“What they want?” continued the woman.
“Want my fodder, den she wants my mudder.”
The head was withdrawn and soon afterward its owner came out upon the steps and greeted the strangers. Then she said: “Bobby’s mother died at the alms house, you know, but we don’t know where his father ran to a year ago.”
Mrs. James said politely: “We’re sorry for Bobby but we came to ask about the cow you have for sale.”
“Oh, yeh! That’s it, is it. Well come this way and I’ll show her to you. She ain’t so big a looker but she milks dandy! I get ten quarts every day and twelve just after she calves. I just sold her calf and she’s givin’ me thirteen quarts this week.”
“That sounds very remarkable, but we want a cow that will give an abundance of good milk,” said Miss Mason.
“Is the milk rich with cream?” questioned Mrs. James, after nudging the teacher even as the girls had nudged her at the other farm.
“Yeh, I can churn the finest butter! I’ll give you a taste when we go back to the house.” They reached the cow shed where the animal was kept, and there they saw a small cow in the filthy yard back of the shed.
“Here Sue! Come Sue, Sue, Sue!” coaxed the woman, holding down her hand as though she held some dainty morsel in the palm.
The cow turned and came over to the fence where she could be examined. While the woman scratched the top of the cow’s head she explained why she wished to sell Sue. “That boy back there ain’t got no family, but his granddaddy lives on a good farm up Bedford Hills way. I got a letter from him t’other day offering me half shares on working the farm if I brung the boy and kept house for them both. He is an old lame man and the farm is good, so I took the job. This farm ain’t wuth shucks for a living.”