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Show 1P Daddy s Fairy Tale yAARY GRAHAM BONNER r corrto&nT ft vuru NOTMU Utuon - MRS. COW'S STORY "A very strange thing happened not long ago," said Mrs. Cow. She chewed her cud for a moment or two, then swished her tall and whisked an annoying fly off and looked about her. "I heard this story from one of the children who had been visiting at the seashore. She didn't tell it to me but she told the other children about It and I was listening. "As I said, she had been visiting at the seashore. "She told about the ocean and the swimming and the sailing. "She told about the castles which they built in the sand and of houses made of sand which the ocean came and washed away. "I thought it rather rude of the ocean but then I suppose the ocean isn't so very mannerly. Anyway she didn't seem to mind. "But she said that one day they took a drive and they drove along a road which went back a little way into the country. "At the seashore she said there were no country things at all ; it was Just a little seashore place with an enormous ocean and a lot of sand as far as I could make out from her description. de-scription. "The ocean at times became very rough and there were some bad storms but she seemed to like It though I am sure I wouldn't. "She didn't speak of pastures or meadows or fields or streams. "The ocean, it seems, is a great deal larger than this stream of ours nearby. near-by. I heard her say that. "It made me think I wouldn't like the ocean, as I have said. Or, rather, I should say I wouldn't like to live where she went a-vlslting. "But upon the day she went for this drive she spoke about they passed by a little house and back of the house were some hens, chickens, roosters "I Was Listening." and a goat, and in a tiny pasture back of that she saw a cow. "She said the other children were all very much excited. Oh yes, there were other children on the ride, too. "The other children shouted out: " 'Oh, see the cow ! Oh, see the cow !' "Now fancy, Cow friends, living where the sight of one cow Is something some-thing to shout about! "Can you imagine such a place? "She seemed surprised herself, but she said she hadn't seen cows at the seashore. "Wasn't that a very curious thing to think of a cow being such an astonishing aston-ishing sight that they had to shout about it? "No one goes by here and shouts out : " 'See the cow 1' "Of course they couldn't speak of seeing Just one cow as there are many of us here. But I can't help thinking of that strange, strange place with lots and lots of ocean and no cows. "Moo, moo, what a funny world It is when you think in some places they don't have cows. "The world must feel very queer in such places if I may speak in this fashion. "Moo, moo, I wouldn't want to be anywhere such as a seaside place where here was sand Instead of a meadow, "So I can understand why cows don't go there. But I don't think such a place can be very nice. "And I'll tell you another thing, Cow friends, she seemed very glad to get back to the farm again. "She liked the seashore but yon could see she liked it here best. "It all depends upon the point of view, as people say, but from my cow point of view an enormous ocean and a lot of sand doesn't make for happiness. happi-ness. "No, give me a pasture or a meadow or a field and a stream and some woods, but don't bother about your big ocean or your quantities of sand." "Moo, moo," said the other cows, "we agree with you. Mrs. Cow. "And what an astonishing thing to think that one cow caused so much excitement to the children who went driving !" |