The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-10-08
"well, no, most likely; horses is very scarce

swell, no, most likely; horses is very scarce
now"
aBut want him very much"
Mr.. Biggs elevates his eyebrows wrinkles
his cheeks, goes through suudry manipulation
and gesticulations, and is evidently in guam
Diary. determine to strike while the iron is
hot. l ply him with arguments, argumentun1
ad hOminem, yed,sctio ad a6surdum,* priori
a posteriOri, fore and aft, above and below
starboard and larboard. Mr.. Biggs looks puz.
zled. Mr.. Biggs is undergoing mental
struggle. Evidently, Mr.. Biggs doesn't mean
"to say die while there's q shot in the locker -
but, alas poor Biggs what can he do
against the combined forces of Locke, and Ar.
istotle, and Bacon, and Whately, all welded by
beauty in distressP He relents. He doesn't
know but that the Major might have the other
horse. Why, to be sure" say, Frightening
up, " the other horse will do just exactly as well
for him. Here my evil genius steps up, in the
shape of Mr.. Biggs's father. Now, Mr.. Biggs,
senior, Shoemaker, Justice of the Peace, and
Prudential Committee of the town of Burton,
is not abe man TO be moved about by every
wind of doctrine. He is none of your radical
reformers. He is practical man, SRA man
OF substance-a man whose word can be de-
pended on, is Mr.. Biggs, senior, Shoemaker,
Justice of the Peace, Prudential Committee of
the town of Burton The Major has hired that
horse, and that horse the Major must have. SO
the case goes against me, and turn away dis.
consclste
| went home, and found that Grande had met
with little better success. She had succeeded
In getting one horse for an hour. We found
our days ride must be transformed into an
hours drive. We decided to go to the Post
Once. 1t was about three miles. We arrived
safely. must first premise that our worthy
Postmaster, (long may he ive,) not finding the
correspondence of the township sufficient for
the nourishment of himself and his growing
and numerous family, adds thereto the income
OF a fancy store, farm, and a blacksmithy. l
looked in at the Post Office window, and saw
letter for Grande. looked behind the letter,
and saw no one in the store. 1 turned to the
blacksmith shop. Among wagons, and horses,
and oxen, and carts, l pursued my devious
way, and finally neared the door, Close by, a
young SON OF Vulcan was operating on the foot
OF patient horse. The youngster in some
way had got his own head and legs mixed in
with the horses, in SO inextricable curves that
could not at once tell which was which, and
what to speak to. Finally squatted on the
ground on one side of the horse, as near as l
could get, and, looking under the horses body,
could see mans face upside down on the
other.
forgot my errsnd in watching his motions,
but at length recollecting, called out " Mr..
Smith" / might as we'll hav, spoken to Nj.
agara. / called louder, Mr.. SmiM!v The
pounding and clattering of the half dozen ham
mers, the blowing of the bellows, the lowing and
neighing of the cattle, went on, but the eyes CD.
posite me, glancing under the horse, CHANGED to
catch glimpse of my eyes, and the face to
which they belonged righted itself, and the form
stood upright. He threaded his way round to
me. bave letter in the Office, if you please. y
Yes, ma'am." He went to the chimney side in
the shop to get the key, but the key was not there
Ike, have you got the key to the Post Office ;"
No, Ike hadn't got it. Guessed it was in the
| barn, or the house. House and barn were over
| hauled, but no key appeared. Ike came to the
shop door. "Look a herel guess father car
RED 1t Oft in his pocket this morning. Guess
he did. Well let's see--you couldn't come
again, could your" Not very we'll" So he
took his knife and cut, and yanked, and tugged
away on the door, and presently got in, banded
me my letter, and walked off in triumph.
We had been detained 30 long that our hour
was nearly out Moreover, it looked very likely
to rain, and we drove on as fast as possible
All OF sudden, harsh, wheezy sound broke
upon our ears, and we found that one wheel Of
the carriage was not turning at all, only drag
ging along over the gravel. Grande alighted
and tried to turn it with her hands, but it would
not turn. Then we both tried. No use. Then
we tried to go on, but the sound and the motion
were intolerable. A throng of small boys gath
cred round us like Aes round q drop of molasses.
II had yielded to my impulse, should have
given them all thrashing that would have sent
them bowling home but, under the circum-
stances, concluded it would not be prudent.
Boys generally pick up deal of odd knowledge,
and know everything that everybody else does
not. SO one of these little fellows after looking
coolly on moment, with his hands in his pocket,
exclaimed, sententiously, "Hetl" Grande
looked at him fercely--"Hit what ?" "Yah |
yahI' chuckled he contemptuously, and saun-
tered away. Grande's blood was up, and she is
as strong as young moose. Besides, she re.
ally wanted the benefit of his knowledge, if he
had any. She stalked after him, collared him,
brought him back, planted him in front of the
wheel, and thrusting his head close down to the
hub, demanded, in voice of thunder, "h1
WHAT, you young scape-grace 2" Thoroughly
subdued, the urchin cried out, 60! cracky
Nothin' as knows on. Het the wheel, sposep
"What hit the wheel?" The poor fellow
looked up, bewildered.
81 do know nothin' about it. Fact, don't"
"He means it got heated" cried voice
from the crowd.
"Ohl" said Grande, and loosed him from
his mornings, and allowed him to depart in
peace. While celebrating on what we should
do, teamster came along, and said we would
better 60 to the blacksmith's, and have the
wheel taken off and creased. We took his ad
vice, and started in solemn procession-irst
the horse and carriage, the teamster holding up
that part where was the refractory wheel, in
order that it might not drag, and giving prac
teal illustration of "putting your shoulder 10
the Wheel" then Grande and myself and then
the crowd of small boys, and their dogs. The
blacksmith very kindly left his work, and as.
sisted US at once, and in the course of half an
hour we were once more on our way. Bot the
rain could delay no longer, and when we start
ed, it started. There were three gates to open.
Grande had charge Of the horse. OF course,
mus. open the gates. The thought of wetting
my new French kid slippers was not to be en-.
tertained. To take them of, and soil my nice
silk stockings, was equally distressing. To
open the gates, without doing the one or the
other, was ont of the question-or would have
been to an ordinary mind-I am extraordinary.
Modesty forbids me to mention the plan which
/ formed and executed with Nspoleon's rapid.
ity. Suffice it to say, had you been there, you
might have been reminded Of
"Sweet Maud Muller looking down
On her graceful ankles bare and brown
have already detained you too long with |
my rambling "reminiscences, yet thousand |
experiences, that made my summer happy, |
strange, wonderful, smusing, glorious, lie unre |
vealed. Could you take half the pleasure in |
reading that take in writing, how gladly would
] tell you of my daily wadiugs in /" Meadow
Brook following its downward course through
the thick, dark woods, till my seamanship was
nipped in the bud by an audacious bloodsuck