THE COW 



" I am thinking of an animal that has a backbone 

 like a cat, but no fur. It has four legs like a dog, 

 but it cannot bark, and it is a great deal bigger 

 than either of them, or both of them together/' 

 said Miss Clare, with a merry twinkle in her eye 

 that the little folks knew meant a " funny lesson," 

 as Tom said. They were all attention. 



"I suppose if I should ask you what you would 

 like best to eat, somebody would say 'ice cream/ 

 and another ' chocolate cake/ or * taffy-on-a-stick/ 

 but if I should ask my animal friend she would 

 make such a dreadful noise that half of you would 

 put your fingers in your ears and never wait to have 

 me tell you that she was only saying 'gr-ass, grass/ 



"I should never dare ask her to come and visit 

 us, for she is so clumsy that I don't believe we could 

 ever get her up the stairs, and if we could, she never 

 could sit in one of our chairs as pussy and doggy did. 



35 



