The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-01-16
A BULL AND A BEE TREE.
BY CHARLES t. WHITE.

BY CHARLES 7. WHITE.
That night when we began milking
the cows at Grandfather Holbrook S,
which was generally about six clock,
the latter sent Ike Martin, the hired
boy, to drive back Squire Newton's
big black bull which had broken over
into our pasture during the day, and
now followed Our cattle into the barn
yard. The yard was fenced pretty
strongly, for the cattle were left here
through the night, but the bull came
crashing back through a splintered
length of stout boards before we had
done milking. Grandfather jumped
up from his cow and went after the
intruder, grabbing the first offensive
weapon which came to his hand.
"Get out of here, you brute !" he
shouted. "G'long with you. Now,
see if you can stay out"
This demonstration furnished some
secret amusement to Isaac and myself,
for grandfather was commonly very
quiet man and rarely spoke to an ami
NAL on bis farm louder than to per.
son. The reckless smashing of the
fence had excited him a little, and he
sent me to the barn as soon as / had
finished my cow, to fetch board or
two and few nails to make repairs.
The chores were all finished, and
we were sitting on the front porch,
when number of small boys, trudg-
ing up the road, attracted my atten-
tion, and spoke of it.
IT guess it's the Calder youngsters
coming after the bull," Ike conjec-
tured, without much show of interest.
They have picked up three or four
more on the road down here. /"
Grandfather looked up from his
paper at this and took off his specta-
cles to survey the Juvenile corps ap-
preaching.
"The Squire ought to know better
than to send such boys after big
brute like that, he observed, severely.
"It isn't safe."
"There's no fight in that fellow"
Ike chuckled, perhaps recalling grand
fathers pursuit with the milking
stool. "He'd run if you shook a rye
straw at him."
"You can't always tell about that"
grandfather objected, mildly. "I
made the best speed ever made in
my life, I guess, not more than three
feet ahead of sleepy old fellow that
couple of little girls had been driving
up from the pasture for three seasons.
If there had not been a good high
stone wall handy, I'm afraid"
"Tell us about it," I interrupted,
more eagerly than politely; but grand
father shook his head smiling.
"That would be a simple matter.
for there isn't much of a story, but /
think you or Isaac had better go with
the boys and see that the bars are put
up properly. We don't want to find
the cattle in the corn when we get up
In the morning. There'll be little
enough of it as it is"
Here's the boys brigade, Mr..
Holbrook," Ike called out teasingly,
as the six urchins came within hear
ing distance. "Say, you fellows,
don't the whole lot of you go into the
pasture field at once, OF you'll scare
that bull into fits. Break it to him
easy, or you won't see his heels for
dust in a week. He hain't done
nothin' to have the whole infant class
after him that way"
We all joined in the laugh which
followed this sally. Six grins dis
torted six boyish faces below, ex-
pressing good nature rather than ac
tual enjoyment.
Zone of the boys will 60 over with
you and help get him started" grand
father assured them in kindly tone,
and we were both on our feet ready
for prompt compliance. keep him
moving, and then you won It have any
trouble"
Both Ike and myself accompanied
the boys to the pasture. 1t was we'll
past sunset and just beginning to
grow a little dusk. The cattle were
in the milking-yard just as we left
them, but the bull was nowhere to be
seen. He had evidently taken grand
father seriously and desisted from
further depredations on the fence.
81 guess he must have gone home" !"
Ike declared, after we had beaten
about little in the bushes along the
brook. "He likely got wind of you
fellows comm and lit out. And 1
don't blame him bit, either
The two Calder boys, perhaps eleven
and thirteen years old. looked relieved
at this suggestion. They lived in the
city and, with their mother, spent
several weeks every summer at their
grandfather sfarm. The other young
sters averaged about the same age.
There were the three Pettison boys
and Leroy Bailey.
"There he goes p shouted, point
ing lengthways of the long pasture.
"See?" 1 could not see very we'll
myself, for it was growing quite dark,
but slowly-moving black bulk stood
out with tolerable distinctness on the
green hill-slope. "You follow him
up, now, and jump him over the
fence, and he'll never try coming
back-don't you think it." I tried
to initiate Ike's facetiousness, but it
was dismal failure.
The boys were already holding a
conference. There was not much
speech-making they communicated
with each other, so far as l observed,
mainly by mods and shakings of heads
and sundry admonitory nudges with
elbows. They were evidently urging
one of their number to do something
which he, il turn, wanted to shift
| unou sornebodv else. The upshot OF