Year: 1865

man found herself with caved bonnet
o sitting in the middle of a mud puddle
y aud the horse was flying home in a clou,
|. of dust


r Berry walked the remainder of the dis
Il tance, and that night the horse was SEN


down to him from Pinkhams whittier i
had flown.


Meanwhile, Pinckham was greatly ella
E ted with his cow, which was uery hand


some animal, a deep red, with whit,
"trip in her face, and of the Leicester


breed


Mr.. Pinkham's wife was pretended
Invalid, and Pinkham had very pretty
girl, who acted as milk maid. Mrs
Plnkham was fearfully jealous of Jenny
and Plnkham stood in mortal horror of
his wlfes anger, which was more terrible
than an army with banners. So he very
rarely said anything to Jenny in the
house, but when she went to the coward
to milk, he sometimes stole in, and talk
ed over the might have beens," provided
/ Mrs Pinkham never existed.
I The first time Jenny went to milk the
Berry COW, Mr. Pinkhm happened along
just at the right moment and as Jenny
took seat on a stool beside the COW, Pink
ham took another stool and sat down by
her. And Mrs. Pinkham was watching
them from behind The stone wall


''Oh Jenny p cried Pinkham-'1f 1
was on y single, we'd hy-"


Up went the heels of the cow in the
air-ovcr went the pail over went Jen-
ny, and oyerwent Alr. Pinkham, trampled
beneath the hoofs of the believing quad
ruped, who seemed to consider herself
the injured party.


Pinkham was the first to recover, and
the instant he did so he few to Jenny.


care you hurt? IF you are I'll be
the death of that COW ~


Mrs. Pinkham bounded over the wall
with stool in her hand, and laid about
her with such effect that the cow fed
from the yard-JenDy hid in the hay
NOW, and Pinkham, on his knees in about
two feet of mud, swore never to speak to
any other woman as long as be lived


The cow proved to be confirmed ''kick
err" 1t was utterly impossible to milk her,
aud Pinkham's only consolation consis-
ted in the thought, that bad as she was,
that horse was fully her equal


a few days afterward, he was met by
Berry, who tacetiously inquired how he
liked lis cow, and ras told that she was
for beef And Berry Informed
Pink ham that he had put the horse away
And both concluded to make the best of
it-considering both had been sold"


\ couple of weeks afterwards, a sty-
lish looking stranger, riding dark chest
nut horse, stopped at Pinkham's to in
quire the distance to the next village
Pinkham' eye was on the horse at once
4 conversation about the beast ensued,
and the stranger affirmed him to be the
best nag in the State Pinkham offered
to buy him. but the stranger Indignantly
refused. Il was his wife's horse and
nothing would tempt him to sale This
only made Pinkham the more anxious to
purchase, and he urged the man to name
his price


'Three hundred dollars not cent
less - said the proprietor


Pinkham considered moment


"I'll give it, said he, "on one consider
alton. | see that you are an excellent
hand to crack up an article and get
good price for it; and l want you to do
me little favor. l must take you into
my confidence, and you shall not lose by
it. You see | traded with ncighbor
of mine the other day, aud got took in
tremendously Bought COW of him for
a hundred and fifty dollars, and the beast
isn't worth fifteen I've got her color
changed from red to brown, and if you'll
sell her 10 Tom Bcrry-down here cou-
pie of miles-for hundred dollars, IN
give you three hundred for your nag, and
ten dollars, for your trouble"


The strangers eyes sparkled, and
curions expression shot across his face
but Pinkham was too eager to outwit
Berry, to pay much attention to mere
looks.


The stranger agreed to perfrom his
part of the basiness-received the money
took the COW before him, turned the
horse into Pinkham's barn yard, and
trudged off And two hours afterward,
Berry was the owner of the cow he had
sold Pipkham, and his pocket was the
lighter by hundred dollars.


That afternoon there came up smart
shower. Pinkham went out to put his
new horse in the stable /! and behold
there stood the identical grey "backer"
he had sold to Tom Berry fortnight
previous he had been colored, and the
rain had washed of the paint


And about the same time, Berry was
looking at his new cow, and had little
dificnity in recognizing her us the same
quadruped he sold to Pinkham!


And that night each of the gentleman
receivee note which let the cat out Of
the bag. They ran thus:


81 have sold the horse to Pinkham,
and the cow to Berry-and am well paid
! l.