e no hat, and dressed in flowing drapery,
the cow, unless she was more of a physiologist than I gave her credit
for, would be in doubt somewhat as to the sex of the Chinaman; and
before she had time to ruminate upon it and reach a dead-sure
conclusion, the milking would be over; and I would have scored the first
point in the game, if she was a cow of ability, had any trumps, and was
up to any tricks, as it were. So I told Chin Foo, as he approached with
the pail in his hand, that the cow was a splendid milker, thoroughly
domesticated, accustomed to Chinamen, and that he might have the honor
of milking her first. I remarked, furthermore, that, as everything
about the place was new to her, and she was a little nervous, I would
gently attract her attention in front, while he proceeded to extract the
delicious fluid. I charged him, in addition, to remember that it was
always the best policy to approach a cow of her temperament in a bold
and indifferent manner, as if he had milked her all his life, and get
down to business at once; and that any hesitation or show of nervousness
on his part would tend to make her more nervous.

"I must say that Chin Foo acted in a highly creditable manner,
considering he was in a strange land, and, to my certain knowledge, had
no money laid by for funeral expenses; for, while I was stirring the
dust and flourishing my stick in a desultory manner in front of the cow,
to divert her mind, and keep her thoughts from wandering backward too
directly, he fluttered boldly up to her, and laid firmly hold of two
teats, with the familiarity of an old acquaintance."

At this point of his narration the stranger paused a moment. There was a
sort of plaintive look on his face, and he gazed at the plates with an
expression in his eyes of sorrowful recollection.

"I cannot say," he resumed, as one who speaks oppressed with a sense of
uncertainty, "exactly what did happen, for I never saw the Chinaman
again until he alighted. I only know that when he came down he was
practically inside the pail, and that he sat in it a moment with a kind
of dreamy eastern look on his face, as if he lived on the isle of Patmos
and had seen a vision. And when he had crawled out of the pail he went
directly into the house, saying, 'The Melican man is dam foolee to try
to milkee that cussee!' or words to that effect.

[Illustration: PRACTICALLY INSIDE THE PAIL.]

"But I did not agree with him. I reflected that the Chinese are