“Er-r yah!” barked Watch, very pleased and proud because the other animals were beginning to love his Tommy. And he turned right around to follow Nibble.
But of course Tommy hadn’t heard a word they said. They talk too low, for one thing, and they use all sorts of sign languages, too, for another. He thought Watch was chasing Nibble. So he shouted and scolded and called him a bad old dog. But Watch only wagged his tail and kept right on.
Nibble and Muskrat visit the Red Cow.
Meantime, something had been happening back at the pond. The strange Man who set all those strange traps had come to look at them. And the Red Cow heard him. But she wasn’t scary any more because she had her new calf and she meant to take care of him. And she didn’t mean to let any one else in the world but Tommy Peele lay a hand on him.
He had a nice meal of warm milk inside of him and he’d gone to sleep. Besides, Doctor Muskrat was still there to look after him. So out of the thicket she bounced and after the Man.
“M-m-moo!” she roared, just like the first cows did when they told Mother Nature they’d punish the wicked wolves for themselves if she gave them their teeth again. But you remember Mother Nature couldn’t do that, so she gave them horns longer and sharper than the teeth of any wolf. The Red Cow’s horns certainly were. So that strange Man climbed up the nearest tree to get away from them.
“Get out!” she snorted. “Go away from here!” But of course he couldn’t because she was walking around and around the trunk of that big tree, roaring at him and sending the mud over her shoulders with her big, horny toes. Only she never thought of that, because she was rather stupid. Then Watch came bouncing up and he barked and snapped very fiercely. But Tommy just laughed.
“Oh, Louie Thomson,” he jeered. “You will set your traps in my woods, will you? See what you get now!” For this was the greedy boy who had sold him the trap that wouldn’t work.
“You’ll see what you get if that crazy cow takes after you!” yelled Louie.