Excel Aunt
"Now Anne, wait, a moment." Matthew exerted his authority and led Anne back to the door.
"Why not?" Anne cried. She was more than a little frustrated with the delay. "Mrs. Lynde knows everything about Avonlea."
"Coat," Matthew ordered. According to the almanac, it was February 30th and Old Man Winter was still awake. "You'll get sick. Marilla would say I was foolish to allow you to go without yours."
Anne was too excited to feel the brisk bite of late winter, but she fetched her wraps. He wasn't wrong about how stern Marilla could be. Suffering through Marilla's bad humor was a thing to be avoided.
Two cows were behind Lynde's gate which was a funny thing. The Lynde's had most of their cattle in their back pasture, where the shelters were better. The bony, gray one looked familiar as they approached. The bovines swished their tails and attempted to intercept Matthew and Anne along the gate.
Matthew felt a small tug at his arm and he turned to see Anne gesturing towards the two cows bawling by the fence.
"Matthew, do you suppose they're trying to tell us something?"
To their amazement, both of the cows nodded a "yes". Anne and Matthew stood nonplussed. The fatter one was more expressive with her mooing.
"Well maybe?" Matthew scratched his head. It was bizarre behavior. The thin cow seemed to grow impatient as the other cow put her head down to try a bit of wet grass she had kicked up with her hoof.
He had fifty years of experience raising cattle and seen odd behavior from cows before, but that was usually because of their maternal instincts to their calves. He didn't see any calves and the cow's udders were not bursting with milk.
"Matthew!"
Both responded to the voice of Mr. Thomas Lynde from his veranda. The cane-wielding man raised his walking implement and shouted, "Just the man I need to see. Hurry up now."
Anne dashed forward after receiving a gentle push from her guardian and was showing Mr. Lynde the strange page in what was otherwise a perfectly normal and helpful book when Matthew arrived.
"Thomas," Matthew bit his lips, nervous about what he was thinking. He had come to the audacious thought that the gray thin cow reminded him of his sister. But that couldn't be right!Matthew was not able to speak as he realized his hunch had merit. He used Anne's shoulder to regain his equilibrium.
"Do you know where Mrs. Lynde is?" Anne's soprano voice quizzed when she felt Matthew's hand. She took his gesture as another urge to speak on his behalf. She knew how much Matthew hated to talk.
"Yes, I think I know where Mrs. Lynde is, but..." He stared down at the eleven-year-old girl. "You must understand, that… That this isn't permanent, can't be, but, Rachel's turned into, a cow."