The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-05-12

favorite.
"I suppose you have q very good
lock your q dFoq q|I h Idoor?'s S Yas
"Come witlfms Sb d tf'H show y6iiSS
replied the rinsnsp peeting farmera
This was, OF course, just What
Dickey wanted. He examined the
lock carefully, and soon satisfied
himself thathe could pick it without
difficulty. He, however, declared to
Mr.. Musgraves .thatit vas ''just the
right;lkind-of q lock; il couldn't have
been better; in fact, it was quite non
pickable.
Again the loving cup passed round,
and after draining bumper to their
"next merry meeting" DicISeS: de
parted
The old farmer, after his guests
leave-taking had been completed,
carefully went the rounds of his
house, locking doors and closing
windows, with all duo ppecaution.
He then, as usual, tied tho marc. to
her accustomed post, retired to bed,
and was soon lulled to. sleep by the
sound OF his fayorite grinding corn.
So the night wore. away. Present
~, as the first gray streaks of day
began to appear, Mr.. Musgrave
awoke, and feeling very cold, looked
around to ascertain the cause. To
his astonishment,' he found that all
the coverlets had been spread out
upon the floor. For what purpose?
thought MIR. Musgrave. Was he the
| victim of some terrible nightmare, or
was he really awake? Mechanically,
his eyes glanced to the spot where
his mare should have been. She was
not there. She was gone-s stolen.
During the night, some daring thief
had broken into the farm house, had
picked the lock on the door of tho
bedroom, had spread the blankets
over the floor, so that the hoofs of
the mare should make no noise, and
had thus triumphantly made off with
Of course, Mr.. Musgrave reused
his household, and commenced a
vigorous search after the thief. It
was useless. The destroyer left no
traces Behind him, and so Mr.. Mus
grave was obliged to return home
dlsconsolate, and to content himself
with venting curses-neither few nor
far between-upon the horse thief.
In the meantime, our friend Dickey
for his was the deed-was comfort
ably mounted upon Mr. Musgrave's
tavorite mare, and was every moment
increasing the distance between an
outraged owner and himself. So
great was the speed of. the mare, that
by the break of day Dickey- felt him
self secure from pursuit. He had
directed his steps to the Eastward.
and while crossing Haltwhistle fell.
whom should he encounter but the
verltable owner of the oxen he had
stolen but two or three days before,
and Just sold to Mr.. MusgraYe.
Dlckey knew the owner of the oxen
well, but, luckily for the freebooter.
that injured individual did not know
him. He therefore aocosted Dickey.
and inquired if he had seen any oxen
In the course of his trnvels, similar to
those he described himself to be in
search of.
"Why, to be sure 7 have, REPLIED
Dickey; with the same measure No
you described, grazing in Mr.. Mus
grave helds ut Lanecrost, only yes
terday. was rather struck" he con-
tinued, "by their appearance, and
learned, on inquiry from one of his
servants, that Mr. Musgrave had pur-
chased them just yesterday. I'm
doubtedly the oxen are yours. I would
advise you to go to Lanecrost at once.
and to claim Them
"Certainly I will, replied the other.
"But L am Knocked up with walking.
and 1t IS long way to, ,Lanecrost. I
see you ride n good beast. Will YOU
sell her?"
After some hard bargaining, terms
we're agreed upon, the purchase mo-
ney was paid down upon the spot,
and Dickey and the farmer separated:
the farmer to seek his stolen oxen.
actually from the yory owner of the
stolen mare he was himself riding:
whilst Dickey proceeded "where he
listed"
The next day, the farmer reached
Lanecrost, and, Of course, recognized
his oxen grazing in the field He
forthwith rode up to an elderly man
standing near, whom he Judged to
be the owner OF the field, ana ex.
claimed: "N0'
II say, friend, those arc nv oxen
IN your field! How may you have
come by them?"
"And I'll be banood ,o,l;o,1 Al,