Bobby and the Big Road  by Maud Lindsay

The Spotted Calf

O NE of the very first trips that Mother and Father and Bobby took with Greylocks was to the ox-wagon man's house.

Greylocks could not travel as fast as an automobile but he was no lazybones. No, indeed! He pricked up his ears and trotted along the Big Road in fine style.

Bobby thought nothing could be more delightful than to ride behind Greylocks.

All the way to the log cabin, Bobby was telling Mother and Father what they would see when they got there; and about what Johnny could do.

"You ought to hear Johnny play on the French harp," he said. "He can play 'Home Sweet Home,' and ' 'Way Down Upon the Swanee River,' too. I shouldn't be surprised if he'd be sitting on the doorstone playing when we get to his house. The ox-wagon man says Johnny loves to sit on the doorstone and play."

But Johnny was not sitting on the doorstone playing on his French harp when they got to his house. Instead, they could hear him shouting to Towser at the top of his voice.

Towser was barking, and the ox-wagon man's wife was running about waving her apron, for somebody had left the barnyard gate open and the spotted calf had run away.

Bobby and Mother and Father could see her kicking up her heels in a cotton patch, right next to the barnyard.

The ox-wagon man had gone to town with a load of kindling, but his wife, and Johnny, and Towser were doing their best to get the calf into the barnyard again.

Johnny could not do much except to shout to Towser, but he did that very well.

"Run, Towser! Run!" he called; and Towser ran, first this way and then that.

"Bow-wow! Bow-wow!" He barked at the spotted calf as if to say, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself! Go into the yard at once. Bow-wow, bow-wow!"

The spotted calf was a frolicsome calf. She scampered over the field, and swished her tail over her back, and kicked up her heels and would not go into the yard.

"Run, Towser, run!" shouted Johnny.

"Bow-wow! Bow-wow!" barked Towser, running as fast as he could. He had no idea of leaving the spotted calf in the field. He turned her off this way, and headed her off that way, and nipped at her heels.

"Ma-a!" cried the spotted calf and she ran into the barnyard.

"Ma-a!" cried the spotted calf.

"I knew Towser would get her in. He's the smartest dog in the world," said Johnny.

Johnny took Bobby and Father and Mother to the barnyard to see the spotted calf and the bantam hen. He played on the French harp for them, and gave them a bunch of flowers to take home.

"Oh, didn't we have a good time at the ox-wagon man's house?" asked Bobby as he and Mother and Father rode home in the twilight. "Let's go again."