The Hot Potato

Once upon a time there lived a cow, Dot by name, who was very fond of hot potatoes. One day she swallowed a whole potato without chewing it, and it was so hot inside her, that it hurt, and she began to cry. Great big tears rolled down her cheeks. The farmer took a pail to catch the tears in, so that they will not make the floor all wet.

“What’s the matter, Dot?” he said.

“I swallowed a hot potato,” said Dot.

“You poor thing,” said the farmer, “open your mouth.”

Dot opened her mouth and smoke came out.

“What shall I do?” thought the farmer. Then he picked up the pail of tears and poured it into Dot’s throat. There was some noise there, and Dot smiled because she felt better. That evening when Dot was eating some hay, she made up a song:

When you eat potatoes hot, Be sure you chew them quite a lot, Or you’ll get a pain inside, Like the time I did and cried, Because I didn’t stop to chew my potato through and through.

What a silly cow I am!

What a silly cow I am! And that is all Dot could make up, because just then she fell asleep.