《Slime》（史莱姆）三(5)

Muttering to himself, he finished breakfast, took a milk pail from the pantry and started for the barn where he kept his single cow.
As he approached the barn, the strange offensive odor which had plagued him during the night assailed his nostrils anew.
"Wharton's Swamp! That's what it is!" he told himself. And he shook his fist at it.
When he entered the barn, the stench was stronger than ever. Scowling, he strode toward the rickety stall where he kept the cow, Sarey.

Then he stood still and stared. Sarey was gone. The stall was empty.
He re-entered the barnyard. "Sarey!" he called.
Rushing back into the barn, he inspected the stall. The rancid reek of the sea was strong here and now he noticed a kind of shine on the floor. Bending closer, he saw that it was a slick coat of glistening slime, as if some unspeakable creature covered with ooze had crept in and out of the stall.
This discovery, coupled with the weird disappearance of Sarey, was too much for his jangled nerves. With a wild yell he ran out of the barn and started for Clinton Center, two miles away.