Show THE FABULOUS COW A KENTUCKY r kENTUCKY IDYLL FULL OF THE BLUE I GRASS SPIRIT u f one One of the older horsemen at the club was in a a reminiscent mood and talked pleasantly pleasantly of early adventures between idle whiffs at a good cigar Said he Riley was a a. a friend of my youth gifted with that courage and gayety of mind so much esteemed by Stevenson Tog Together ther with some capitalists we were in Paducah Ky looking after a number of yearlings and at night Ight we whiled away the time playing cards car s sat at the hotel which was on the outskirts outskirts outskirts out out- skirts of town Of course sundry re refreshments refreshments refreshments re- re were served during these sittings and I remember that on one occasion Riley proposed a a. milk mik punch The suggestion was greeted wl with applause applause applause ap ap- ap- ap but upon ringing up the ste steward steward stew stew- vard v- v ard we were informed that there was not a drop of milk mik in the house moreover more mOl over the hour was too late to hope for finding any anyone one awake on the neigh neigh- boring farms Riley summoned the colored porter Who Wh keeps a cow in the neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neighbor neighbor- hood he demanded an n Jor Jones s an Robinson al' al an de Do th they y lock the barns Interrupted interrupted Inter inter- Riley No sir That was sufficient go with me challenged chal e ged eged Riley I agreeing that we should pay for tl tIle the mik milk on the m marrow morrow and so the expedition was formed Fearin Fearing that the hotel people might be gone by the time we returned we had them empty two quarts of old whisky hio into a tin pail pai Armed with wih his we sallied forth The colored porter whom we bribed to accompany us was vas WiS our guide We made for the first barn we saw The porter tried to dissuade us protesting protest protest- ing that the owner kept a shotgun and slept in the stable table having been recently recent recent- ly robbed by tramps He kill yo YO shet dec ared the boy and fled fed for his life Inside the barn it was as a dark as a pitch We struck struck a light which we extinguished a as as soon t soon as we had located the cow Then we got to work without delay I did the milking while Riley undertook to keep the cow cow quiet Just Justas as I was finishing Riley uttered a queer groan followed by an outcry The cow had pinned him to the wall and was grinding him as though possessed The inevitable happened Awakened by Rileys Riley's voice the ogre of the prem- prem came down on us like a thunderbolt thunder thunder- bolt holt accompanied by a shotgun and two assistants with clubs cubs and md lanterns Dont shoot I yelled grappling valorously with wih the cow We surrender surrender surrender der What are ye doin doln there growled the farmer I 1 was len silent t. t We came to look at the cow gasped Riley who was as cool as a sliced cucumber and just about as thick What do you want to look cow fer fer Fingering the gun We Ve wish to buy uy it declared Riley escaping from his perilous position I took the thO cue eue ue and we closed cosed the bargain then and there The co cow CO was ours at the price of the farm and we ve were glad to escape with wih our lives and in such a a. hurry to get away that we left lef our pail pai behind us Early the next day we had some callers the callers the the farmer and his sons They came reeling into the hotel arm in arm like tipsy sailors The old man shook zone one e cordially by the hand Did you milk mik that cow last night lie he demanded e Yes sir Did you put the milk mik Into th the rail pail that al you left lef in the barn Yes sl sir The farmer grinned happily We drank the milk mik he declared thickly You all have a great bargain I If we ve had her back you couldn't buy her for her weight in gold could could they boys No siree chimed In the boys as I one man N N. N. N Y Herald |