Susan Clegg and Her Friend Mrs. LathropWarner, Anne
General
Susan Clegg and Her Friend Mrs. Lathrop
Warner, Anne
Humorous stories; United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
"'N' the cow did n't stop then! She rushed right along, 'n' on the
first bridge was Mrs. Macy. She was standin' wonderin' what was to pay
up the road, 'n' then she see it was a cow. Well, Mrs. Lathrop, you
know what Mrs. Macy is on cows. I hear her say one day as she 'd
rather have a mouse run up her skirts any day 'n a cow. She told me 't
she often go 'way round by Cherry Pond sooner 'n be alone with one in
the road, 'n' such bein' the case, you can't suppose but what she was
mortal scared. Her story is 's she only had time to see its horns 'n'
the wildness of its eyes afore she never _will_ know what did possess
her. She never see a cow that near in all her life before, 'n' she
says 'f that 's the way they look face to, she ain't surprised 't
folks sit a little back when milkin'. It was nigh to on to her, 'n'
you know yourself 't the bridge is narrow 'n' Mrs. Macy ain't. Well,
Mrs. Lathrop, you c'n believe me or not jus' 's you please, 'cause it
'll be Mrs. Macy 's you 'll be doubtin' anyhow, but this is what she
says happened. The bridge is _here_, you know," Susan laid off the
plan on her knee, "'n' the road is _here_. The cow was runnin' like
mad along _here_, 'n' Mrs. Macy was white 'n' tremblin' so 't the
whole bridge shook under her, right atop of it. She says to her dyin'
day she 'll never see how she done it, but she jus' grabbed her
skirts, spread 'em out wide 'n' said 'Shoo!' 's loud 's she could. Her
story is 't the cow stopped, like she was struck dumb that second;
then she reared up 's pretty a rear 's Mrs. Macy 'll ever ask to see,
'n' then she fell sideways into the mill-race. The water was on full
'n' she went right down 'n' into the mill-wheel, 'n' some of her
caught in it 'n' she could n't budge. It squinched her right up, 'n'
she kicked some, 'n' mooed some, 'n' bust the wheel some, 'n' died.
"But Mrs. Macy wa'n't wastin' no time or words on the cow. She was
walkin' 's fast 's she could along to where the nearest noise was
comin' from.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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