Smyrna times., 1912-12-25
THE TAIL OF
A BULL
By NJ. QUAD
Copyright, 1912, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By Nj. QUAD

"
the state Of Iowa. After working as a
farmers hired man for years and years
and saving up a little money he had
bought a forty acre farm to find that
he had been badly cheated.
Five rods down the road, on the
banks Of q creek, Il man sat fishing.
He was a summer boarder in the neigh
borhood and was understood to be a
Wall street broker. He was fat and
serene. He was smiling and placid.
He not only fished for fish, but he
caught them.
"Dod CAST him, but I'd like to break
his neckv' muttered Abe as he watched
the man. "He hasn't been beaten out
Of $500. He hasn't had any troubles.
He hasn't had a girl call him a fool
and go back on him.
"And now that old bull has broke
loose" growled Abe as he slid off the
fence. "If he knocks off both his horns
and breaks his back l shan't care a
cent"
When the bull came charging down |
the hill he saw the broker hauling in
the fish and charged straight at him. |
The broker was used to other kinds Of |
bulls, and his first thought was to get |
away from this sort. He scrambled up |
to fall down again, and but for Abe he
would have got horn or two. The
farmer didn't get in front of the bull
to try to stop him, but as the animal
passed he was seized by the tail. You
can steer a bull as we'll as a boat if
you get. the right sort of a hold. Abe
had it, and he steered the animal on to
the bridge across the creek and then to
the right and twitched him off into the
water
"Say, that was we'll done!' exclaimed
the broker. as he came upon the
bridge. 'But for that trick Of yours 1
should. have got it bad"
"Humph!' replied Abe.
you've got gumption. you have"
|'You are a liar!'
''Why-why. what do you mean sir"
'I mean that I've paid $500 for a
farm worth about half that. haven't
got the brains to last a rabbit over
night"
Didn't you look at the farm before
you bought?'
mo. Took a feller's word for it.
and, oh, Lord. how have got cheatedP'
"Going to have a hard time to pull
through, eh?"
'T shall have to eat roots next win
ter
"Lets take a little walk and look
| 4I,o O
he laid his fishing outfit aside. whats
that mound up there?"
Dunno" was the reply. Reckon
the Iniuns buried their dead there
after a great battle. I've dug into it
and found aETOwheads a-plenty."
"I owe you something for what you
did down there. You were fool to
take any mans word about a farm,
but 1 guess can pull you out of the
hole all right Did you ever hear of
high fnance?"
"Can't say I have"
'Well. I'm going to show you some
I'm going to make this old mound
worth a couple of thousand dollars tc
} you"
= and curios at home. and he sent fol
certain things and had them planted
in the mound. Then he made cal
on the nearest village editor. and
week later that editor was referring II
his paper to a great and historic FIND
on the farm of Abel Jackson. Their
was the tooth Of a mammoth ant
Greek and Roman medals and coin
among the things unearthed. Stranger
came poking around almost at once
They were shown the relics. but the,
could not secure permission to dis
That farm was for sale. and the noun
went with IT, Abe simply opened hi
mouth and stared
Two days later the price went up I
$1,000. Abe was for taking it. but tn
broker said:
"That's only half our figure! In thre
or four days we'll dig up Juliu
Caesars glass eye and see what the
say about that"
When the eye was unearthed pro
!, fessor. who was very much intereste
} in the research. took it in his hand an
said:
"Um! Um! Ancient history sa!
nothing about the great Caesar havin
Z a glass eye. but perhaps he had one
) perhaps so. think l will raise m
z sffer to $1.5OO"
mot yet" said the broker to Al
Z Jackson when he would have close
= with the offer I'VE must get Ol
= figure for this old mound"
= But we are the same as lying to Il
< people," was proteNed.
"That's the way most of the busine
Of the country is done today. Just a
. pear Indifferent and you'll get yo
price. I seem to remember th
Pliny had a brass ear. If he didi
= then old Socrates did and we'll ha
1t on top the ground
4 "IImt Tmr' said tha nrofessor xvh