Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-09-19

home the lay was spilled. lie got u ID,
but twas musty, IN the critters
wouldn't eat II, an cum winter be he'd
| ter bug hay. He was % ashamed be
woukin't buy II around hum. for never
before since the Lord ct 'em apart in
to famllirs did q stapIes ever buy hay.
So he drove II miles 70 the city IN
got baled hay and brought II hum In
ther night an hid II In the haymow an
fed II out TO the cows In the barn.
Waal. come spring there, was dunnin
letters comm In every dag. for not on
ly he'd he spent al he had laid by
In the hank. but he'd got trusted be
sides. After awhile q city man he
owed for his black beetle winged tall
coat an his high silk hat come dunnin
an said he'd take up with COW for
family use, an what did he do but up
and sell him Betty, the best COW In the
barni tell you. that struck me
spunky. but didn't say nothin or not
% very much"
"Didn't say very muchT echoed
poor Staples. bracins bis shoulder
anew. "'Twan't nothin but kersher-
ID. kcrsherin. kersheriR, from mornin
till night"
"waaL you came near being ker-
sherifred yourself when that man came
after you that driv' Oh Bet to pay for
q buzz beetle tailed coat, razor toed
yaller shoes. q cane an plug hat.
Why. he even had his linen be called
Il, done up at laundry
"He did make rapid progress laugh
ed the lawyer.
Progress. thought 20 when them
men came an said Bet had got tu-ber-
Co lo-sis. I said I didn't know what
kind OF tubers they had been giyin
her. She hadn't had nothin on the
farm but potatoes an carrots. an they
agreed with her well enough. Then
he saId we must have the herd inocu-
lated. an said we'd all been vaccinat-
cd. an I guessed that would do for the
cows an all. SO we jawed till Staples
dresse' up an hitched up an drove OF
with them. Day an night he was gone
for two or three weeks, an l thought
I should hev a-went crazy. Farm work
sufYerin. old Betty a-dyin. an said she
should be brought home. So they load
ed her on TO a drag an brought her
back one night an put her on some
clean straw IN the sheep shed, 80 the
other critters shouldn't ketch II.
II went out to see her an didn't be-
lieve In any Of their newfaDgled talk.
She's pizencd or else she's a-swallow-
ed something said. an they kept up
their talk about prosecutin Us for sell
In q COW that hadn't been tested, an
said we'd been a-testln her milk an
cram for years. but all the talk didn't
save the COW. She died.
Then set up that she should be
cut open, an one o. them men said. as
pompous m Q big dictionary: Very
well. Wen have post mortem exam
Ination, my good woman said !
didn't feel Jest then as II ! was any
body's very good woman. but wanted
that COW cut open. post mortem or rail
mortem. 1t didn't matter to me. She
never was unruly. An one Of the men
said. kinder laughin. We will pro-
ceed with the autopsy an ] said
didn't care what kind Of Topsy they
proceeded with, she was black enough
to be q Topsy or q Dlnah. knew
what they meant. but didn't mean to
let them know Il. 30 they went on
with the examination, an what do you
think they found but q piece Of Ca
madam wire q foot long. That poor
old critter. starvin on baled hay. had
chanked down an swallowed that wire,
an II had tangled around m punched
through her internal machinery tryin
to digest itself till Il had twisted poor
old Betty's heart all up 70 Il couldn't
beat no longer"
"wen. then they cannot prosecute
you for keeping an infected herdy'
mo. but the Society For the Proven
ton Of Cruelty to Animals might for
keepln milk cows on copper wire. But
now they threaten to prosecute for
damages and veterinaries an experts
IN % on. So now II you will mako the
papers givin me deed Of the farm.
III give him money to pay up an settle
ND all these ker sherifin bills, but this
has got TO end It."
But your sheriff fees" said the law
yer. ''will they not help to partly pay
expensesY
"Feesw echoed the woman couteinp-
tuously. and the man added bumbly a.
the lawyer took up his pen:
II never have had but one case
that writ you instructed me about, you
know: and 1 haIn't never got no pay
for sarvin that, but there can't nobody
say I hain't dressed up an lived up to
the dignity Of the Office"
THAT little stub tailed dog Ia doin
the same" growled the woman: hes
got q ribbon tied round his neck"
And her auditors laughed until the
little dog barked In sympathy and Ste
phen Staples plped: "Jes' 80! Jes' so~
Springfield tMass.) Republican.