Rural Inspection

The Cow Club met the other night,

     Which wasn’t very strange,

Since they’re at Jones’s regular,

     With never any change.

Although it was a bitter night,

     An’ snow was in the air,

Each setter round the red-hot stove

     Was in his ‘customed chair.

“I hear you’ve sold your heifer, Hen,”

     Jed Martin fin’lly said;

An’ Billings shifted legs with care,

     An’ said, “You’ve hit it, Jed.”

“What for?” said Jed. “Becuz,” said Hen,

     “She was infected, see?

I ain’t a-goin’ to have no stock

     Infected long with me.”

“How kin you tell, I’d like to know,

     She was infected, Hen;

No one kin tell, I don’t believe,

     Except them guv’munt men.”

“How kin I tell? I guess I know

     Infection, yes-sir-ee;

She coughed her cud up yesterday,

     And that’s enough for me!”

    

March 6, ‘09