"Been that way since she was a calf," Benton said. "Got poked or something."

"She only been sick since this morning?" Bart asked.

"That's right," Benton said. "But she's been down on her milk for almost a month. I want her out'a here before my other cows get the runs."

"We'll take her, all right," Bart said.

"Is it still twenty-five bucks to haul her to the renderer?" Benton asked.

"Yup," Willy said. "But can we hose her off before putting her in the truck?"

"Be my guest," Benton said. "There's hose right over there against the wall."

Willy went to get the hose while Bart opened the gate to the pen. Trying to be careful where he put his feet, Bart gave the cow a few swats on its rump. Reluctantly it rose to its feet and tottered.

Willy came back with the hose and squirted the cow until it looked relatively clean. Then he and Bart got behind the cow and coaxed it out of the pen. With added help from Benton they got the animal outside and into the van. Willy closed the truck's back door.

"What'd ya got in there – about four head?" Benton asked.

"Yup," Willy said. "All four dead this morning. There's some kind of infection over at the Silverton Farm."

"Criminy," Benton said with alarm. He slapped a few wrinkled greenbacks into Bart's palm. "Get them the hell off my spread."

Bart and Willy both spat as they rounded their respective sides of the truck. The tired engine let out a belch of black smoke before propelling the vehicle out of the farm.

As was their habit Bart and Willy didn't speak again until the truck reached the pavement of the county road. Bart accelerated and finally got the van into fourth gear.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Bart asked.

"I imagine," Willy said. "That Cow didn't look half bad after we hosed her down. Hell, it looks a mite better'n that one we sold to the slaughterhouse last week."