The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-07-05

by degrees, she told him, if he found
that the business paid
He purchased 20 hens, and they
went right to business at once and
scratched out $40 worth of dahlia.
bulbs and about a peck of gladiolas
and all the choice seeds which Mrs
Perkins had planted with so much
care in her flower beds.
And by and by Perkins thought he
would set 4 hen. Chickens were such
lovely and interesting creatures! Sc
he put 15.cggs in a box, and caught a
hen and put her on them, and she
pecked the skin off his wrist and
then flc~ into his face and broke five
of the eggs and screeched bloody muir.
der and exhibited signs of total de.
pravIty of temper, and finally flew
through the wood shed window into
the top of the horsechcstnut tree.
where she sat all day, and would not
be poked out with fishing pole OF
stoned out by number of stone:
hurled in her direction. And Mr.. Per.
kins told his wife that probably the
reason she would not ''sct" was that
the man who sold her to him had
been cheat and sold hens that had
never been taught to ''set.''
Perkins next venture was a COW.
ga gentle creature and mixer and
pet for women and children" saiG
the mild-mannered old man of whom
our hero purchased her.
So, when Perkins got her home, Mrs
Perkins and the hired girl and the
two boys and the baby all came out
to see her.
We'll have bread and milk for sup
per-" said Mrs. Perkins. It'll be SC
nice to know just what we're eating
Nc filthy adulteration. l declare, ]
am quite in love with her already
She has beautiful eyes and such hand
some antlers!"
Them is horns, ma'am," said Biddy,
the hired girl, land foine ones, too!
And faith, l never seen any finer in
this country"
"Can you milk her?" asked Mrs.
Perkins. addressing her husband lit.
tie douhtfully.
milk her? OF course I can" said
Mr.. Perkins. "Here arc the directions
in this book on dairying." And, pull.
ing book from his pocket he began
to read: 6 Always be gentle with a
COW. Never speak loud or cross. She
will yield her milk more readily if
the miller sings or whistles while per.
forming the operation of milking. Sit
well forward and keep the pail just in
front of the hind legs. If the animal
whisks her tail so as to be trouble.
some, tie it to the leg There, Anna,
what can be easier than that? You
car hum some soothing tune, I will
whistle, and we shall succeed as well
as it we had been born farmers"
Perkins placed himself in position
on an inverted fecd-box and started UP
his whistling, and Mrs. Perkins began
to hum. The hired girl stood with her
hands on her hips, and the two young
members of the Perkins family looked
on with eager delight.
The COW looked surprised. She
stopped chewing her cud and turned
out the whites of her eyes, as she
glanced apHrehensively behind her.
She fetched her tail vicious switch
and knocked the glasses out of Per-
kin's speetacles and filled his eyes
with strong-smelling dust.
n must tie her TAIL" said he, after
he had got his eyesight rubbed back
again. THAT is what the book says.
Strange [ did not do that at first
So Mr.. Perkins proceeded to tie it.
The COW evidently did not relish this
method of being anchored to herself,
and lifted her foot and sent the milk
pail spinning across the yard, and the
halt-pint of milk that was in it spat-
tered over the front of Mrs. Perkins
brown silk dress.
"Oh, the burning shame!" cried
Bridget "All that illigant milk vast
ed"
There Is enough more" said Mr..
Perkins "but the COW does not like
having her tail tied to her own leg.
Let me see; is it possible l have mis-
understood the meaning of the author
OF this book? | must have. 1t reads
thus: Tie the tail to the leg.' 1t must
mean to the leg of the mixer, OF
course that is what it means! How
stt pid of me not to understand. Brid-
get, you bring me piece of line and
I'll fix her"
Bridget brought the line and Per-
kins took twist with it around the
animals tail and secured it to his own
leg.
Now she's all right" said he.
Anna, you may sing little, l guess.
something soft and soothing, to show
her that we are her friendsn
As he spoke he put his leg forward
to sit down. and the motion frightened
tie line on the animals tail. She
gave leap forward and upward, vent.
ed loud and angry roar and over the
wall she went, and strealled it through
the back yard with Perkins in her
wake like the tender to locomotive.
"Tarnation!" yelled Perkins, fran
.ioally.
This wild exclamation was wrung
rom him by the cows dashing against
one of the beehives.
Bya mighty effort Perkins wrenched
his leg free, and the COW, thus set at
liberty, leaped the back yard fence
and went off down the road, with the
bees in hot pursuit.
Perkins picked himself up and
imped into the house, where his wife
md him up in arnica and cotton-bat-
ting ard put him to bed.
Next morning, neighbor brought
home the COW, considerably swollen
around the eyes and with the end of