"Timothy!" said Miss Fortune "what Timothy?"
"Why, Timothy, the near ox," said Ellen, laughing; "he has knocked down the fence over there where it was low, you know."
"The near ox?" said Miss Fortune "I wish he warn't quite, so near this time. Look! he'll be at the corn, and over every thing. Run and drive him into the barnyard, can't you?"
But Ellen stood still, and shook her head. "He wouldn't stir for me," she said; "and besides, I am as afraid of that ox as can be. If it was Clover, I wouldn't mind."
"But he'll have every bit of the corn eaten up in five minutes! Where's Mr. Van Brunt?"
"I heard him say he was going home till noon," said Ellen.
"And Sam Larkens is gone to the mill and Johnny Low is laid up with the shakes. Very careless of Mr. Van Brunt!" said Miss Fortune, drawing her arms out of the cheese-tub, and wringing off the whey "I wish he'd mind his own oxen. There was no business to be a low place in the fence! Well come along! you ain't afraid with me, I suppose."
Ellen followed, at a respectful distance. Miss Fortune, however, feared the face of neither man nor beast; she pulled up a bean pole, and made such a show of fight, that Timothy, after looking at her a little, fairly turned tail, and marched out at the breach he had made. Miss Fortune went after, and rested not till she had driven him quite into the meadow; get him into the barnyard she could not.
"You ain't worth a straw, Ellen!" said she, when she came back; "couldn't you ha' headed him, and driv' him into the barnyard? Now that plaguy beast will just be back again by the time I get well to work. He han't done much mischief yet there's Mr. Van Brunt's salary he's made a pretty mess of I'm glad on't! He should ha' put potatoes, as I told him. I don't know what's to be done I can't be leaving my cheese to run and mind the garden every minute, if it was full of Timothys; and you'd be scared if a mosquito flew at you; you had better go right off for Mr. Van Brunt, and fetch him straight home serve him right! he has no business to leave things so. Run along, and don't let the grass grow under your feet!"
Ellen wisely thought her pony's feet would do the business quicker. She ran and put on her gingham dress, and saddled and bridled the Brownie in three minutes; but, before setting off, she had to scream to her aunt that Timothy was just coming round the corner of the barn again; and Miss Fortune rushed out to the garden as Ellen and the Brownie walked down to the gate.