that it was the best cow they had
on the farm, one for which Lars Gunnarson had been offered two
hundred rix-dollars. She had sunk deep in the mire and was now so
terrified that she lay quite still and sent forth only feeble and
intermittant bellowings. It was plain that she had struggled
desperately for she was covered with mud clear to her horns, and
round about her the green moss-tufts had been torn up. She had
bellowed so loud that Jan thought every one in Ashdales must have
heard her, yet no one but himself had come up to the marsh. He did
not tarry a second, but ran straight to the farm for help.

It was slow work setting poles in the marsh, laying out boards and
slipping ropes under the cow, to draw her up by. For when the men
reached her she had sunk to her back, so that only her head was
above the mire. After they had finally dragged her back onto firm
ground and carted her home to Falla the housewife invited all who
had worked over the animal to come inside for coffee.

No one had been so zealous in the rescue work as had Jan of
Ruffluck. But for him the cow would have been lost. And just think!
She was a cow worth at least two hundred rix-dollars.

To Jan this seemed a rare stroke of luck. Surely the new master and
mistress could not fail to recognize so great a service. Something
of a similar nature once happened in the old master's time. Then it
was a horse that had been impaled on a picket fence. The one who
found the horse and had it carted home received from Eric of Falla
a reward of ten rix-dollars; And that despite the fact that the
beast was so badly injured that Eric had to shoot it.

But the cow was alive and in nowise harmed. So Jan pictured himself
going on the morrow to the sexton, or to some other person who
could write, to ask him to write to Glory Goldie and tell her to
come home.

When Jan came into the living-room at Falla he naturally drew
himself up a bit. The old housewife was pouring coffee and he did
not wonder at it when she handed him his cup before even Lars
Gunnarson had been served. Then, while they were all having their
coffee, every one spoke of how well Jan had done, that is, every
one but the farmer and his wife; not a word of praise came from
them.

But now that Jan felt so confident his hard times were over and his
luck was coming back, it was easy for him to find grounds for
comfort. It might be that Lars was silent because he wished to make
what he would say all th