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Babe was a good ox most of the time. But, it was a known fact that he would get a wild blue hair hankerin' now and then to explore a bit.
Having had his ears recently cleaned out by four of Sourdough Sam's bacon boys who strapped mattresses to their feet instead of bacon, and skated around for half a day inside each ear clearing out hundreds of pounds of ox earwax, Babe could now hear conversations hundreds of miles away just as though they were being talked out right next to him.
So when he heard whispered bits and pieces floating through the air about a still operating over by Hay Creek, he set about investigating. Now Hay Creek, running into the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, was part of Babe's old stomping grounds. He and Paul had once caught a fish so big out of those waters that when they pulled that monster northern out of the lake, the bobber flew off and landed smack dab in the middle of Pequot Lakes, where it still sits today.
Yep, Babe knew the area. But, the stil... well, that was news! And Babe's wild blue hair was a'wrangling and bouncing and generally spinning him into a crazy mood.
1. So, when Babe spotted three cows
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2. Back at the Logging Camp, Brimstone Bill, who had been hired to take care of Babe, was beside himself. Where could Babe have gone? Worrying himself into a stewing brine, he finally bit the bullet and told Paul Bunyan himself, speculating that perhaps Babe had
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3. In the meantime, Babe and the Knutson Cows
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4. As he trailed behind the three swishing and chortling bovines, Babe heard a familiar sound. No doubt about it. It was Pea Soup Shorty, singing his rendition of 'Peas Porridge Hot' as he stirred peas into a small pond he'd found. Babe's wild blue hair started crinkling and swirling, and to avoid being noticed by Shorty, Babe
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5. Before long the Wild Knutson Cows were moving faster toward the definite scent of
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6. By now, Brimstone Bill and Paul had hatched a plan to find Babe. They would
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7. But, around the Hay Creek still, Babe and the Wild Knutson Cows had given new meaning to "puttin' on the feedbag". Woodland critters were alarmed to see
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8. Babe's beautiful blue color began to change a little. First it was barely noticeable, but as he and the Wild Knutson Cows licked up more and more of the still's contents, he got greener and greener. In fact, so green did Babe become that off in the distance Pea Soup Shorty mistook the huge green vision for
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9. About then, the Wild Knutson Cows felt the dampness of evening approaching and began their teetering trek back home. But Babe
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10. So, Brimstone Bill and Pea Soup Shorty
while Paul
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Remnants of the still at Hay Creek are there to this day, the location of which, is known only by a few local folks. The Wild Knutson Cows have left behind the progeny of their kind along with their story, which is told often among friends of the Knutsons.
And, even though Babe has fuzzy green memories of his encounter with the still at Hay Creek and the Wild Knutson Cows, he's certain it was one of his most wonderful explorations ever. The wild blue hairs, now back to their beautiful sky blue hue, still have that snickering, crazy way about them... and every now and then they can still spin Babe into a crazy mood! |
