The Pot of Gold | Page 6

into the side of
the cottage where Drusilla and her father lived. Its roof, as well as that
of the cottage, was thatched and overgrown with moss, out of which
had grown, in its turn, a little starry white flower, until the whole roof
looked like a flower-bed. There were roses climbing over the walls of
the cottage and stable, also, pink and white ones.
Drusilla used to keep the gold-horned cow's stable in exquisite order.
Her trough to eat out of, was polished as clean as a lady's china tea-cup.
She always had fresh straw, and her beautiful long tail was tied by a
blue ribbon to a ring in the ceiling, in order to keep it nice.
The gold-horned cow's milk was better than any other's, as one would
reasonably suppose it to have been. The cream used to be at least an
inch thick, and so yellow; and the milk itself had a peculiar and
exquisite flavor--perhaps the best way to describe it, is to say it tasted
as lilies smell. The gentry all about were eager to buy it, and willing to
pay a good price for it. Drusilla used to go around to supply her
customers, nights and mornings, a bright, shining milk-pail in each
hand, and one on her head. She had learned to carry herself so steadily
in consequence that she walked like a queen.
[Illustration: DRUSILLA AND HER GOLD-HORNED COW.]
Everybody admired Drusilla, and all the young shepherds and farmers
made love to her, but she did not seem to care for any of them, but to
prefer tending her gold-horned cow, and devoting herself to her old

father--she was a very dutiful daughter.
Everything went prosperously with them for a long time; the cow
thrived, and gave a great deal of milk, customers were plenty, they paid
the rent for their cottage regularly, and Drusilla who was a beautiful
spinner, had her linen chest filled to the brim with the finest linen.
At length, however, a great misfortune befell them. One morning--it
was the day after a holiday--Drusilla, who had been up very late the
night before dancing on the village green, felt very sleepy, as she sat
watching the cow in the green meadow. So she just laid her flaxen head
down amongst the blue-eyed grasses, and soon fell fast asleep.
When she woke up, the dew was all dried off, and the sun almost
directly overhead. She rubbed her eyes, and looked about for the
gold-horned cow. To her great alarm, she was nowhere to be seen. She
jumped up, distractedly, and ran over the meadow, but the gold-horned
cow was certainly not there. The bars were up, just as she had left them,
and there was not a gap in the stonewall which extended around the
meadow. How could she have gotten out? It was very mysterious!
Drusilla, when she found, certainly, that the gold-horned cow was gone,
lost no time in wonderment and conjecture; she started forth to find her.
"I will not tell father till I have searched a long time," said she to
herself.
So, down the road she went, looking anxiously on either side. "If only I
could come in sight of her, browsing in the clover, beside the wall,"
sighed she; but she did not.
After a while, she saw a great cloud of dust in the distance. It rolled
nearer and nearer, and finally she saw the King on horseback, with a
large party of nobles galloping after him. The King, who was quite an
old man, had a very long, curling, white beard, and had his breast
completely covered with orders and decorations. No convenient board
fence on a circus day was ever more thoroughly covered with elephants
and horses, and trapeze performers, than the breast of the King's black
velvet coat with jeweled stars and ribbons. But even then, there was not

room for all his store, so he had hit upon the ingenious expedient of
covering a black silk umbrella with the remainder. He held it in a
stately manner over his head now, and it presented a dazzling sight; for
it was literally blazing with gems, and glittering ribbons fluttered from
it on all sides.
When the King saw Drusilla courtesying by the side of the road, he
drew rein so suddenly, that his horse reared back on its haunches, and
all his nobles, who always made it a point to do exactly as the King
did--it was court etiquette--also drew rein suddenly, and all their horses
reared back on their haunches.
"What will you, pretty maiden?" asked the King graciously.
"Please, your Majesty," said Drusilla courtesying and blushing and
looking prettier than ever, "have you seen my gold-horned cow?"
"Pardy," said the King, for that was the proper thing