t they wished Johnnie Green would
let them have a taste too.

"She earned it," the big white cow told the little red cow, later. "She
had to stand still at least three-quarters of an hour, while that boy
was trying to milk her."

The little red cow gave a slight sniff. "No doubt the apple was sour,
anyhow," she muttered.

The Muley Cow couldn't help hearing what her two neighbors were saying.
And although she was a well-mannered person and had a kindly
disposition, she couldn't resist telling them that the apple was sweet
and juicy.

"If you had had a taste of it you would agree with me," said the Muley
Cow.

IV

OWNING A BOY

By the end of a week Johnnie Green was able to milk quite well. When he
sat down beside the Muley Cow he could play a merry tune as he made the
tiny streams of milk tinkle against the bottom of the milk pail. And he
managed to milk the Muley Cow while his father was milking only three
others.

"Don't you think," Johnnie asked his father, "that I ought to own the
Muley Cow by this time?"

But Farmer Green thought that he mustn't make the prize too easy to win.
He laughed and shook his head. "When you can milk half as fast as I
can, I'll agree that she's yours," he promised.

Before a month had slipped by Johnnie Green raced with his father one
night and finished milking the Muley Cow _before_ his father could milk
the little red cow and the big white one.

"Hurrah!" Johnnie shouted, as he jumped up from his three-legged stool.
"I've got a cow of my own!" But he didn't shout too loud, for he had
learned that one ought not to be noisy around the cattle.

Somehow his father seemed almost as pleased as he was.

As for the Muley Cow herself, she didn't know just how to feel. She
couldn't help hearing what was said. And her neighbors were craning
their necks, for they couldn't help staring at her to see how she took
the news.

It was just a bit uncomfortable for the Muley Cow, at first. But when
Johnnie Green patted her and picked a prickly burr off her back she felt
that matters might have been worse. And when he gave her a tender young
beet as a special treat she began to think that matters couldn't have
been better. She saw right away that being owned by a boy wasn't a bad
thing, after all. It was the _sound_ of it that she didn't like.

Naturally there was a good deal of gossip among the cows. And the next
day, in the pasture, one meddlesome creature went up to the Muley