e spoke.

"Wall," said he, "I s'pose I must consider as how silence means consent,
and go ahead. Wall" he continued, "you all know, or most all on yer do,
old Bill Tompkins, that lives out on the road to Montrose. This
occurrence took place early las' summer. Old Bill hisself is too
close-mouthed to let on about it, but when I was over there the other
day, arter givin' Lizzy Tompkins her music-lesson, I got talkin' with
her mother, and one thing led to another, and finally I got the whole
story outer her. Old Bill had a cow that they called 'Old Jinnie.' She
was always mischeevous, but last year she'd been wusser'n ever. She'd
git out of the barn nights, and knock down fences, and tramp down flower
gardens, and everybody said she wuz a pesky noosance. One night old Bill
and his family wuz seated 'round the centre table in the sittin'-room.
There wuz Mary, his wife; and George, his oldest boy, a young fellow
about eighteen; Tommy, who is a ten-year-older, and little Lizzy, who is
about eight. George wuz readin' somethin' out of a paper to 'em, when
they heerd a-runnin' and a-jumpin', and old Bill said, 'That varmint's
got out of the barn and is rampagin' 'round agin,' The winder curt'ins
wuz up, and old Jinnie must 'a' seed the light, for she run pell-mell
agin the house, and drove her horns through the winder, smashin' four
panes. Old Bill and George managed to git her back inter the barn and
tied her up.

"As they wuz walking back to the house, old Bill said, 'Consarn her
picter, I'll make beef o' her to-morrer or my name ain't Bill Tompkins,'
When they got back to the settin'-room, George said, 'How be yer goin'
ter do it, dad?' 'Why, cut her throat,' said Bill. 'You can't do it,'
said George, 'the law sez yer must shoot her fust in the temple,' 'All
right,' said old Bill, 'you shoot and I'll carve,' So next mornin' they
led old Jinnie out with her head p'inted towards the barn. George had
loaded up the old musket, and stood 'bout thirty feet off. George
didn't know just edzactly where the cow's temple wuz, but he imagined it
must be somewhere atween her eyes, so he fired and hit her squar' in the
forehead. That was enough for old Jinnie, she jist ducked her head, and
with a roar like the bull of Bashan she put for George. He dropped the
musket and went up the ladder inter the haymow livelier'n he ever did
before, you kin bet. Old Jinnie struck the ladder and knocked it
galley-west. Old Jinnie then turned 'round and