Rosamund E. Nesbit Bland

“ Let’s see if he is as brave and as quick at bull-fights as he says. We can’t give him a bull-fight but we can show him what cows can do. In his bull-fights there were always a lot of horses and only one bull. Well, in our cow fight there will be only one horse and a great many cows. Now, all of you, when he comes to speak to us this morning, put down your horns and run at him!’”
“Oh, Brownie, Brownie!” I said, “I thought you were always kind and gentle. Poor old horse!”
[Pg 45]
“No, my dear, not poor old horse! ”

“ He ate up the paint-rag belonging to a man, who came to paint the cows in the cornfield, because it was covered with red [Pg 14] paint. I don’t know why it was covered with bright red, because cows are not bright red, or buttercups and daisies either, are they? But still it was. And one day he even went into the farmer’s wife’s red sitting-room and sat on the floor with his head among the scarlet cushions on the sofa. After this everyone thought he must be mad, and the farmer’s sons called him “the crazy bull-calf.” ”

“ But just as he was going to do it the poppy cried out: “Quick, little calf, quick! I hear the farmer’s footsteps. If he finds you here he will beat you. You must go back without me.” And the little calf scrambled back through the hole in the hedge just as the farmer came up. Of [Pg 12] course the farmer was terribly angry when he saw all his corn trampled down, and he sent some men to fill up the hole in the hedge at once, so that our little calf couldn’t get his dear poppy. ”

“ Presently she saw some more cows in a field, and she mooed to make them look at her.
“Will any of you come and seek your fortunes with me?” she called. None of them spoke, but a large old cow sitting [Pg 53] under the hedge said sharply: “Cows don’t have fortunes, so it’s no use seeking them.”
Pansy was walking away when she heard a soft voice say: “I will come with you,” and, looking round, saw a brown cow, with short horns, following her. She was very glad to have someone to go with her ”

“ He was very black and had no doubt been handsome in his day, but he was getting very old, although he [Pg 39] always pretended to be as young and gay as ever. He would come up to us when we were grazing and start clearing his throat. Did I hear you laugh, my dear?” she said suddenly looking at me rather sadly out of her velvety-brown eyes. “Horses, like men, clear their throats to draw attention when they are going to speak.” ”

“ Spot. “Whoever heard of a cow being dull? It’s not a cow’s business to be anything else? Come now, you’re behaving as if you were a young calf. There’s a nice patch of buttercups over there. Go and eat them and you’ll feel better. It’s only the weather [Pg 51] that’s making you feel like this.”
Well, Pansy walked away and ate the buttercups but she didn’t feel better. “I knew I shouldn’t,” she said to herself. “I shall go and seek my fortune.”
Now it happened that Jim, the [Pg 52] stable boy, had left the gate of the field open, and Pansy slipped through without anyone seeing her. ”