St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-03-31

gold mines, and that she, in distrac.
ton, had left her home and pursued
to bring him back. She found him
here as stated, and this morning they
returned together in the cars.
The York Boys and the Vermonter.
The following anccdote is furnish.
ed by a gentleman belonging to an
active and cnterprising town in the
! state of New York, and will bear re-
pcating
On a warm summers day, says our
informant, there came to one of our
village tavcrns a cOuntryman, having
with him two horses, for which. as for
himself, he bespoke suitable refresh
mcnts. In the outward appearance
OF the man there was nothing very re-
markable except, perhpas, he was
what one would call Il man unprac-
tised in the worl d's ways-and if not
actually clownish or bungling, he was
in his address, an unhandy gentleman
! His two horses, the one black, the
other sorrcl, were well enough
quite clever animals but as the
groom at the stables afterward said
"Thele didn't seem to be anything
alarming about them"
The gentleman desired to sell one
or both the horse and, as he said,
pretty middlng kinder soonish too,
for haying time was coming on, and
| and he must be back to Narmount, as
his folks would think darncd strange
ont" He, however, received no offer.
1t was in vain he declared the horses
to be worth more than they seemed to
be" for said he, chow in fury do
you suppose they could look as siick
and tidy as yours here, when we have
done all our ploughng with them this
spring, besides going twice to Cana
da, and hauling up the winters wood
last fall ? But don't you worry. That
are black horse will drive as neat in
a buggy as the best of them, and as
for the sorrel, if he won't run some, it
is because the horse is scared."
One Of our knowing jockics took the
hint
"Rmn, will he ? said the Jockey.
Yes, that he will" responded the
unhandy gentleman, land that about
the fastest, too"
A trtiing bet was at once offered,
and accepted by the Vermonter. The
sorrcl ran and won the bet. Anoth-
"r match was madc--sOrrcl ran and
came off conqucror. Seeming to be
nightly encouraged at his success,
our awkard gentleman said he would
be hanged and chokcd if he didn't run
for bigger wager if it cost him his
summers wages, and thercupon, after
fumbling about his pockets awhile, he
produced the sum of twenty-five dol
lars, which he offered to bet on the
sOrrel horse against all the town.
Our jockey covered it instantly, and
asked the countryman if he hadn't
twenty-five more? Another and an
other sum was squeezed out by the
owner Of the sorrel, till something
like two hundred dollars on a side
We're bet, and put into the hands of
a gentleman as stakeholder. The
unhandy man then offered to bet the
black horse in addition to his other
risks, on the speed of the sorrel
/ against any reasonable sum. For,'
said he, " if they beat the sorrel | am
an undonc man anyhow, and they'll
never see my face in Yarmouth and
if the sOrrel beats, shall make my
fortin" Our jockey assured the by
ISLANDERS that there was no risk, for all
the horses that had run against the
sorrel had thus far been held in check
by the riders, who had been specially
instructed always to allow the sorrel
horse to win ; and that the sorrel, on
the contrary, had run Oh slack rein
| Nobody, however, felt inclined to bet
cash against the black horse and
the parties went on the ground to
compete for the purse of something
like $4OO-that is, 5000 on side.
Arriving at the gronnd for the race,
the stranger got upon the sorrel, but
was admonished that he was too
heavy to ride, and that the race would
not be an equal one, unless each horse
bore the same weight.
"Never mind, my friends" said the
Vermonter, this ere horse aint used
to strange people. When they talk
to him he don't know what they mean
I'm going to ride him myself, and if
any on ye want to make your fortin,
now's your time; for in one minute
after they give the word, sorrel beats
he is just the darnest keen fellow to
go it, when you really get his courage
up, that ever you did see"
The word was at length given, and
they both started together. When
about two-thirds of the ground was
passed over, the stranger rose up in
his stirrups, and looking around at
his competitor, who was a long way
behind, inquired whether he was not
going to ride faster. For" says he,
"you hain't got to what we call "a
clever jOurneying jog in Yarmouth,
where ! come from" After the ques-
tion had been fairly settled, and he
had been declared victorious by some
half dozen rods, it is said that the un,
handy gentleman whispered to his
friende on the ground this maxim
Many go out for wool and come
home shorn.'