The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-05-30
re HE Goodwin oxen were out
By Charles Battell Loomis

$YAHE Goodwin oxen were out
81 again. To one unacquainted
E with the fractions beasts the
statement may lack interest,
but there was not soul in South Han
afford who would not have been keenly
alive to the possibilities consequent on
their getting out, for when the Good
win cattle broke bounds nothing was
safe. No precincts were too sacred for
them to enter, nor was there anything
green that was not esteemed of their
palates. The Rev. Sigourney Hard
wicke had seen a whole cabbage patch
disappear down their huge throats
while he lay on his lounge too ill to
chase them or to call assistance. They
had wandered in at the open door of
Mrs Henry Sedgwick's parlor on the
afternoon that the sewing society was
to meet there, and before they could
be removed the amount of damage
that they had inflicted could not have
been rivaled by their old ancestor, the
bull that invaded a china shop. And
lluL WIS HOI Il lSulH OI luc uHuSuuA
exploits to their credit or discredit.
No fence not of barbed wire could
resist their seductive horns, and as
George Goodwin did not believe in
wire fences the two oxen used their
spare time in finding out new ways to
escape from the five acre lot in which
they were confined and where the pas
turage was sweet and the water abun-
dant. A love for mischief is not gen.
orally set down among an oX's charac-
teristics, but the Goodwin oxen were
as mischievous as monkeys. Indeed,
Sam Moneypenny had averred that he
bad heard them chuckling with delight
when they ate up the last stalk of his
prize evergreen corn.
Goodwin had been begged and order
ed to tie the beasts up when his man
was through using them, but Goodwin,
although he owned the farm on which
the cattle were pastured, himself lived
over in Canton, and as out of sight is
out of mind with most people he did
nothing except ask his man to strength
en- the fences.
But as the strength of the oxen kept
pace with the fences a new rail in the
morning simply meant a broken rail at
night, and the two brothers in crime
would eat up a bed of nasturtiums or
overthrow rockery or tumble wood
pile down with all the zest of wanton
schoolboys.
Trueman Newberry was an old bach
elor, very good looking, fairly equipped
in worldly goods and the most fshed
for man in the South Hanaford pond.
The Newberrys had come from Wind
sor and were descended from Govern
or Bradford, and from the earliest
times there had been one handsome
old bachelor who did not surrender his
freedom until well along in years, and
it looked as if Trueman would carry
out the tradition, as far as not marry
ing young went, if indeed he was ever
ensnared.
Trueman had two hobbies, love for
old furniture and a passion for flow
ers. The farmers about smiled in
wardly as they saw him wasting valu-
able time, which might have been en-
ployed at farming. in making bed Of
'posies" and in afterward watering
them like Apollos, but if they had
laughed openly he would not have
cared. AS long as he pleased True
man NeWberry he did not care whether
any one else was pleased; not that he
was selfish, but he was independent.
When Miss Grayson came to South
| Hanaford to hold in check the rebel
lious youth who attended the district
| school, Trueman was visibly impressed
with her charms, which, in the Ian
| guage of the boys of today, were Of
| the "peachy" variety. He saw her
| first at church, where she supplied a
| rich contralto to choir that needed
richness of some kind, but he did not
see her to speak to her until the dona-
/ ton party that was inflicted upon Mr..
Hardwicle in the latter part of Au-
| gust, and then he found that she was
| interested in old furniture, like him
self. In fact, she had lowboy that
had been in her mothers family since
it came over with Salathiel Gaylord on
the good ship Mary and Ellen in 1886.
His heart had warmed to her after
that avowal and he had felt that if he
ever married it would be to one like
this, who could bring with her wagon
load of antique furniture. He was go
ing to ask her if she adored flowers
and the care of them, but Mrs. Curtiss
brought her son William over to meet
her, and he did not have another op-
But she was distinctly pleasant and
lively, and he found himself thinking
! of her many times after that night,
and before many days had passed he
discovered that, although the choir had
five basses to two piping tenors, they
stood in great need of his resonant
bass, and he Immediately Joined that
body of singers and on Friday evening
rehearsal. as luck would have it, was
assigned the seat next to that occupied
by Miss Grayson, only she had gone
home to Newington to spend Sunday.
He had half mind to resign when he
heard this; but after all, there were
other Sabbaths coming, SO he pitched
into the tunes with a fervor that ex-
cited the Jealousy of the other basses.
Trueman had Il fine voice. All the
Newberrys had been singers from the
earliest times.
Trueman sang at morning service
and evening prayer meeting with his