THE RED COW 



ness. At first I intended to waken him and tell them 

 to him while they were fresh in my mind, but when I 

 got a drink of cold water at the well I thought better 

 of it and decided to let the matter rest until morn- 

 ing. The evidence was all against him, for he was 

 the last one through the gate, and as the gate was a 

 new hardware-store gate of steel tubing and wire, 

 with a regulation catch, I felt sure it couldn't have 

 come open accidentally. But it was just as well that 

 I decided to let things stand over until morning. 

 About 3 o'clock, when I was again snoozing fitfully 

 on my sofa-pillow by the door, Sheppy began to 

 bark and a cow rushed past. They were in again. 

 Without waiting to dress I joined Sheppy, and we 

 took the Kneipp cure together while rounding up the 

 cows and getting them back into the pasture. The 

 new hardware store gate was open again, and my 

 thoughts shifted to the hardware man. I pictured 

 myself leaning over the counter and saying things 

 to him about that gate and the fastenings on it. Yet 

 that would hardly do. He did not make the gate; 

 and, anyway, it was of the kind used by all other 

 farmers. The real trouble was with the gifted Red 

 Cow and her unhallowed progeny. I knew from ex- 

 perience that if there was any way of getting into 



56 



