which he raised little
but horses, keeping only this one cow.
The squire was passing, and stopped
to give a 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 bone in your body"
"Yessir," said Pete, as soberly as if
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 a 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, Bunk!''
Pete trudged after the cow, very glad
and proud of being trusted with such
an important duty. He was a poor lit
tie 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 a foothold on the big
farm, on which he soon came to have a
home feeling.
Bunker plodded lazily along until,
coming near the mill, Pete faithfully
frightened his hold on the rope by which
he led her.
The mill and its surroundings pos
sessed a fascination for Pete. He had
spent hours and hours lounging about
the old-fashioned building, taking a
kind of awe-stricl1en delight in its 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 gil
gantic hooks. The dam, the boom,
every feature bore its charm for him
The Their 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-
BILE. But just now he made sudden
pause.
Hello, Billy! What you doing
there?"
Billy was diminutive 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 q dangerous char
acter.
Billy, come here!"
Me 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
block of wood, and, with the words,
stepped out on the 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 come here"
Billy stepped on the next log.
"a whole pocketful, Billy"
AS Billy set his foot on the third log
1t gave little roll under him, but he
recovered himself by a 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
lifer
Billy hastened his step on the fifth
log.
Pete looked around in despair. No
one was in sight. There were still two
or three hours of the long summer
evening daylight, out the saws were
stopped and the wheels quiet.
What should he doP With every mo-
ment his frightened eyes perceived the
increasing danger to the small boy.
When he should reach the other log
and attempt to launch his tiny craft
what then?
Pete called aloud for help, but was
answered by only the hollow roar of
the water washing over the dam The
millcr's house was beyond the mill,
back out of sight.
switch was so arranged as to back
cars up for the convenient loading of
lumber. Pete's perplexed glance fell
upon loaded car standing on the
track With a rougher pull on the
rope by which he was leading Bunker
than that animal had ever before felt,
Pete dragged her towards it. Another
moment and he had secured the COW to
one of the iron step-ladders and was
wildly rushing down the bank towards
the logs.
BILLY boy"-Pete said it coaxingly,
all the while realizing how gladly he
would have carried out his threat of a
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