Evening star., 1909-04-12
BOSSY WAS GRATEFUL
Man Understood PrayerfuI
Notes of ''Moo-o."
MILKING time HAD PASSED
Frederick D. Greene, Amherst, 's5,
Knew Just What to Do.
FELLOW.PASSENGERS LOOK ON
Incident on an Erie Ferryboat At
tracts Attention-Practical
Man Got Busy.


pastoral which occupies space in the
magazines in the foolish season the kind
faced cow, which extends her head over
the bars of the farmyard fence, always
says "Moo!'-short and crisp, with only
two o's and an exclamation point. But
this particular COW began with something
that sounded more like ''Moooooo!"-
longer, and rather pathetic sounding.
Several hundred Of Jersey folk from
Montclair Heights and Upper Montclair
and Montclair itself and all the settle
ments on this and the other side of the
Montclairs were on an Erie ferryboat yes
terday morning when they first heard this
pathetic "Moooooo!' To be exact, they
heard 1t when they were running from
the train to catch the boat. And they
heard 1t as they passed down the gang
way onto the boat. and 1t became louder
and longer and more pervasive as the
boat slid out Of her slip and headed for
23d street on this side.
Praying Notes Of "Moooooooooooo!" !"
Meanwhile, shut up in a perfectly good
crate as crates go and loaded on an ex-
press wagon was the finely bred Jersey
COW from which came, at shortening in
tervals. the pleading. urging, begging. al
most praying notes Of that "Moooooooo-
ooooo!''
And Just then three emerged from the
cabin a we'll dressed man of medium
height, who walked over to the express
wagon and In a quiet. pleasant voice said
the two magic words, $50, boss"' The
cow-since we do not know her name we
may call her Gwendolen-looked the
speaker Of the words full in the face and
said "Moooooo!' There were fewer o's
In this "Moo!' than in any Of those that
had preceded 1t, and the tone with which
1t was uttered conveyed confidence that
at last there was somebody who under
stood. The man-it may as well be said
right here that he was Frederick d.
Greene. assistant general agent of the
New York Association for Improving the
Condition of the Poor, that he lives at
Upper Montclair and that he was gradu-
ated from Amherst in 1SSj-returned the
look, again murmured $50, boss" gently
as before, and handing his light topcoat.
stick and gloves to man nearby, took
off his under coat, rolled back his Guns
and searched for loose slat on the crate.
There was none; so he just put his hands
between the bars and said Hist
Cow Lifts Hind Foot.
The cow lifted her off hind foot and put
it down eight or ten inches further back
on the floor of the crate than 1t had
been Then Mr.. Greene took hold and
began milking.
1t is not known where the cow came
from, nor whittier she was going. nor
how long she had been travelling on the
Erie. Also there apparently was no one
else on the boat who knew what was the
matter with her. But Mr.. Greene has a
summer home at Andover, Mass. where
he keeps cows and has studied their
psychology, and this study had taught
him that any normal, we'll regulated COW
gets so accustomed to helping out the
children and other milk drinkers of the
world every once in SO often that when
the accustomed time comes she has an
impulse to do good, and that II this i'm
pulse is inhibited there is likely to be-
Of the nervous system made manifest In
the Moo"
Mr.. Greene Knew What to DO.
MIR. Greene knew all this, if the others
from Montclair Heights, Upper Mont
clair, Montclair itself and the surrounding
settlements did not; and being not only
a psychologist but a practical man, he
knew what to do and did it without hesi-
tation. The boatload of passengers looked
on with interest. 1t had been many years
since some of them had left the farm, and
most of them had never helped much with
the chores even before they went away
from the old home. Some of them were
for crticising Mr.. Greene's methods be.
cause he was wasting so much perfectly
good Jersey milk. which, moreover, IL
could be proved at glance was coming
from real cow. But. there were nc
milk pals at hand on the boat, and the
foaming fluid streamed down from the ex-
press wagon to the deck of the ferry
boat and formed little rivulets in all di-
rections.
But to return to the COW. With the
first touch Of Mr.. Greene's practiced
hands. almost with the first sound of his
so. boss!' Gwennie's worried and ever
painful look disappeared and an expires.
sion OF growing content took its place
Now and then she would switch her tai
at some imaginary fly and would glance
around at Mr.. Greene with eyes In which
were mingled gratitude and quickly borr
affection.