Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-04-30
You can graze sheep in it?"

You can graze sheep In It! "Yes."
 "Or cattle?"
 "Of course. Whats that to do with the matter?"
 You might even let your great. red Devon bull, as takes so many prizes an have got such douce an all of a temper, run loose there. if you was minded to-eh?"
 By Gor!" said Nick Westaway. If that ban't an ideal"
 An SC next day that bull was wal. , lowing in a pool O mud in the middle of the meadow an wondering at his luck.
 An when young Ben left Westaway he went straight down to see Mary Jane Arscott. A crooked game he played, sure enough!
 They had bit of love-making by the river; an then Ben arranged to meet her next day an go out upon Belstone Tor an pick whortleberries. But he never said no word touching his talk with Nicholas Westaway.
 We'll. the girl, who lived in cot tage down the valley, came up as a matter of course by the field-path to Belstone in the morning; an for that matter, Westaway had long since giv. en her special permission to do so. Her was half way across the great meadow, with nothing in her thoughts but mushrooms and whortleberries an Benjamin Pearn. when there comed a sound very high-pitched an ugly. It got louder an deeper till she heard a proper below, an there, right ahead, she seed Nick Westaway's great red Devon bull, a-pawing an a-prancing as if he was trying to dance the sailors hornpipe.
 She dropped her basket and ran for her life. She weren't built for run ming, but nature will do a great deal, even for the proudest of us, in a pinch like this an for once her got over the ground in very fine fashion. She'd reached within ten yards of the hedge when she heard shout, an a man came tearing down the fiied-path; but he was too late, Mary Jane went head first into the hedge, screaming to the Everlasting to spaie her, an the bulls horns just gave her the ghost of touch-enough to swear by after-as she went through all ends up.
 Of course, the man was Benjamin Pearn. An he knowed really that the field-path ran nigh the hedge, an he'd been dead sure as Mary Jane would not get into no real danger. Besides, he had planned to be there in plenty of time, an it wasn't till he actually seed Mary Jane flying an the bull a. believing after her, with his tail up an his head down, that he knowed what he'd done .. -.-. .-.,....
 "To think" gasped Mary Jane. "To think as might be lifeless jelly this moment but for my own legs! If you'm a man, Benjamin Pearn, you'll go an get your gun an shoot him!"
 They'd put me in prison for it-not that I'd mind that if you'd have me when comed out," said Ben very eager like. "But." he added as an after-thought, ''the dashed luck of 1t is haven't got gun"
 Her black eyes flashed an her gypsy-dark face growed darker still.
 You'd best to borrow a gun then" she told him. Anyway, I won't marry you while that bulls alive: an if you was man you'd never sleep till you'd put bullet through It."
 Same morning she went up with her mother to Belstone an gave Mich. olas Westaway the whole law and the prophets, by all accounts. His ears must have tingled to hear her; but he was pretty cool head, an when she'd talked herself out of breath an failed back on torrents an oceans of tears, an when her mother had also said what she had comed to say. which was mere tinkling brass after Mary Jane. Nick popped in a word or two edge ways.
 
 If you'll be so very kind as to hold your noise minute-the pair of you I'll tell you how the bull got in the field" he said. "Twasn't my idea at all. Ben Pearn put me up to it. So you've got to thank him. not me. didn't know as you was coming to Bel. stone to-day, Gods my judge. or I'd have been at the stile to meet you an see you over the meadow safe: but he knowed you was coming. Any fool can see that he meant to kill you"
 He axed me to come." said Mary Jane.
 Did he? Then 'tis him you've got to thank, not me. 'Tis only by the mercy of Heaven he ban't a murder.