The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-10-12
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TOMS TURNING POLE.
By Cromwell Galpin.
'OMMY SIMONS was enviet


possessing what the called
''Tom's Turningpole," a duplicate o.
which was not to be obtained. This
piece of athletic apparatus was no
the combination Of upright posts ant
cross-bar called turning-pole Dy
BOYS and horizontal bar" by 'profes-
sors" of gymnastics, but n COW. She
was n red-and-whlte ''line-back' ol
the nondescript breeding now practl-
cally extinct, but common enough III
the days when Wisconsin towns were
few and small, and the trees OF the
big woods were many. The Turning
pole was well advanced in years, long
of leg. and provided with pair a
horns of unusual length and most fe-
rocious curve, which quite belicd her
temper. for no other cow would en-
dure such liberties as all the boys took
with the TurningpOle. She made no
objection to being MIXED by a boy
sitting at her left side or by boys anX-
ious to "get through and go In swim
ming" who MIXED her from both
sides at once. Tommy often used her
long horns as handles, lifted his bare
feet on the Turningpole's face, walk
ed TO secure position on her neck,
and rode to school. He found her tail
to be an almost equally convenient
handle for climbing TO a seat on her
back, where he sometimes stood on
his feet and sometimes on his head.
The Turningpole would let other boys
go through the same performances
with her.
Many Of the other boys tried TO
train their own cows 10 like docility
OF behavior. Jimmie Bachman was
making best progress, when his father
interfered with long lecture and n
short piece of harness. The cow
Jimmie had cndeavOrcd 10 educate was
n young Jersey, the finest in all the
region roundabout, and her owners
pride.
The Turningpole led the herd. Lawes-
burg cows, from the disappearance
of snow in the spring till It's rcappcar-
ance in the fall, were turned loose TO
find living for themselves, and came
home night and morning TO be milk
ed. When freed from their stalls in
the morning, they moved deliberately
toward the river till the whole herd
had gathered in small clearing at
the edge of the town. Then the Turn
ingpole went into the woods, and the
rest followed.
IL n lazy boy kept his COW at home
an hour later than usual, she ran bel
lowing to the herding ground when
released If the others were there.
she went into the woods with them;
IL they had gone into the woods she
waited all day for their return and
came home with them at night. No
COW ever went into the woods alone.
All around Lawesburg were woods.
TO the east, across the river thirty
miles to Lake Michigan the forest
was unbrokcn except by hamlet
known rs the Dutch Settlement, where
dozen sturdy Hollanders were hcw-
ing out farms. TO the north. there
was no break til the shores of Lake
Superior were reached Along the
edges of the forest the cattle ranged
in search of food.
1t had been n hard winter. Spring
came late, vegetation was backward
and cow-fced grew scarce i'm Lawcs-
burg barns. When at last the brown
earth turned green as the grass came
up, all the cows were gaunt, and even
Squire Bachman's pet Jersey was
fta..v ssI. Al,
the woods. At night the herd re
turned but the Jersey was missing.
The squire was anxious, and offered a
dollar To the boy who should find his
COW and bring her home.
Tommy Simons, Jimmie Bachman
and two other boys went cow hunting
the next day. They knew the habits
OF the cattle, and they visited the IN.
vorite feeding grounds, but failed to
find the Jersey. SO they went farther
down the river. keeping reasonably
near the stream to avoid danger of
getting lost, and they came at last To
an open space dozen rods across
shelving gently TO the water. At the
side OF the clearing was the trunk OF
fallen tree, half hidden 10y a dense
growth OF hazel brush ard blackberry
bushes just putting out leaves.
Say. Tom," said Jimmie, what
makes il so stll?"
Tommy made no answer, and the
boys stopped to look around. In truth
IT did seem very still. All the multi.
fariouS noises of the bip voods sppnnd
10 have ceased; the faint ripple of the
water and the sullen roar of the dis
tant rapids only accentuated the si-
lence.
Then at the same instant each OF
the four boys chose a small tree and
climbed with speed, for across the
open space, coming from the myster-
ious somewhere OF the big woods.
slouched well-grown black bear.
with the leathery. deceptive step that
looks so slow and is so fast.
At the same time, amid the hazel
brush and tangled blackberry bushes.
n calf but few hours old rose on
wabbly legs. and beside the calf the
lost Jersey COW was lifting her hind
quarters from the earth. The calf.
not yet fully balanced. called "Ba-a": :
the COW. still struggling to extend her
front legs, called "B-r-r."
The four boys had often heard calves
bleat and cows below. bur these calls
were new to them. The normal call
OF n very young calf is plaintive
Ia ulk