Part 21 (1/2)

”Den I reckon dis yere b'longs to yo',” he said confidently, and he tugged and pulled the unruly beast within the boundary of the cow-yard, with no further damage to the place than the trampling of several choice plants and the breaking of a young apple tree.

”How much do I owe you?” asked Steve in a tone of subdued melancholy.

”Now, ma.s.sa, I's gwine tell yo' my story, an' den I lebes it to yo' to do de right ting by me. Yo' see, dis yere cow come to me jes' 'bout tree months ago, an' my wife she 'lowed it was a giff, but I sez, 'No, sah, no giffs come a-droppin' out de sky dat a-way. Dis yere b'longs to some ob de quality folk, an' dey's a-gwine to want her some day, so we mus' keep her up right smart, an' dey'll pay us fer all our trubble.' So we fed her ob de fat ob de lan', but 'peared like she were de kin' dat keeps lean anyways; dat's why she look so kin' o'

pulin' now.

”She was so contrairy to manage dat I got kin' o' skeered ob her, an'

one day she tuk me in de pit ob de stomach an' h'isted me ober de fence, an' I hed mis'ry in de stomach an' mis'ry in de back, an' my wife 'lowed I was gwine ter die. It tuk de doctor an' a powerful lot o' medicine ter sot me up agin, an' I was kin' o' porely fer a long time. Bimeby we heerd de cow b'longed ter Ma.s.sa Lubland, an' yo' libed out heah, an' jes' den a neighbor come 'long wid a load o' furn'ture an' I ax him:

”'Could yo' take de cow?'

”'Ef she'll hitch on I could,' he say. 'Is she peaceable or is she ornery?'

”'She's ornery heah,' I say, 'but she's gwine ter wawk 'long lak a lady when she's gwine home, 'case she's homesick.'

”Well, ma.s.sa, he done tuk her, but when he come back from de city he tole me she jes' sot herself agin goin', an' she sot so hard de hosses couldn't pull nohow, an' when he got down to loose her she rared till she fetched some o' de furn'ture down on her haid, an' dar was a nice table broke ter kindlin' wood, an' I hed ter pay him five dollars fer it. An' jes' as I put de pocket book up agin--an' it was plum'

empty--roun' de corner come de cow, wid her eyes on fire, an' she jes'

strewed us bofe ober de groun' like we was dead chickens afore she runned inter de shed. An' ma.s.sa, sho's yo's bawn, she hooked an'

tossed me like a rubber bawl all de way up heah, till I hain't got a whole bone anywhares in my body. Lordy! but she's a turrible critter!”

”Do I owe you ten dollars?” asked Steve with grim resignation.

”I takes whatever yo' gives, ma.s.sa, an' I doan complain; but I knows yo's hon'rable, an' yo's gwine ter 'member I was laid up from work a week an' hed ter pay de doctor an' de med'cines, an' I's fed her plum'

full fer tree months.”

”Do I owe you fifteen dollars?” asked Steve.

The darky looked mournful.

”Do I owe you twenty?” asked Steve in a somewhat severe tone.

”Reckon yo' hain't gwine ter fergit I paid five fer de table,”

murmured this meek son of Africa.

”Take twenty-five, then, and make an end of it,” said Steve.

”Tank yo', tank yo', ma.s.sa. I hain't nebber gwine ter fergit yo' ner de cow. Gawd bress yo' bofe, ma.s.sa.”

And grinning and bowing he disappeared, leaving Steve minus a fifth of his monthly salary and plus the beautiful Sarah Maria.

It was part of the procession of events that the butcher should heave in sight at that moment, and that Steve should hail him and take him in to look at the returned prodigal.

”She's so lean she wouldn't be good for much,” said the man. ”If you'd fatten her up I'd----”

”No, I think not. I'd rather you'd take her now.”

”I couldn't give you but ten dollars for her this way.”