en prowling about among the slain.
"Here's a biscuit, and here's a half loaf of bread."

"But they're all mussed and dirty," said Sarah.

"You might pare them," Mat suggested.

"Yes, peel them like potatoes," said Julius.

"But what are these among so many? The days of miracles are past."

"What shall we do?" said one and another.

"Milk the cow," said Mat.

Boys and girls clapped their hands with enthusiasm, and cried
"Splendid!" "Capital!" etc.

"I'll milk her," said Dick. "Hand me that cup. I'm obliged to the cow
for not eating it."

The cow happened to be a gentle animal, so she did not run away at
Dick's approach, yet she seemed determined that he should not get into
milking position. She kept her broad, white-starred face toward him,
and her large, liquid eyes on his, turning, turning, turning, as he
tried over and over to approach her flanks, while the others stood
watching in mute expectancy.

"Give her some feed," said Mat.

"Feed! I shouldn't think she could bear the sight of anything more
after all that lunch," said Dick. "Beside, there isn't any feed about
here."

Somebody suggested that Bob Trotter had brought some hay and corn
for his horses. Dick proposed that Julius should go for some. Julius
proposed that Dick should go. Valentine offered to bring it, and
brought it--some corn in a basket.

"Suke! Suke, Bossy! Suke, Bossy! Suke!" Dick yelled as though the cow
had been two hundred feet off instead of ten. He held out the basket.
She came forward, sniffed at the corn, threw up her lip and took a
bite. Dick set the basket under her nose and hastened to put himself
in milking position. But that was the end of it. He could not milk a
drop.

"I can't get the hang of the thing," he said.

"Let me try," said Kit.

Dick gave way, and Kit pulled and squeezed and tugged and twisted,
while the others shouted with laughter.

"I believe she's gone dry," said Kit, very red in the face. At this
the laughers laughed anew.

"Some of you who are so good at laughing had better try."

Kit set the cup on a stump and retired.

Sarah Ketchum tried to persuade everybody else to try, but the other
boys were afraid of failure and the girls were afraid of the cow.
Sarah said if somebody would hold the animal's head so that it
couldn't hook, she'd milk--she knew she could. But nobody offered to
take the cow by the horns; so everything came to a stand-still except
Sarah's talking and the cow's eating. The