Cloverfield Farm had a big Shepherd dog named Rover.
One day Rover lay under the apple tree in the back yard, taking his
afternoon nap. Just over the fence in the pasture Farmer Hill's cows
were grazing.
Suddenly Molly, the Big Red Cow, came near the stone wall on the
farther side of the pasture. She smelled the corn in Neighbor Newman's
cornfield beyond the stone wall.
Now if there is one thing that cows like better than anything else, it
is growing sweet corn. Molly looked at it longingly over the stone
wall. She smelled it in the breeze.
Not far away Molly saw a low place in the wall. Over this she jumped
into the cornfield. All the other cows saw her and followed--the White
Cow, the Black Cow, the two Speckled Cows, and the Little Red Cow.
They all began eating Neighbor Newman's corn.
Just then Mrs. Hill looked over that way and saw the cows in the
cornfield.
Farmer Hill had gone to town that day, so he could not get the cows out
of the corn. The hired man was down in the field by the woods, so he
could not get the cows out of the corn.
"Who will get the cows out of the corn?" thought Mrs. Hill.
Going to the back door, she spied Rover taking his afternoon nap.
"Rover, Rover," she called, "the cows are in the corn." But Rover only
opened one eye a very little bit and wagged his tail, a very weeny
mite, and went on with his nap.
Again she called, very loudly, "Rover, Rover, get the cows out of the
corn, quick! quick!"
Rover understood this time and jumped to his feet. "Look, there they
are," said Mrs. Hill, pointing to the cornfield.
When Rover saw what had happened, he ran just like a flash across the
pasture lot, jumped over the stone wall and began to bark at the Big
Red Cow.
"Bow-wow, bow-wow," barked Rover, which meant, "Go back into your
pasture."
But the Big Red Cow only switched her tail and went on eating corn.
"Bow-wow, bow-wow," barked Rover again; but still she went on eating
corn, and all the other cows went on eating corn.
Then Rover bit the leg of the Big Red Cow. It was only just a little
bite, but she knew it meant, "Get out of the cornfield or I will bite
you very hard."
The Big Red Cow went to the stone wall with Rover barking at her heels,
until she jumped back into the pasture lot.
Then he went to the other cows and made them all jump back over the
stone wall into the pasture lot--the White Cow, the Black Cow, the two
Speckled Cows, and the Little Red Cow.
Just as the last cow was jumping over the wall, Farmer Hill came home
along the road from the city. He saw what Rover had done.
Rover got back to his place under the apple tree just as Farmer Hill
drove into the yard. "Good dog, good dog," said Farmer Hill in a kind
voice.
Rover looked up and wagged his tail.
"Is there a bone for Rover?" said Farmer Hill. Mrs. Hill went to the
cupboard and found a big bone and gave it to Rover.
[Illustration: "Rover made them all jump over the stone wall"]
"I must have the men fix that hole in the wall," said Farmer Hill.
When Rover was through with the bone, he went back to finish his
afternoon nap under the apple tree.
[Illustration: PRINCE HELPS MAKE BREAD]