The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-12-15
DOTE AS A DAIRY MAID.
Abbeville, S. c., Dec. 10, 1915.

leLIel III youi paPei. was SottS
to disappoint my friends, but Mr.
Kerr had the floor and would moi
allow me to speak. l was afraid
my friends would be disappointed
again, as l suffered some severe in
juries last Saturday, night, and am
not able to write. Mr.. j. F. Gray,
of Antreville, has written to you
saying that he cannot read Jim Brad
ley's writing and / cannot get the
Sheriff M more as he is in Due
West when l want to write, so |
thought l had about lost my place
as a correspondent of your paper UNI
til Miss Plat said she would write
for me, being as the Tomato Clubs
were resting for awhile. So 1 seat
myself to indite this epistle miss
Plat says I should say "write this
letter." but she is from Sumter and
Sumter is not up on style.)
Yes, I was considerably injured
last Saturday night. You know l
have a cow and a calf, named Ben
Tillman. Well, Lizzie makes me
milk the cow, but sometimes when l
am up town late on Saturday night,
she looks after the cow herself, or
gets some of the neighbors to do so,
and as it was sleeting Saturday ev-
ening, the more I thought about
milking that cow, the longer l stayed
up town. A little after dusk I turned
in home, and Lizzie was raising the
roof because I hadn't come home to
milk the cow, which along with Ben
was tied up on the hill to do a little
grazing. Well, I saw l was up
against it, and I commenced to get
ready. You have to have warm
water, you know, s. I went out to
get some wood to build a fire in the
stove, and there was not a stick of
wood cut. When l went to get the
axe, I found that n of the neigh
bors had borrowed it, and returned
it with the handle broken out. BY
that time l began to get mad. But
l borrowed an old x and finally
got some soggy wood cut and after
irving for about a half an hour /
got the fire started and the water
warm. Lizzie kept looking in every
now and again as if she thought l
had taken a drink, but I didn't let
on. not even when she told one OF
the children that she despised a trlf-
ling man. 49,.
When I went out to the lot, and
brought the cow up, she had done
gotten cold and hungry, and wasn't
in a good humor either. 1 put the
food in the trough, and sat down IN
the chair to milk, but everytlme !
started, she jumped around and
switched her icy tail in my face. !
didn't say anything out aloud, but
kept trying. By that time I began
to find out that the seat OF the n
I was sitting in was full of sleet, n
I felt madness coming on fast, but
I managed to about finish, when all
at once the cow gave a big jump,
and kicked me on my writing arm
(that is the reason l can't Wrlte)
and 1 fell backwards, and out pour
ed all the milk down my neck and
all over my head and face. Jump
ed up and gave that COW n good
kick and said a few words, and then
I kicked the chair and the milk buck
ct and was about to say a few more
words, when the front door opened.
I went on up the hill after Ben I'LL
man.
Well, when I got to Ben ne was
cold and he commenced pl~tchfork-
ing around, and running and jump
ing until I came near not getting
him united, but when I did, l wrap
ped my hands good in the rope and
said, "now durn you jump, a man
has got hold of you;" and just then
I slipped and fell; well, that kinder
scared Ben so he gavea big leap and
rushed down the hill, and as the
rope was around my hand, couldn't
let loose, and as the ice was slick ne
lust dragged me down the hill like
I was nothing. He ran through the
bushes and that's where l got my
face scratched, but finally l hung
on to a tree and stopped him, n
when I got loose from the rope ne
ran into the lot and into the stall,
and 7 put up the bars and went n
got the milk bucket and started IN
the house, madden than a wet hen.
I noticed that I had kicked the buck
ct nearly fiat so 1 decided to go In
the back door.
When I started up the back steps
I took a look out at Ben Tlllman
again, and he stuck his head out OF
the stall and bawled at me, n ne
made me so mad that I lost my, bal,
ance and slipped on the ice and tell
on the steps and came near breaking
INV neck. I heard Lizzie coming
and 1 knew she would think l was
drunk, so I put the things in the
back piazza and a around to the
front of the house, and got outside
the gate and followed back to Lizzie
that l had gone up town.
l knew that it would not DO to &c
home too early so l stayed out pref,
tv late, and when l went home !
carried the children and Lizzie some
nice fruit and things so as to gee'
them in a good humor. Lizzie
wasn't easily pacifed but 1 told hel
I was sick and unable to say any
thing for myself and sorter talked
out Of my head and she finally tor