Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-16
The Sharp Boys Bring Home the Calf.
ny SAM PUNKINS

The Fourth Of July experience that befell
Mark Sharp and his brother Luke brought
them so much sympathy that their stupid
ity was quite forgotten by Aunt Lizzie and
the rest of the people on the farm. To tell
the truth, the boys had been .dreadfully
scared and considerably hurt. Whatever
brilliant exploits they may hereafter engage
in 1t is quite certain that they will never
again shut themselves up In a grain wagon
with high sides and turn a lighted pinwheel
loose among a lot Of Roman candles, fire.
crackers and skyrockets.
The burns that the boys had all over them
In little patches kept them very quiet in
their room for several days and as Aunt
Lizzie gave them no tasks to study they
thought they were better off than on some
former occasions. Luke's ear-the one in
which he had set Off the firecracker-
seemed to echo the explosion for weeks
afterward.
The day they were first able to come
downstairs they wandered out to the or
chard. and looked almost with awe at the
wagon where they had met such disaster.
Luke said soberiy, 1T was awful. wasn't
it, Mark?'
Mark agreed that It was. but thought It
might have been much worse. At any rate
it was pleas SAINT now to be out, and the boys
soon regained their spirits and their
strength. The orchard had many attrac-
lions, even though Aunt Lizzie had for
hidden them to climb trees. There were
apples commencing to ripen, and a cramp
now and then to warn them against eating
too many or eating them too green was
nothing compared with the JOY OF being
loose and free in an orchard.
Then there was the calf which Cousin
Leonard brought out every morning by
twenty-foot rope and tied to stake or to
one of the apple trees Bossy was getting
so strong that sometimes it was all Cousin
Leonard could do to hold her. When Uncle
Henry came to feed her the first thing she
did was to push her nose clear to the bot
tom of the pail and probably spill half of
her dinner. And when she had nothing
else to do she would butt the trees Or the
fence. Once or twice Luke had gone close
enough to be tripped up by her rope. so
that now they were content to tease her at
a distance.
Marks great ambition was to be able to
drive the calf by its rope. Sometimes
Cousin Leonard would let both Mark ana
Luke hold the end of the rope as he was
tying Bossy out in the morning or bring
ing her home to the barn at night 1t was
great fun to be pulled along and made to
take steps big enough for giant.
More and more Mark felt sure he could
manage Bossy, especially If he had Luke
to help hold her back. So one evening.
while Cousin Leonard~was milking. they
decided to help along the chores by bring
ing the calf home. Bossy was more than
willing Two or three times when Mark
had the rope almost loose she gave sharp
jerk in the direction of the barn and pulled
the rope tight again.
At last 1t was loose, and the three start
ed-Bossy and Mark and Luke. Bossy lost
no time in getting under full speed. me
two lightweight youngsters on the rope
counted for almost nothing The calf gave
one "Ba-a-ar" in a deep bass voice to ex-
press her delight Her tail stood straight
up. The boys behaved like big rubber balls.
bouncing along and touching the ground
only every five six feet. Indeed. Luke
soon lost his hold, landing fiat on his face.
For a minute he rolled and wrfthed, with
not enough breath LEFT in him to cry.
But Mark held on desperately. his hair
flying in the wind. for Bossy was having
the race Of her life. The gate from the Or
chard to the garden was open. and through
this she took her course. The shortest line
took in the onion and lettuce beds and the
lima bean patch Wildly in among the bean
poles Bossy plunged. moving them down
as she ran. This was too much for Mark
He lost hold and lay bewildered In the
wreck.
Bossy gave no heed Through another
gate the way was now clear to the barn.
yard. With another bass Ba-a-a! she gal
loped on. The cry aroused Bossy's mother
who, with quick jump. upset Cousin
Leonard and his pail of milk.
II Bossy had been reasonable calf she
would have stopped. now that she had
reached the barnyard. but mol The front
and back doors of the barn were open. and
through these she sped. into the cornfield
behind the barn. That would not have
been so bad, even though her mother fol-
lowed the rather boisterous example. But
Bossy happened to bound through the barn
lust as Uncle Henry was coming down from
the haymow. The ladder was knocked
souarely from under him. and though he
fell upon some hay that he had just
thrown down, his pride was dreadfully
hurt.
without even waiting to get the cattle
out of the corn he cut q switch and went
In search Of the youngsters who. he knew.
were the cause of the disturbance And
right here Is the peasantest place to end
the adventures of Mark and Luke with
the calf