The car sped through country by-ways, and woodland roads; they passed farms and pastures galore, stopping wherever a herd of cows were grazing, or when they found one wandering along the roadside. But Mrs. James generally shook her head and signalled Frances to go on.
After several of these stops, all of which brought forth no results, Janet asked impatiently: “What was the matter with those last cows, Jimmy?”
“I am looking for a good Alderney, or a cross with a Guernsey, because they are the best milkers and need the least care.”
“Why, Jimmy! Can you tell the difference between one cow and another?” exclaimed Natalie, astonished at her chaperone’s hitherto hidden knowledge.
“I had both kinds on the farm when I was first married, and I can tell a good cow when I see one.”
Mrs. James went up several degrees in the girls’ estimation after that, but when Miss Mason called out, they forgot their interest in what Mrs. James was saying.
“We just flew past a board sign that advertised a cow and calf for sale! Let’s turn back and inquire of the farmer,” was Miss Mason’s advice.
So they backed down the road for several hundred feet and read the sign. It was nailed to the fence post in front of the house and stated just as Miss Mason had said.
“Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could buy a little calf and keep it until next year! A calf ought to be cheap and it will grow into a cow by next year, so it would be a bargain for me,” exclaimed Janet, eagerly.
But the others in the car were too engrossed in the immediate purchase of the cow to pay any attention to Janet’s hopes for raising a cow for the following year. Frances deftly turned the car into the lane that ran to the barn where the farmer stood watching them drive up.