dogs along to trail it, in case it had been carried off by some wild beast. It was late that night when he returned.
"I ain't seen hide nor hair of that calf," he said grimly. "It ain't been killed. Somebody's takened it. That's shore." Pa frowned.
The loss of a heifer calf was serious. "Remember what Joe said!" asked Buzz. "Said he didn't even know we had a spotted heifer!"
"Now lest why did Joe say that!" asked Pa.
It was Birdie who answered his question.
She came tearing home the next day, running as fast as the wind.
"What's after you, gal young un!" demanded Pa, smiling. "Bear! Wildcat! Alligator! Must be somethin' fierce to make you run so fast!"
"Pal Pa!" Birdie stopped to catch breath. "Pa, I saw the spotted heifer calf! Hit's got Slaters' markin' brand on it, the circle S!
Like this!" She leaned over and drew the mark in the sand with her finger: 0. "And Essie done told me their mother cow's got two calves. I seen 'em both, and they ain't twins. T'other calf's a head taller'n the spotted one."
Pa's lips closed in a tight line.
"Sugar, how did you happen to see all this!" he asked. All the family crowded round to hear Birdie's answer.
"Ma sent me over to the Slaters'," said she, "to ask could I bring back the clothespins Mrs. Slater borrowed. There warn't nobody in their house. They was all out back, where the men was brandin' calves. I didn't want to see no more brandin', so when I see the little girls playin' near the shelter back o' the house, I went over and asked 'em could I take back Ma's clothespins. They was still mad, count of you whopped Shoe- string, but they talked to me anyhow.
"Right there in the shelter, I see our spotted heifer calf and t’other one. Essie done role me the mother cow had got two calves. And Zephy explained. She said her I)a penned the first calf up and turned its mother loose for a few days. When the mother cow come back home, she had another calf with her--the spotted one. Now she's got two! And they both got Slaters'
markin' brand on 'em."
"What did you do then!" asked Pa.
"I found the clothespins on the back porch and I was jest startin' for home when Shoestring seen me. He ain't spoke to me since you whopped him, Pa. 'What you doin',' he says. 'Stealin' clothespins!' 'They're my Ma's,' says I, 'and my Ma said your Ma had kept 'em long enough and for me to go fetch 'em back.' He said, 'You jest better leave our clothespins alone! You're always meddlin' in other folkses' business.' I says, 'Well, I dent steal things like you Slaters do!'
"'What do we steal!' asks Shoestring and I says, 'Bunny's spotted heifer and you know it. You penned her own calf away from that mother cow so she'd go out and find another and she brung in our spotted heifer and your Pa branded it with your markin'
brand, but hit's our'n, hit's Bunny's!' I says. 'You stoled it!"'
Birdie stopped, flushed with anger.
"Sugar," said Pa quietly, "hit war a waste o' breath to say all that to the boy. What'd he answer!"
"He said the calf belonged to their cow and not to Bunny," said Birdie. "He called me a liar. He chunked pine knots at me all the way home."
"Honey, he might a hit ye and hurted ye," said Pa. "Hit don't pay to sass them Slater folks."
"I dent care noways at all," said Birdie. "That calf's Bunny's."
Pa looked very serious. He did not speak.
"Can he keep Bunny's calf," asked Birdie, "now he's put the Slater brand on it!"
"I reckon so," said Pa quietly. "Can't nobody go changin' brands without landin' in jail."
As if things were not bad enough already, the Slater hogs began to come round again. They were tame enough now. They came to the back door sniffing for slops and Birdie had to drag them away and put them outside the fence. Perhaps Shoestring had stopped feeding them and they had resumed their wild ways. They could get under any fence in the world and they began to root up crops in the Boyers' fields.
A night came when the air was filled with squealing and whacking. Birdie
"I ain't seen hide nor hair of that calf," he said grimly. "It ain't been killed. Somebody's takened it. That's shore." Pa frowned.
The loss of a heifer calf was serious. "Remember what Joe said!" asked Buzz. "Said he didn't even know we had a spotted heifer!"
"Now lest why did Joe say that!" asked Pa.
It was Birdie who answered his question.
She came tearing home the next day, running as fast as the wind.
"What's after you, gal young un!" demanded Pa, smiling. "Bear! Wildcat! Alligator! Must be somethin' fierce to make you run so fast!"
"Pal Pa!" Birdie stopped to catch breath. "Pa, I saw the spotted heifer calf! Hit's got Slaters' markin' brand on it, the circle S!
Like this!" She leaned over and drew the mark in the sand with her finger: 0. "And Essie done told me their mother cow's got two calves. I seen 'em both, and they ain't twins. T'other calf's a head taller'n the spotted one."
Pa's lips closed in a tight line.
"Sugar, how did you happen to see all this!" he asked. All the family crowded round to hear Birdie's answer.
"Ma sent me over to the Slaters'," said she, "to ask could I bring back the clothespins Mrs. Slater borrowed. There warn't nobody in their house. They was all out back, where the men was brandin' calves. I didn't want to see no more brandin', so when I see the little girls playin' near the shelter back o' the house, I went over and asked 'em could I take back Ma's clothespins. They was still mad, count of you whopped Shoe- string, but they talked to me anyhow.
"Right there in the shelter, I see our spotted heifer calf and t’other one. Essie done role me the mother cow had got two calves. And Zephy explained. She said her I)a penned the first calf up and turned its mother loose for a few days. When the mother cow come back home, she had another calf with her--the spotted one. Now she's got two! And they both got Slaters'
markin' brand on 'em."
"What did you do then!" asked Pa.
"I found the clothespins on the back porch and I was jest startin' for home when Shoestring seen me. He ain't spoke to me since you whopped him, Pa. 'What you doin',' he says. 'Stealin' clothespins!' 'They're my Ma's,' says I, 'and my Ma said your Ma had kept 'em long enough and for me to go fetch 'em back.' He said, 'You jest better leave our clothespins alone! You're always meddlin' in other folkses' business.' I says, 'Well, I dent steal things like you Slaters do!'
"'What do we steal!' asks Shoestring and I says, 'Bunny's spotted heifer and you know it. You penned her own calf away from that mother cow so she'd go out and find another and she brung in our spotted heifer and your Pa branded it with your markin'
brand, but hit's our'n, hit's Bunny's!' I says. 'You stoled it!"'
Birdie stopped, flushed with anger.
"Sugar," said Pa quietly, "hit war a waste o' breath to say all that to the boy. What'd he answer!"
"He said the calf belonged to their cow and not to Bunny," said Birdie. "He called me a liar. He chunked pine knots at me all the way home."
"Honey, he might a hit ye and hurted ye," said Pa. "Hit don't pay to sass them Slater folks."
"I dent care noways at all," said Birdie. "That calf's Bunny's."
Pa looked very serious. He did not speak.
"Can he keep Bunny's calf," asked Birdie, "now he's put the Slater brand on it!"
"I reckon so," said Pa quietly. "Can't nobody go changin' brands without landin' in jail."
As if things were not bad enough already, the Slater hogs began to come round again. They were tame enough now. They came to the back door sniffing for slops and Birdie had to drag them away and put them outside the fence. Perhaps Shoestring had stopped feeding them and they had resumed their wild ways. They could get under any fence in the world and they began to root up crops in the Boyers' fields.
A night came when the air was filled with squealing and whacking. Birdie
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