“Our cows never hook anybody—they’re very gentle. But we have a bull in the barn that’d hook you if he could get out. And Mr. Todd’s got a bull, too.” “Why can’t he get out?” Violet wanted to know. “Because he’s chained fast to a ring in his nose,” answered Ralph. “He dassn’t pull too hard on the chain ’cause it hurts his nose. So he has to be good. But if he got loose he’d hook you all right.” “He couldn’t hook me! I’d throw stones at him,” boasted Laddie. “You’d better not try it if he ever does get loose,” warned Ralph. “He wouldn’t mind stones any more than if you chucked soft mud at him. He’s awful strong.” “Well, if I saw him coming I’d run,” went on Laddie. “That wouldn’t do much good,” said Ralph. “That bull can run faster than you. If you ever do see him and he’s loose, keep away from him or get on the other side of the fence as fast as you can. Once he nearly hooked me, but I got to the fence first. He ran right into the fence with his head down and he bellowed like thunder.” “Did it hurt him when he bunked into the fence?” asked Vi. “I guess maybe he didn’t feel it any more than he’d feel a mosquito bite,” Ralph replied. “He’s tough, our bull is.” “Goodness! I hope he never gets out,” murmured Rose, looking over her shoulder as if she feared, even then, the bull might be roaming somewhere about the pasture. But he was not in sight and soon the children were quietly driving the cows along the road toward their barn on the farm of Ralph’s father. In the barn the cows would be milked and some of the milk would be sent to the cheese factory. “Well, did you have a good time?” asked Mrs. Bunker, when her four children arrived at Farmer Joel’s house after having gone for the cows. “Yes, it was fun. We had a little adventure,” said Rose, and she told about the missing cows. Margy and Mun Bun listened with widely opened eyes to the tale, and when it was over, Mun Bun exclaimed: “I wish I’d been there!” “Why?” asked his mother. “Oh, I would give the cows some salt and they would love me,” he answered. “Salt!” cried Russ. “Who ever heard of giving cows salt?” “It would make their milk salty!” declared Laddie. “Well, it didn’t,” said Margy. “’Cause when we went after eggs with Farmer Joel he gave his cows some salt and when he milked them he gave Mun Bun and me some of the milk and it wasn’t salty at all, so there!” “Wasn’t it, Mother?” asked Rose, who seemed to share Laddie’s idea. “No, of course not, child,” said Mrs. Bunker. “The farmers often give salt to their cows, sheep and horses. Animals are very fond of a small bit of salt. And while you were gone Farmer Joel gave his cows some lumps of rock salt which they licked with their tongues, and seemed very fond of.”