The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1857-09-10
! !: By = Z cAvIs. & TRIMMIER.

| ed to have been that of the parish clerk,
who was not much skilled ia ancient histo-
~, though a famous Judge Of old ale. Nam
ners had changed since the time of The
! Crusades and of the civil wars, but the
Squires of Woodbourne Hall, and the
Tlforntons, ofThofndike Farm, where much
the same men at heart. The jolly old
| Cavalier and Sergeant Tom Thornton had
been thoroughly disgusted with. tho strict
ru'o OF the Pufitans, and had gone forth
against them, not SO much to reinstate the
monarchy, as to bring about the time when
'.& cook Rgh, should cease =
To be breach Of the peace,
And horse race ap insurrection'
The love of field sports and "noble horse
manship" had been bond of union be-
tween the Squire and the yeoman then;
and now, as then, the feeling existed. There
was no more enthusiastic admrer of Mari
god than Young Tom Thornton, and the
Squire had watched, with singular appro-
baton, the boldness and skill with which
the farmers soon rode his horse in hard
days run, or country steeple chase. When.
therefore, young Thornton appeared in the
Squire's library, and preferred his suit thai
Strideaway might be given him, il required
only the solicitation of Mrs. Hampton, AMI
the request was complied with. For some
months the unremit,ing attentions Of Tom
Thornton to the crippled colt appeared TO
have no salutary effect; but, at length, there
was a change for the better In the spring,
he gained strength. and vigor; and when
June came, when the young sparrows were
chipping upon the ricks in the farmers
stack yard, and the male population of
Woodbourne were busted TO the last degree
with hayiug and rook shooting, the colt
was gambollingr round Tom Thornton in his
fathers orchard. About that time. he was
I led up 10 the Hall, and exhibited TO the
Squire and bis lady, and thereupon DR.
Ryder was sent for TO hold a solemn consul
tation. The future treatment of Sitideawav
was the weIghty matter 10 he decided upon.
Unable &c arrive at unsatisfactory conclusion,
the Squire and the Rector wisely decided
to take further counsel, and Mr.. jolly was
called in. The sage. to whose opinion the
Squire, the Rector, and young Thornton de-
teried, was no other than the celebrated
training groom, punchy, red faced indi.
| Ndual, with "A choeric AIR, and very de-
termined aud dogmatic manner-iust the
sor; ol man To he the very humble aud
| obedleni servant Of rich Squire in theory,
and TO have his own way in everything per-
tanning To his occupation. Aficr display
| ing "A vast amount of veterinary learning,
very little OF which is sc, down in the books.
! Nj. Jolly concluded hy recommending that
he coli should he :uS,.d out TO gia>s.
/ Pour wears after this Iine 5ar SHY prot.eI
/ 1y begins,
The colt, once a cripple, had grown nm u
| horse, a fast horse, Il lasting horse, a win
ming horSe, Il high melted racer! This
happy result, according to Mr. Jolly, had
| heen brought about by following his n Twice
To the letter; and lie resented, AS u lasting
/ injury and insut, any 7retence at lulerer.
ence with Tom Thornions racer on the part
OF any other person whatsoever. Stride
! away had won the county plate, and seve
raj other races; he WAS famous in the Hun.
dred of Burlington, and his name was
great ampng the people of Woo1bourue.
! The fi'me o. the Hampton and the Taoru
ton of Tue Crusales was heard no more
the exploits OF Roger Hampton ami Ser
| gcaut Tom were rs good as forgotten; OLD
! Ihornton's talk over his brandy and water
| WAS .! thorough bred racers, aud his son 5
spanking horse.
n one in Woodboune questioned the
merits of Srideaway, til The Dobsou's came
10 reside there. Mr.. Dohson was u retired
liquor merchant lie had kept a London
! gin shop, in which Mrs. Dobson, then nm.
married, had oiiiciated as bar maid. After.
wards, he had gone into the wholesale bu,i
ness; and now he had taken house in
Woodbourne, rs a sort of country seat. The
! Dobsons were genteel people-vcry genteel
people! The ex bar.maid hated yulgari,y.
and ''cOutaHt obear' Tom Thornton. She
! had contracted an intense aversion TO low
persons, no doubt while serving ont "Cream
of the Valley" and "Oid Tom" in the pal.
ace at White Chapel. Mrs. Dobsom's only
son was an Ensign in her Majesty's service.
a young gentleman OF extreme geutity.
! Miss Sophia Dobson, her only daughter, had
been educated in the highest style of geu-
tilty, in II boarding school at ST. Johns
Wood, kept by a gentee French woman,
once marctaatc of tobacco and cigIrs in
a taubourg of Paris, but who had cmiga.
ted with a journeynan barber, under yio.
lent suspicion oil having taken two husbands
and circulated pewter flames.
The house in which the Dobson's lived
was the property of rich miller named
Henley, wdower, with an only daughter,
the belle of race balls, and standing toast
at feasts and merry makings. The country
beauty had lost her mother in her infancy,
but she had been carefully nurtured by a
spnster aunt. Between Tom Thornton
and Miss Henley there was rather more
intimacy than the surly miller exactly ap-
proved; for though the farmer was well of,
he was not near rs wealthy as he Moth
ing had intervened to disturb the cordialily
between the milIer's daughter and Tom
Thornton until the Dobsons took Charlotte
Henley under especial protection, and be
gan 10 indoctrnate her with their notions
of gentiity. Then their intercourse gadu
ally became embarrassed, and their man.