The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-12-01

8 &M thrown INTO great eAc4ee
ment by the rining of a cow-bell. Per
haps if it had been an ordinary COW
!, bell. or had been heard in any other
B field, it would not have caused even
q ripple of excitement among the stolld
!, farmers; but that that particular bel
should ring in that one field and IN
i no other, just at that particular time
and that no one should ever catch sight
of the mysterious ringer. was enough
I to cause excitement, even in place
where sensations were more common
than they We're in that little back
: woods settlement.
Clark's Crossing had been named
after the wealthy owner of the largest
farm in the township. 1t is doubtful
if this name would have been chosen
ne the man who had first applied it
SO the cluster Of houses that stood
near the spot where the railway
lcrossed the main road had supposed
shat the neighbors would adopt the
name, for Mr.. Clark was not popular
among them. They distrusted and dis
liked him.
He was an ignorant man. but no one
could say he was positively dishonest.
He was too acute to be caught in any
s0f the petty meannesses Of which they
felt sure he had been guilty; therefore,
they could only watch him closely in
AL their dealings, and probably be-
sHeved him guilty Of many things he
never thought of doing.
q Feeling thus toward hin, it was not
strange that when Widow CARROTS
COW was run over on the track just
below the crossing. where the railway
ran through a portion of Mr.. Clarks
farm, that there should be number
ready to say that he had let down the
fence and driven the animation to the
track; else, how did she get there:
Not from the road; the cattle guards
prevented that. and the railway itself
was well fenced.
The COW was known to have broken
Sinto the wheat-feld in the afternoon.
She wore a heavy, cracked. peculiar
sounding bell that was we'll known to
saH. Two of the neighbors had after
ward said that. returning home late
from the village. three miles away,
they had heard the COW there again.
s. Later still, when the express train
went by, several had been aroused
from sleep by its short, sharp danger
whistle; but the train had gone on.
and afterward the COW had been found
by the section men beside the track,
dead: They notified Mrs. Garret. and.
to save her any trouble or expense,
buried the carcass where it was found.
Tommy Garrett. freckled. under
sized, big-eyed Tommy-Mrs. Gar
;rett's dull commonplace, fourteen
iyear-old and only son-went over and
watched them. and Mrs. Garrett
sgrieved, for the COW had been help
:to her, and she could not afford to
replace it.
did they take the bell off Brindle:"
she asked Tommy that evening, as he
sat staring solidly into the fire.
.'No,'' he replied. thought it wasn't
worth it. It's buried, but not deep,
though"
"Well. we can't get it. even if it
Isn't Deep answered his mother. But
I'm sorry it wasn't taken off. The
bell and strap would have been worth
something at the junkshop in town
even if no one here wanted them.
Fifty cents, maybe"
Tommy's dull face frightened some
what. and his wiry figure Strengthened
for moment.
The old bell worth fifty cents.
a pity he had not known it.!
This was the way the matter stood
when the second night after the COW
had been buried. Mr.. Clark heard a
eow-bell in his wheat-feld.
He dressed hastily, grumbling rean-
while about people who allowed their
stock to run in the road-although he
was one Of them-lit his lantern and
FASTENED out to the field.
All the way from the house to the
wheat-fieid fence he could hear the
short "clink. clink' made by the bell
Of an animal feeding.
"Get out, You brute" he shouted,
as he set his lantern on 4 fence-post
and began to climb stifiy into the field.
1t was a still night. Every sound
could be heard distinctly. There was
a sharp ''clank" of the bell, as if the
animal had passed, startled by his
voice. and raised its head suddenly to
listen, anG presently the steady. half
muf1ed ''clink, clinS, clink," began
again.
Mr.. Clark went out few yards into
the wheat. and. holding his lantern as
high as he could, peered into the
semi-darkness.
."Clink, clink. clink." sounded the
bell-only 4 few yards away. it seemed
to him. but he could see nothing.
"Get out. you trespassing beast!' he
shouted again. stamping ansri!y.
The bell ratified as if the COW had
.l.3~,,, bor booa anH 1hnn oil