Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1911-07-20
LITTLE QUEEN.

ever raised at the old farm. Indeed, she
greatly resembled deer in her mark
ings, her movements and many Of her
traits. Nor is it wonderful that the be-
lief prevails among country people, de-
spite all that stock books say to the con-
trary, that Jersey cattle are descended
from a mixed breed in Europe, which
centuries ago interblended with the red
or fallow deer OF that continent.
Little Queen-that was what our girls
called her-was true princess Of Jerseys,
the daughter Of Molly I'd, which was the
first Jersey cow we had at the old squire's,
and the first one brought into that town.
This was in 1867. Our Jerseys are
now wel-nigh as quiet and easily con-
trolled as Durhams or Holsteins; but a
wilder, more skittish creature than Molly
I'd was never kept in barn. She was
the daughter of Molly lst, which was i'm
ported direct from either Guernsey or
Jersey.
Every one knows how pretty Jersey
heifer looks, and will not stop to de-
scribe Little Queen further than to say
that in her case all the Jersey markings
were strongly accumulated: the slim,
straight legs, the delicate light fawn
shades about the eyes, nose and ankles,
the alert, sensitive ears, curved, clean,
black-tipped horns, and lovely clear, full,
limpid eyes.
She ran with the other young cattle till
the spring when she was three years old.
Then one night in May Little Queen fail
ed TO come home with the rest. We
guessed the cause, but were unable to
find her that evening; nor did a careful
search OF the pasture the next day result
in discovering her whereabouts. On the
day following, Addison, HalStead and !
looked for her through the woods ad
joining the pasture, with no better Sue
cess.
AT that particular time we were very
busy with our teamwork. Three or four
days passed, and then Willis Murch, one
OF our young neighbors, came TO us with
a rather improbable story of our missing
heifer. Willis had been rout-fiShing up
the brook which flowed, down through
"the great sheep pasture" partly clear
ed tract OF hundred acres or more to the
north of the old squire's cattle pasture.
He had his dog Jack with him; and the
dog, questing about, ran snuffing into a
thicket OF low hemlock few rods back
from the brook.
Suddenly Willis heard a crash and a
rumpus among the hemlock. Jack bark
ed, then yelled; and turning, Willis saw
his dog in the air, flung from out Of the
thicket! A wild-looking Jersey heller,
whose movements, he said, were "quick-
er than lightning" dashed out in pursuit,
and actually tossed the dog again, this
time into the brook, before it could es-
cape her.
Willis himself was standing beside
bush, fishing, little farther up the brook.
He watched till the heifer had gone back
into the thicket; then stealing silently
round to the other side, he parted the
boughs slowly and peeped in.
At the very thickest part of the ever
green he presently caught sight of the
heifer, standing on the alert, listening in
tently; and close beside her, under the
green boughs. lay little Jersey calf of
which she was evidently the anxious
mother.
Willis guessed at once that it was our
lost Jersey. He called "Co-boss, CO.
boss p to her, and thought he would
drive her out and start her for home.
He had no sooner stirred and spoken
than she whirled and charged him. He
declared that he had TO run for his life,
and that he only escaped her by Scudding
across the brook on broken tree trunk.
We thought Willis's account highly
colored one. 1t was the dog, the old
squire said, running in where her calf
was, that had made Little Queen behave
so savagely; and he bade Asa Doane,
one of our hired men, go with Addison
and me and get her home.
"Be gentle with her, boys" he said.
"Take halter and some nubbins of corn.
Call to her, and do not offer TO lay hands
on the calf at first"
We proceeded to the pasture and
searched the thickets along the upper
course OF the brook for an hour or more,
without discovering trace of either heif-
er or calf. Finally, at the extreme upper
corner of the pasture, where low hem
lock was growing among large rocks,
Asa came upon her suddenly, lying hid
den in little hollow under thick boughs.
Instead OF speaking softly to her, ne
turned and shouted, "Here she iSP
The next instant he had to flee for his
life.
Nor did he escape her. Just outside
the tbicket Little Queen overlook him.
He turned and grabbed her by one horn.
She threw him to the ground, caught her
horn in his drilling frock, tore it of him,
and tried to gore him. Itwas fight for
life. He seized her by the horn again,
and fastened the fingers of his other hand
in her nostrils. She dragged him fifty
yards or more, wrenched herself free,
and tossed him violently over log.
H. A., x;,,a Add;con ond I had rim fO