The Yale expositor., 1909-07-09
TheOneHOrnedCOw;

Copyright 1908. by T. c. Mcclure.l
Deacon Henderson was meek man
who had married shrew. Cows trou-
bled the deacon's wife There was
one COW in particular that the deacon
always treated with the utmost ten
derness and that his wife. per contra.
always thirsted TO kill on the spot.
This was n one horned COW belonging
to the Widow Glenn. in the village. AT
some stage in her COW career some one
had knocked her right horn off In
treating her ms n trespasser. The dea-
cons wife wmlted TO main or kill that
cow because the bovine had bur the
one horn and because she belonged 10
a widow that'had once wondered how
the deacon could possibly stand II 70
live with such wife. Ii thus came
about that there were mornings when
the one horsIed cow came home with a
limp and a dejected&attitude and other
mornings when she, came horne with
head and tail i'm theiair and believing
that life was worth 1.-THE living. Ii all
depended on whether the deacon or his
wife got up first andA found her tres
passing.
The one horned cowshad been what
might be called fixturc for two years
before the deacons wife died The
conduct of the COW and the demcon's
wife had divided the sentiment of the
community. There were the COW plr-
ty and the anti-cow party. and both OF
them were provided with powerful ar
guments TO sustain their positions. The
wife wassseveral days intdying. When
she had gwen directions about all 9th
er things. even to having the barrel OF
soft soap moved to shedy spot. she
said to her husband:
"And now. Job. | wanttto talk about
that one horned COW. | hoped to live
long enough TO kill her. but Provi-
dence has ordered otherwise. go.
and she stays but want YOU to'prom-
Use TO make it hot for her Knock off
her other horn. Break her neck. Spare
her not Have no further mercy on
her because she is the cowt0f wild
ow. can't die easy unless'yOu prom
Use me. You will probably find her In
the cornfield the day of my funeral
Don't mind me. but get out and go for
the COW. Chase her ten times around
the lot and breazsbo her hind legs
1T was against the grain. hE the
deacon wiped thcstears from III eyes
and promised. andiit is due him 1" :
that for month after the funeru' g
did his best 10 carry OUT the promi 'es.
He didn't find the COW trrSpaSs *
every morning when he nnel OCT {
bed. She put in some "f her ni-ht'
elsewhere. When he did finC her lie
dubbed and stoned and raised bumps
| and Jumps on various parts OF her
| body. There came Il day. however.
when he let up on this. The one hor;i-
| ed cow looked ar him s" mournfully
and reproachfully that ae couldn't
! throw another rock. She seemed TO
beg and appeal to him to give her Il
show, and he simply pulled up tai
\ cornstallI by the roots and used it us Il
cad to drive her to tlS, highway For
the next two months the one horned
COW lived on the fat of the land ana
4 exulted over other COWS with more
4 horns. Then Deacon Henderson found
| himself I'm quandary between his
dead wife and the living COW. He had
| made certain promises TO dying wo-
! man. He had failed to break that
| cows neck. Instead OF so doing he
\ was treating her with all love and
gentleness. This fact began TO worry
4 the good man. He grew thin over 1t,
4 and he was yet undecided when the
4 minister of his church called one aft
4 ernoon Here was the opportunity to
4 unburden himself, and 1t was taken
4 advantage of The minister heard him
through without word and then
said:
81 am surprised that Sister Hender-
son carried such feeling TO the grave
with her wish you had not prom
ised what you did. and yet 1t would be
unnatural for you to carry out those
promises. You have probably tried to
break that cows neckT
"For three or four weeks l tried my
best" was the answer.
"You didn't even succeed In knock
ing the other horn off"
"No. It's there yet"
"And you broke none Of her legsT
"Not leg"
"Well. then, you have tried and fail
ed 1t is not your fault that you have
failed. but you had better stop right
there. Something is owing TO cows as
well as to the departed. On the Other
hand, the Widow Glenn. knowing that
her one horned cow is botheration
and a damage to you. has no right to
let her run at large and to be defiant
about it. Neither can she reasonably
expect that you will continue to treat
her animal with the mercy and tender.
ness you do"
But there ought TO be some way
out of IT. said the deacon.
Eyes. there ought. Suppose you were
to call on the widow and talk things
over in friendly way"
| ser1..e .y.. .,,trlt t,,r,, t,,a oYfdporc