Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-19


out the Iowa blue grass belt Skinfiint
Zeb. surveyed wrathfully, in the dim
dawnIight. the damage wrought in his
cherised vegetable garden by the predatory
COW of his detested neghbOr, Uncle
Benny Wray.
"Sence tibet caf o. her'n died O tn
scours she's gotter be tn breechiest critter
in tn hull county. Blame f she amt
broke tn top board off'n tibet fence jumpin
in. Hey. thar
And he bTandished the empty tin milk
pals he was carrying toward the intruder.
She calmly munched the heart out of
succulent head of cabbage and switched
her tail by way OF reply to the irate salu-
tation
Hey. outer thar,' Zeb advanced warly
in her rear. Old red had also developed
'hOOky" tendencies since her recent be
reavement and must be approached diplo-
mstically- She wheeled suddenly and
paved up a dusty challenge from the cab
bage patch. The old man retreated precipi-
lately to the safety of the adjoining cow
yard.
Thar goes another head" he groaned.
peering through the fence with sordid
despair in his little bleared eyes. An
! c'ud sell ever one O them cabbidges fer
cent apiece, Gosh jam til pesky critter."
His irascible temper exploded in his favor
lite expletive, which was near to the
ragged edge of profanity as his stanch
''Methody'' principles would allow.
In his vexatiOn he changed the tin pals
together smartly to brighten the trespass-
er. though he would have trashed his
boy Naphthali for such wicked thought
lessness- Changing them might make them
leak, and milk pals cost eight cents apiece.
This action. even more than the half pro-
fame expletive, evidenced the depth of old
Zeb's mental perturbation. Few things in
the heavens above or the earth beneath
would have tempted him to lay sacrilegious
m t1l mo
III make Benny Wray pay dear fer
them cabbidges." he growled. in helpless
rage, turning his back on the sickenng
sight in the garden. ''Wull. hyur 1 be a
them thrashers a-comin' at sun-up. An
me with all tibet milkin' ter do VT, S willis
TN stable chores. Seems's eff everything
happens ter put me back ever time them
thraShers cOmes-an' me a-paying' 'em by
the day! Wv all times fer tibet good fer
nothin' kid O mine ter go an stuff hissef
with green apples-an' it the day fore
Old Zeb hated to milk. That task was
usually performed by young "Naph," aetat
II. at this present rising hour of 4:30 a m.
wrestling with cholera morbus, aided by
chicken-giZzard tea and his faithful older
sister Philura. the directing angel of
Skinfiint Zebs meager household. The
mother was an invalid from overwork and
too much stinting, said the county gossips.
Sock cow! Sock boss! Soo-oo-Oo-'
A cunning idea entered the old mans ava
T1cious mind and stopped his cow call In
the middle.
thoughts wull milk or Red, too, now
she hyur-'er bagn cake fore night + 1
leave it,
Chuckling. he turned back toward the
smokehouse, leaving the coward gate open
as he passed Just inside the smoke house
door stood the salt barrel. He dipped out
a handful and put 1t in the battered crown
of his wide straw hat.
Thus fortified with his flag of truce he
r1r O11 1Szrf
the garden She stopped midway in her
pleasant occupation of absorbing green
things and glared at him, with the misan-
thropic eye Of one who held the entire uni
verse responsible for the loss of her Off
spring.
He held out the hat, with its toothsome
bait She snuffed the air, shifted the salt
and stepped toward it. Carefully moving
backward, the old worker of this rustic
bunco game edged toward the open gate
with the bovine victim of misplaced conf
dence following gingerly. He led her safe
ly through; then quickly closed the gate.
the smokehouse.
mo use n wastin' good salt on other
folks cows" he said, as he returned to his
milking.
again down the green slope of the COW lot
beyond the barn. where the robins were
just tuning up, and the awakened kline rose
lazily and swung up the hill, dew-lapped in
red clover.
Three fat. black cats. hearing the call,
came down with a soft thud from their
fragrant bed on the high ledge of the half
cut hayrick and seated themselves haunch-
wise in dignifed row near him, waiting
for the milking process to begin.
Every morning. when the boy, Naph ap-
peared with the pals the cats waited their
turn for the well-directed white streams
which came from the mixers hand, whiz-
zing and guzzling pleasantly down their be-
whiskered. wide-Open mouths
But though they implored gently in their
best meows for the accustomed nbation
none was forthcoming this time Had old
Zeb understood their petition, with its in
eliminating evidence of his sons extrava-
gance in feeding new milk 10 the cats. there
would have been greater trouble than
cramps in store for that young gentleman
Git outer my road!' ne snarled at the
youngest and most importunate feline as he
turned the Well-stripPed cows into the lower
pasture and passed through the 'gap" into
the barnyard where Old Red waited peace
fully 10 be eased of her burden of milk
Don know why let tibet gal o mine keep
sech lot o cats nohOw-it's turr BILE ex-
pense-thet clabber she feeds EN- 'ud fa;tan
good hog, III tell Naph he's xot ter
drown two on EN- mex Sunday"
The doomed, but unconscious felines fol-
lowed at a meek and respectful distance
while Zeb. after depositing one trimming
pail In the shadow of a willow boldly
planted his stool alongside Old Red who
was piacidly chewing her cud, apparently
stitiy and reached for the base of dairy
supplies
Guess I'll git jes' a leetle bit even with
OF Benny"
Bang went a cloven hoof into an g.
cent pail. upsetting it and incidentally old
Zeo-as we'll as his temper splashing a
creamy. but not cooling deIuge over his
PROSTATE form. Old Red advanced one
step. serenely chewing her cud the while
Zeb gathered himself and his hat t,p from
the wreck. brushed the milk and dirt from
his coat and wrathfully surveyed the ruin
ed pail and the split fluid slowly soaking
into the Ioamy soil
Gosh jam it, he snorted Mos two
gallons o fresh milk-its ruinationous, AM
that pail wuz jes' bran-new on'y las fall
Now I'll hev ter go ter tn house an cir
the wooden water bucket ter
He carried the remaining milk to the
cyclone cave back of the farm house
whose cement walls sheltered the dairy
products at all times and the entire family
at intermittent periods when the storm
FEAR of the prairie regions fell upon
them.
He muttered vengeance as he strode his
stiff blue jeans overalls and cowhide boots
rubbing out whispery, squeaky accom-
paniment: ''Whish-eek ,whish-eekw
''Philuryi' he called lOudly deDOsitino bjS