St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-06-17


rae road fence, although the height (
70 land about the bridge prevented u
from seeing him.
The attention of the Holstein, how
ever, was for the moment engrosseG b
the staEes and he began to move Il
ward Il, bringing his dust cloud wit
him, and stopping at every yard or tw
\ 70 paw. with power that sent show
4 ers of gravel stoarss into the ad joinin
Il fields.
Had the case been less serious, a spec
tator ssSht have laughed to see III
drive wheel his four-korse team-a
operation favored as well by the widt
O. The road as by the slowness Of tn
Hull's movements.
: The stage ratified hack around tn
curve and out of sight, while his bo
vine majesty stared after it as If won
der:ng bow it had vanished.
Then for few minutes he again be
took himself to the task of scraping tn
I highway; bns presently, with hea.
erect, he started off toward the bridge
believing in one unbroken peal as h,
went
The cause of this decided movement
~'ss at once apparent. and II was will
: what had taken place.
The believing from the other sid,
of tha>river was getting nearer. 4
cloud of dust showed itself on that sid,
of the bridge. Mr.. Wilson'S big Jerse,
was out! \ moment more and we could
see his short horns and strong back un
der the sand and gravel that he wa.
throwing into the air.
1t was right in the middle Of The
bridge that the two powerful creature,
met. We heard their horns clash to.
gether and their struggling hoofs grind
the planks. Both heads were lowered
and both sinewy frames were pushing
with all their might.
1t was such an exhibition of strength
as / have never seen equaled. Those
thick. short necks seemed made of solid
| iron.
For time it seemed as if neither
! would be able to obtain any advantage
over his antagonist, but at length the
Jersey was forced to step slowly back.
although still disputing the ground
with many a desperate rally to recover
what was lost.
Presently, while the two furious COM
batants were braced against each other.
crosswise to the road. the flanks of the
inferior bull struck the old, rotten rail-
ing of the bridge, and we heard it crack
loudly.
The Holstein was pushing with tre-
mendous vigor; the Jersey lost another
foot of grouid, AID there was no chance
for him to regain it. Crash! went the
old wood behind him; and sheer off the
bridge. and down into the river, tum-
bled rail, bull and all.
OF course the attention of the specta-
tors was fixed upon the vanquished an
imal, in some anxiety for his safety.
But he did not seem to be injured in the
least. Turning his broad, curly front
toward his pasture, he swan strongly
for the shore, only some 30 yards dis
tant, and quickly scrambled up the
bank.
In the meantime the Holstein re-
mained upon the bridge. For some
minutes he stood motionless. exactly
in the position he had occupied when
his enemy disappeared. His head was
down. at charge bayonet" depres-
sion and his tail remained lifted just as
it had been in the fight. He seemed
but the figure of bull cut in black
and white marble.
The catastrophe was evidently be-
yond his comprehension. What had be-
come of his adversary, who was SO sud-
denly and SO unaccountably gone?
Presently he began to back straight
Arross the bridge, taking up one foot
after another very slowly. and OCCASION
ally paving the planks with his fore
hoof. Back, back, back he stepped. all
the while in an attitude of sullen de-
fiance. with lowered head and threat
ening below.
The rail behind him was rotten and
weak. Its condition had long been re-
proach to the town. 1t broke instantly
ds II0
did not seem to notice the obstruction
in the least. or even to know that he
had touched it.
Back, back he pushed. Both hind
feet went over the edge of the bridge |
His head few up. his fore hoofs scraped
the planks. and then there was a great |
splash in the water below.
For few seconds the big Holstein
was entirely lost to sight. while the |
waters eddied and surged above the
spot where he had gone down. Then
he rose and turned his curly pate to-
ward the shore. landing in his own pas
ture, precisely as the Jersey had landed |
in the other.
Neither of the animals had suffered |
any injury. and the amount of below
ing and scraping with which they filled |
up the remainder of the day showed
that both were as sound as ever i'm lung
and limb.
The town forthwith voted to fix a
good. substantial railing upon that
bridge. SO that. after all. the meeting
Of the two bulls became the occasion OF
a very necessary road improvements
Golden Days.
After Hours.
Some time ago. on day set apart
II