Arthur Scott Bailey

“ And in winter I have to step lively, I can tell you. Food's scarce then, for us crows. We have to snatch a morsel wherever we can find it, while you fat cows are having the best of things in a warm barn.... Yes!" he declared somewhat sourly. "You're enjoying the finest of food—out of season, too."
"I don't know what you're talking about," said the Muley Cow.
"Corn!" Mr. Crow snapped. "Doesn't Farmer Green fill the silo with corn in the summer? And doesn't he feed it to you in the winter? ”

“ They all felt just as they had when they first heard about the new machine—that is, all but the little red cow, who always stood next to the Muley Cow when they were in the barn.
To everybody's surprise the little red cow announced that she was glad the milking machine had come. "You're behind the times," she said to the Muley Cow. "You prefer to be milked by hand, the old-fashioned way. But I like new-fangled things. And folks say that milking machines are very stylish this winter." ”

“ The Muley Cow rather enjoyed the talk she caused because she had eaten Jack O'Lantern. And feeling that any one so brave ought not to appear too meek and mild, she sometimes tried to look as fierce as she could.
Somehow she could never manage a frown when old dog Spot was about. But if she came across Master Meadow Mouse all alone in the pasture she never failed to bellow at him and ask him in a gruff tone what he was doing there. ”

“ Mr. Crow said with a grin. "I supposed you'd like to have the neighbors know you were wearing something new."
"Well, I don't!" she retorted. "It's bad enough to have a poke put on my neck, at my age, without having the news spread all through Pleasant Valley."
"You can thank yourself for the fix you're in," Mr. Crow told her bluntly. [Pg 53] "At your age you should have known better than to jump fences."
"How would you like it if you had to stay in this pasture day after day?" the Muley Cow asked him.
Mr. Crow hemmed and hawed.
"How would you like it if you couldn't go into the cornfield?" ”

“ Crow had been talking about the corn in the silo, which Farmer Green fed to the herd during the winter. And the Muley Cow could see that he was growing angrier every moment.
"Well! well!" she exclaimed. "You don't object—do you?—if Farmer Green feeds us corn that he raised himself."
"Certainly I do!" Mr. Crow fumed. "It's not fair. He doesn't store away any nice sweet corn in a silo for me." ”

“ The moment he heard the news Johnnie couldn't help interrupting his father with a shout.
"Not so fast!" said Farmer Green, with what Johnnie knew was only a "pretend" frown. "She's not yours—yet. And when you learn what you'll have to do to win her perhaps you won't want the old cow after all."
"Won't I?" cried Johnnie Green. "I'll do anything you ask of me!"
[Pg 7]
"When you've learned to milk her, she'll be yours," his father said.
It was noon on a summer day when all this happened. And Johnnie Green wanted to go to the pasture at once and drive the Muley Cow home to be milked. ”

“ Crow."
"Perhaps not!" he admitted somewhat grudgingly. "But they're not always looking for you with a gun," he croaked. "And you always have plenty of company."
"Too much, sometimes," said the Muley Cow. "You can get off by yourself whenever you want to. But how's a cow to get away from the herd?"
"She can jump the fence," said old Mr. Crow with a wicked gleam in his eye.
"Yes! yes!" the Muley Cow agreed hastily. "But we won't discuss that. And remember—a cow couldn't go miles and miles around Blue Mountain in just a few minutes, as you can." ”

“ The Muley Cow couldn't help thinking how pleasant it was to be among such kind companions.
"If you'll take care not to step on us we'll catch these flies that are biting you," another offered.
"Thank you!" said the Muley Cow. "You're very good to do that for an old lady like me."
The cowbirds all laughed harshly at that. Though the Muley Cow didn't see any joke, she smiled in spite of herself. [Pg 58] At least, the cowbirds had said nothing about her poke. And that was certainly worth a smile.
In the past the Muley Cow had known plenty of cowbirds. ”

