Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-01-21
Glmorous Selections.
A STEER RIDE.

a. ~ n AiAIAN AtA04is
Moving down Washington street the
other day with friend, the sight of the
flying sleighs reminded him of iuven-
lie adventure of his own, when he was
yonker, long time ago, and Gilmanton,
N. H., was blessed with his presence
Happening TO call on crony Of his, a
farmers son, one afternoon, the gentle
man who the hymn-book tells us
"Finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do"
suggested to them the idea of having q
ride in the go-to-meetin' sleigh, with
an unbroken steer of che farmers for a
team. Our friend with some difficulty
persuaded his acquaintance to enter into
the scheme, but when his scruples were
once overcome, he went it with vim
dictive rush." The boys secretly got
out the sleigh, and "toted" through the
snow for distance Of two miles, where
they left it. The snow was deep-over
the fence-rails in some places, and the
preliminary achievement cost them no
little labor. This done, they went back
for the animal. The creeter" was
quietly consuming clover in an clubhouse,
and not in the happiest humor at being
disturbed. In fact he was " mighty ham
dy with his horns," as an Irishman would
say, and had most " fatal facility" for
butting. However, his tormenters took
him, one each side, grasped him by the
horns and persuaded him along by means
of an OK .goad. Now and then he would
make stand and struggle fiercely. But
they hung on him " like Mortality to a
deceased African" as my friend express
ed it, determined not TO give out. 1t
took them two hours to get the steer up
to the aleigh.
There another battle royal ensued
when it came to putting him in the fills.
Talk about tanning Bucephalus ! Pooh
that was nothing to Harvesting an angry
steer into single sleigh. He did not
take it kindly at all-but he had to take
it. The youthful muscle and youthful
ingenuity of pair of human torments
overcame the brute rage and blind
strength of the animal.
At last they noosed him, and indul-
ged in an Indian yell of triumph! OFF
went the liberated brute, bowling with
rage. Talk of locomotive at full speed
-pshaw that is tortoise to mad
steer The "crlter" took bee line
for home. The snow flew like the spray
from Niagara. The boys were pelted
with ice-balls from his flying hoofs.-
The icicles showered from the limbs of
the apple-trees, as they dashed through
an orchard. Two PANELS of fence
rails went into "tarnal smash" as they
took the outside of the track in mar
row cart-path. One side of the sleigh
was left in dung-heap. Nothing but
the dasher held on as they went through
the last pair of bars, and the steer dash
ed his head against the blrn-door, and
rolled over, dead beat, in snow heap.
Our friend got off the runners and
made tracks for his home just as the far
mer rushed out of the house, whip in
hand, cornered his precocious boy as he
was rising from the wreck, and gave him,
as the sufferer averred the next day,
the onremittenest lickin' that was
larruped onto him since he was human
bein'."
Our friend has often been sleighing
since, with splendid teams and pretty
girls, and glorious music and moonlight
nights, but he declares upon his honor,
that not all of these can equal half the
excitement of sleighride across the
country with mad steer in the fills.