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198 tioner to give them both a good switching. Now let them go home and try to behave themselves,”

Every one applauded his decision, and Bud also thought with satisfaction that he had hit upon a good way out of the difficulty.

Next came two old women, one very fat and the other very thin; and between them they led a cow, the fat woman having a rope around one horn and the thin woman a rope around the other horn. Each woman claimed she owned the cow, and they quarreled so loudly and so long that the lord high executioner had to tie a bandage over their mouths. When peace was thus restored the high counselor said:

“Now, your Majesty, please decide which of these two women owns the cow.”

“I can’t,” said Bud, helplessly.

“Oh, your Majesty, but you must!” cried all the five high counselors.

Then Meg whispered to the king again, and the boy nodded. The children had always lived in a little village where there were plenty of cows, and the girl thought she knew a way to decide which of the claimants owned this animal.

“Send one of the women away,” said Bud. Se they led the lean woman to a little room near by and locked her in.

“Bring a pail and a milking-stool,” ordered the king.

When they were brought, Bud turned to the fat woman and ordered the bandage taken from her mouth,

“The cow ’s mine! It ’s my cow! I own it!” she screamed, the moment she could speak.

“Hold!” said the king. “If the cow belongs to you, let me see you milk her.”

“Certainly, your Majesty, certainly!” she cried; and seizing the pail and the stool, she ran up to the left side of the cow, placed the stool, and sat down upon it. But before she could touch the cow the animal suddenly gave a wild kick that sent the startled woman in a heap upon the floor, with her head stuck fast in the milk-pail. Then the cow moved forward a few steps and looked blandly around.

Two of the guards picked the woman up and pulled the pail from her head.

“What ’s the matter?” asked Bud.

“She ’s frightened, of course,” whimpered the woman, “and I ‘ll be black and blue by to-morrow morning, your Majesty. Any cow would kick in such a place as this.”

“Put this woman in the room and fetch the other woman here,” commanded the king.

So the lean woman was brought out and ordered to milk the cow,

She took the stool in one hand and the pail in the other, and, approaching the cow softly on the right side, patted the animal gently and said to it: “So, Boss! So-o-o-o, Bossie, my darlin’: Good Bossie! Nice Bossie!”