“ Tommy Fox begged her. "Just say, 'a gentleman.' You see, it's to be a surprise.... You know everybody likes surprises," he added, as he grinned at the Muley Cow in the most innocent way.
She remembered that she had liked surprises herself when she was younger. So she agreed to give Turkey Proudfoot the message exactly as Tommy Fox had told it to her.
And she did. When milking time came, and Johnnie Green and old dog Spot drove the cows home, down the long lane that led to the barn, and the Muley Cow saw Turkey Proudfoot strutting about the farmyard, she told him something. ”

“ Woodchuck's son Billy helped himself to a piece of carrot from Aunt Polly's store of roots and herbs.
"I must have a look at the Muley Cow this very morning," Aunt Polly told her caller. "Won't you come with me?"
Mrs. Woodchuck said that nothing would please her more. So she ordered Billy to scamper home.
"You'll have to wait till I put on my best poke," Aunt Polly said. "If the Muley Cow has a new one I don't want to call on her in my second best." ”

“ The Muley Cow turned to the big white cow, who stood listening eagerly to every word.
"We'd better ask Farmer Green to move us," the Muley Cow said to her. "This neighborhood is getting too fashionable for us." ”

“ Paddy cried. "You're liable to have a sunstroke."
"But I haven't a parasol," she objected.
"Then borrow one from Farmer Green's wife," said Mrs. Paddy. "To be sure, I don't believe in borrowing—as a [Pg 69] rule. But it's different when somebody's in danger of a sunstroke."
Now, the Muley Cow began to feel very queer. She had never had a sunstroke; she had never even heard of one. But they sounded quite dreadful. So she climbed quickly up the bank and went and lay down in the shade of a great oak.
That was the best she could do. She knew that Farmer Green's wife would never lend her a parasol. ”

“ And that made the Muley Cow quite uncomfortable. Master [Pg 103] Meadow Mouse stared at her while he panted with fright. And again the Muley Cow could think of nothing but pleasant remarks to make.
So she began coughing once more. But to her great dismay Master Meadow Mouse didn't run away. And since she couldn't cough forever, but had to stop sometime, she paused to get her breath. And then she asked him a question.
"Can't you see I'm very fierce?" she inquired. "Why don't you run away?"
"I was waiting to see what happened," said Master Meadow Mouse pleasantly. "I thought maybe you'd choke." ”

“ Johnnie Green exclaimed all at once. "I might have lassoed that bear—if I had thought in time."
[Pg 39]
IX WEARING A POKE
The cows never paid much attention to the woodchucks, unless it was to scold them now and then for eating too much clover. But living as they did in the pasture, the woodchucks took a great interest in Farmer Green's herd. Many a bit of gossip about some cow passed from one woodchuck hole to another, without the cow herself ever dreaming that folk were talking about her. ”

“ Such an idea had never entered the red cow's head. And the moment she heard it she no longer wanted to be fashionable. She was so alarmed that she lashed out with both hind [Pg 112] feet in a most unladylike manner. And she plunged and roared and made such a fuss that Farmer Green and the hired man left her in disgust.
"She hasn't the brains of a hen," Farmer Green declared.
"Shall we try the big white cow?" the hired man asked him. ”

“ This series of animal stories for children from three to eight years, tells of the adventures of the four-footed creatures of our American woods and fields in an amusing way, which delights small two-footed human beings. ”

“ These are fascinating stories of farmyard folk for boys and girls from about four to eight years of age.
THE TALE OF MISS KITTY CAT
When Mrs. Rat saw Miss Kitty Cat washing her face, she knew it meant rain. And she wouldn't let her husband leave home without his umbrella.
THE TALE OF HENRIETTA HEN
Henrietta Hen was an empty-headed creature with strange notions. She never laid an egg without making a great fuss about it. ”

“ Yet there [Pg 98] came a time when many of her friends claimed that she was very brave indeed.
On a crisp fall evening a terrible, grinning fellow known as Jack O'Lantern appeared about the farmhouse. ”