A childhood belief about general

Meat-Eating Cows in Nebraska

My sister Marian teased me really bad. She told me one time the cows would eat me!! (I was about 3 or 4 at the time.)

I remember one day when the family was picking sweet corn. The field was in the middle of the pasture, fenced in. The car, a 1954 Ford Ranch Wagon, was parked in the pasture with the tailgate closed. The windowed upper part of the tailgate swung up. They left me in the car and disappeared into the corn field with bushel baskets.

Then the cows came!!! I pulled the hatch down and hid behind the tailgate. Dad came out with a basket of corn, lifted the rear hatch, put the basket in, and went back to the field. HE LEFT THE HATCH UP!!!

I pulled it back down. He came out with another basket, opened the rear hatch, put the basket in, and went back to the field. AND HE LEFT THE HATCH UP AGAIN!!!

I pulled it back down. He came out with another basket, opened the rear hatch, and asked WHY I kept closing it. I simply said, “To keep the cows out.” He said, “Those cows won’t get in the car, leave it open,” and went back to the field. I left it open, I was more afraid of Dad’s discipline than I was of the cows!

Sometime later I was alone in the house, Mom was in the barn casing eggs. (Putting eggs in a egg cases, each case held 30 dozen. We had a LOT of chickens!) The older kids and Dad were doing chores.

THE COWS GOT OUT OF THE CORAL!!! I was terrified!! I looked out of the window and saw them at the bottom of the hill, between me and the barn where Mom was. I started crying, and ducked down under the window, behind the couch. Then I looked out again, saw the cows, and cried harder. This cycle repeated itself until I was almost hysterical. Finally I saw Mom coming to the house. She came in and found me crying. She asked me what the problem was and I said, “The cows are going to eat me!!!!” She said, “No they won’t, they don’t eat people! Where did you get THAT idea?” “Marian told me they would eat me!”

Boy, was Marian in trouble when she got in the house!!

Maybe that is why she later moved to Minnesota!