There were no bobs for Skinny. It was warm in the sun and he loafed along, taking it easy and looking for somebody to rescue. Once he stopped to help a man in a field. Along about ten or eleven o'clock he began to get hungry and tired. No matter where he looked there didn't anything happen, so he made up his mind to take a long rest the next time he came to some good shade, and maybe to cook his dinner.
A half-mile farther on he came to a real shady spot by the roadside, under a tree which stood in a corner of a pasture on the other side of a fence. A tiny stream crossed the road, and ran down through the pasture.
This was the place he had been looking for and, after drinking, he threw himself down on the ground and went to sleep.
He didn't know how long he slept but he felt first rate when he woke up, only hungrier than ever. Over in the pasture stood a cow with her back to him, looking at something and growing real excited about it.
"I wonder what ails the critter," said Skinny to himself. "She looks mad about something, snorting and shaking her head that way."
Just then he heard a girl's voice singing. She sang real loud, like boys whistle sometimes to keep up their courage, when they are half scared. Then in a few minutes she came in sight, walking across the pasture and keeping one eye on the cow.
Skinny hadn't seen her before because the cow had stood in the way.
"Jerusalem!" said he. "Here's luck. She's got a fire-red sunbonnet and cows don't like red sunbonnets a little bit."
On came the girl, singing louder than ever, trying to edge off away from the cow but not daring to run.
Skinny could see that the cow was getting madder all the time. He knew that something was going to happen at last, and he began to uncoil his rope.