100 GRAY'S LAKE, 



tinkle of the cow bell on my new purchase had gathered 

 in quite two hundred more cows, of all ages, sexes, 

 sizes and colors, that joined the procession. I thought 

 I had never seen so many cows together in all my life, 

 and grew cold when I cogitated upon the probable 

 consequences of the wholesale cow abduction of which 

 I was unwittingly guilty. For seven miles the addition 

 to our ranks steadily increased; apparently, every cow 

 for miles around pricked up its ears on hearing the 

 penetrating tinkle of that cursed little brass cow bell 

 and forsook home, parents and everything else to join 

 us. Honestly speaking, I believe there was enough 

 beef in our wake to have furnished the whole city of 

 Chicago with meat for a week. 



Occasionally my cow would "sturdily plant her fore- 

 legs together,, lower her head and imperatively refuse 

 to be pulled an inch farther; at the same time emitting 

 a plaintive, lowering protest. On hearing this every 

 other cow in the procession would stop, too, and bellow 

 a commiserating and sympathetic chorus. In fact, the 

 scene reminded me of a policemen escorting a juvenile 

 offender to the village lockup, followed by a crowd 

 of sympathizing friends and relations. 



However, at last I reached home and for the next 

 two days was kept busy apologizing to the numerous 

 neighboring farmers who came and took their cattle 

 away. They all took it good naturedly, however, and 

 said that the old man Boulder, of whom I had bought 

 the cow, had put up a job on me with the bell. 



Mrs. J spent the whole of the next two days in 

 learning to milk. At the end of that time she came in 

 to me, and sidling up asked me in a confidential man- 

 ner if I knew how many teats a cow ought to have. 

 This question fairly staggei-ed me, and I frankly owned 

 up that I hadn't the least idea. 



"Well," she remarked, "our cow has only got two; 

 suppose you go down to the village, and without letting 

 anyone see you look at some of the other folks' cattle 

 and see how many they have." 



