it was a long time since the muley cow had jumped the pasture fence. by making her wear a poke for a while farmer green had taught her to behave herself. but there came a day, finally, when she made up her mind that just one more jump wouldn't do any great harm.
there had been a strong wind during the night, which had whipped a good many red apples off the trees. it was when the muley cow smelled them that she decided that she would jump the fence. she wanted to get into the orchard before anybody could pick up the apples and take them to the cider mill. so over the fence went the muley cow.
she had a pleasant time eating apples—until something happened to put an end to her feast. something kept the muley cow from swallowing another mouthful.
it was lucky that johnnie green felt hungry. he went to the orchard himself to fill his pockets with apples, when he saw the muley cow—his own muley cow—acting in the strangest manner. she was staggering about among the trees and making the queerest sounds.
johnnie green ran quickly to the barn and called to his father. "there's something wrong with the muley cow!"
"where is she?" his father asked him.
"in the orchard!" johnnie said.
farmer green caught up a whip—a whip with a long lash and a limber stock. with johnnie following him he ran out of the barn, across the yard, and into the orchard. "don't whip her for jumping the fence!" johnnie pleaded.
his father never said a word.
"i wish i hadn't told him," johnnie green panted. he was doing his best to keep up with his father. he thought he would rather take a whipping himself than have the muley cow get one. but he didn't know how he could ever make his father feel the same way. he had noticed that his father reached for the whip as if he fully intended to use it.
when farmer green reached the muley cow he did a queer thing. at least it seemed queer to johnnie. instead of whipping the muley cow, his father ran the whip-stock down her throat!
"what's the matter?" johnnie asked. "why do you do that?"
"she's choked over an apple," his father explained, "and i'm trying to shove it along."
well, it wasn't a great while before the muley cow seemed to be quite herself again.
"rough treatment!" farmer green remarked. "but it certainly fixed her."
"why did she choke?" johnnie wanted to know.
"she tried to swallow a whole apple," said his father. "whenever you feed such things as apples or potatoes to a cow you must always chop them into pieces.... now drive the old cow to the barn," he told johnnie. "she'll have to wear a poke again."
when the muley cow heard that she wondered if she hadn't been very foolish.
