A COW that had a crooked horn learned to open gates and let down bars with it, and, as her master took no pains to keep her at home, she roamed the roads unrestrained. One day, in passing a neighbor’s meadow, she saw an old brindled cow inside hobbled by a rope and clog of wood fastened to one leg.
“Who put that on you?” asked Crooked Horn.
“My master,” replied Brindle.
“What for?”
“To keep me from jumping fences.”
“I’m glad he’s not my master. Why don’t you leave him and take to the woods?”
“Well, he’s kind to me in other ways. He gives me a warm bed, and plenty to eat, in the winter, and beside, I have a notion that I’ve got myself to blame.”