Bound to Rise | Page 3

couldn't save her."
"Save my cow, if you can. I don't know what I should do without her."
"I'll do my best, but you mustn't blame me if I can't bring her round.
You see there's this about dumb critters that makes 'em harder to cure
than human bein's. They can't tell their symptoms, nor how they feel;
and that's why it's harder to be a cow doctor than a doctor for humans.
You've got to go by the looks, and looks is deceivin'. If I could only ask
the critter how she feels, and where she feels worst, I might have some
guide to go by. Not but I've had my luck. There's more'n one of 'em I've
saved, if I do say it myself."
"I know you can save her if anyone can, Elihu," said Mr. Walton, who
appreciated the danger of the cow, and was anxious to have the doctor
begin.
"Yes, I guess I know about as much about them critters as anybody,"
said the garrulous old man, who had a proper appreciation of his
dignity and attainments as a cow doctor. "I've had as good success as
anyone I know on. If I can't cure her, you may call her a gone case.
Have you got any hot water in the house?"
"I'll go in and see."
"I'll go, father," said Harry.
"Well, come right back. We have no time to lose."
Harry appreciated the need of haste as well as his father, and speedily
reappeared with a pail of hot water.
"That's right, Harry," said his father. "Now you'd better go into the
house and do your chores, so as not to be late for school."
Harry would have liked to remain and watch the steps which were

being taken for the recovery of the cow; but he knew he had barely
time to do the "chores" referred to before school, and he was far from
wishing to be late there. He had an ardent thirst for learning, and,
young as he was, ranked first in the district school which he attended. I
am not about to present my young hero as a marvel of learning, for he
was not so. He had improved what opportunities he had enjoyed, but
these were very limited. Since he was nine years of age, his schooling
had been for the most part limited to eleven weeks in the year. There
was a summer as well as a winter school; but in the summer he only
attended irregularly, being needed to work at home. His father could
not afford to hire help, and there were many ways in which Harry,
though young, could help him. So it happened that Harry, though a
tolerably good scholar, was deficient in many respects, on account of
the limited nature of his opportunities.
He set to work at once at the chores. First he went to the woodpile and
sawed and split a quantity of wood, enough to keep the kitchen stove
supplied till he came home again from school in the afternoon. This
duty was regularly required of him. His father never touched the saw or
the ax, but placed upon Harry the general charge of the fuel
department.
After sawing and splitting what he thought to be sufficient, he carried it
into the house by armfuls, and piled it up near the kitchen stove. He
next drew several buckets of water from the well, for it was washing
day, brought up some vegetables from the cellar to boil for dinner, and
then got ready for school.
CHAPTER II
A CALAMITY

Efforts for the recovery of the cow went on. Elihu Perkins exhausted all
his science in her behalf. I do not propose to detail his treatment,
because I am not sure whether it was the best, and possibly some of my
readers might adopt it under similar circumstances, and then blame me

for its unfortunate issue. It is enough to say that the cow grew rapidly
worse in spite of the hot-water treatment, and about eleven o'clock
breathed her last. The sad intelligence was announced by Elihu, who
first perceived it.
"The critter's gone," he said. "'Tain't no use doin' anything more."
"The cow's dead!" repeated Mr. Walton, sorrowfully. He had known for
an hour that this would be the probable termination of the disease. Still
while there was life there was hope. Now both went out together.
"Yes, the critter's dead!" said Elihu, philosophically, for he lost nothing
by her. "It was so to be, and there wa'n't no help for it. That's what I
thought from the fust, but I was willin' to try."
"Wasn't there anything that could have saved her?"
Elihu shook his head decidedly.
"If she could a-been saved, I could 'ave done it," he, said."