THE RED COW 



Sheppy has a standing feud with a neighbour's 

 dog that is amusing rather than bloodthirsty. 

 Though they have been barking at each other and 

 threatening each other with much bad language for 

 three or four years, I don't think they have come to 

 grips yet. Whenever either of them starts barking 

 at anything the other immediately flies into a rage 

 and begins to make disparaging remarks in a loud 

 tone of voice. Sometimes Sheppy goes half way 

 across the field towards his enemy, barking defiance, 

 but when his enemy finally gets mad and runs to- 

 wards him he rushes back to the house to safety. 

 In the same way the neighbour's dog sometimes comes 

 half-way across the field, making insulting remarks, 

 until Sheppy finally gets so mad that he starts after 

 him. The neighbour dog then makes a strategic re- 

 treat. I don't think I have ever seen them nearer 

 than ten rods to each other, and I don't think they 

 have ever had a fight, but they keep up their quarrel- 

 ling every day. I suspect that each has so impressed 

 the other with his prowess that if they ever met acci- 

 dentally they would both run for their lives. On 

 moonlight nights they keep up such a rumpus that 

 no one in the neighbourhood can get any sleep until 

 both are taken indoors and ordered to be quiet. 



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