“In his talk he’s queer,” Rowena said. “He says out loud anything that might come into his head. He says out all those little things that come in your head, things you never heard about, or heard anybody speak about, or never read about in a book.”
“He raises mighty good Shorthorn cows, now,” the other said. “I don’t know anybody raises better. In debt, he is, they say, and it’s true, and he may go broke yet. Makes no mint of money, but by golly he makes mighty good cows.”
“It’s not because he’s got book-sense, either,” Rowena said, following her own. “Old Mr. Tumey, he’s got book-sense, and he’s not a thing on earth like Caleb Burns. Caleb, it seems like he says out all those little things that come in head, that you wouldn’t think to say. That nobody else says. That lay in your mind, you might say. He’s queer like that. I never saw another like him. You’re bound to give in he’s queer. But I reckon he does raise right good stock.”
To the small gallery, the voices. Fine milk and beef cattle, that they are. Three times a day we milk. Twice a day for us is enough.... Oh, tirra-lirra, joy come thither.... Betty Hawthorne, 17,768.6 pounds of milk in a twelve months and out of it 581.4 pounds of butter fat. How about Queen?... 16,990-and-over pounds of milk, or Mollie, 14,000 pounds and over.... Or Princess.... Betty Hawthorne and Princess carry the blood of Julia 16, and so does Good Boy 11, and there never was a better transmitten sire than Good Boy.... Their names all written in the Shorthorn Herd Book, registered cows.... Pure-bred Shorthorns are a good stock, as fine as there is, I reckon. We ship the cream and let the calves and pigs take up the skim.... Did you notice the papers today? What’s the quotation?... I always keep the run of the market.... I could almost tell you her registered number, Betty Hawthorne’s, three six six five eight nine something, I forget the exact figures. Or Mollie.... My aim is to people the pasture with good cows.... Her name written in the Shorthorn Book of Herds.... Or there’s Prudence. I expect you’ll get big figures out of Prudence.... When she comes to the milken age. Second calf of Mollie’s. Mollie’s first was a bull and we butchered it.
Is my name written there,
On that page white and fair....
Milk cows ought to have a legume hay, clover, alfalfa, or maybe peas or soy beans. But sorghum hay can be used, but then the grain feed will have to be more liberal. The leaves make a pleasant coolness when they fan the night air and the nightjars dart through the sky with opened mouths to drain the insects out of the dark. The mid-summer insects were crying a week ago and the longest day in the year has passed. The voices below, speaking forth and back:
“What year did Jones run for Congress, now?”
“About ninety-nine or ninety-eight.”