Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-04-27


Up the ascent of life. until you reach
The spot whence one of you shall be caught u,
And landed on the golden steps of heaven.
Sut Lovengood's Daddy Acting Horse.
Almost every one has read this story of ''Su
Lovengoods Daddy Acting Horse" doze
times, but we never see it without reading
with the same interest as when we first saw it
as Sut inimitable style will make us laugh il
| spite of ourselves-and hence we reproducs it
| Well, one mite, dad he lay awake all Mite.
| snorin' an rOllin, an whisperin to mama
an next mornin ses he:
''Sut, I'll tell you what we'll do-Ill be hos
myself, an pull the plow, while you drive me
an we II brake up corn ground, an then tn,
old quilt chats MANY an the brats kin plan
it or let it alone, jlst as they d-n please
| So out we Went to the paw-paw thcket, and
peeled right smart chance of bark. an man
an HE made geers for dad, an they become
him mighty; then we would have bride, SC
gifts an old umbrella that found-it's lit
! tie piece OF iron sorter like unto a pltchtork,
you know-an we bent and twisted it sortel
unto bride bit, small shape, (dad wanted ii
curb, as he sed he hadn't worked for some
| time, an might sorter feel his oats, and go to
cavortln. Well, when We got the bride all
fixed on dad, he champed the Bit jst like a rale
huss, (he was always most complicated durn-
ed OLD fool, eny how, an mam alters sed so,
when he wasn't about,) then put on the geers,
an dad an me goes to the field, a Ieadin'
dad by the bride, an totin' the gopher pow
on my back. When we come to the fence. |
let down gap an made dad mad; he wanted
to juap the fence on his ali-tours hoss way |
hitched him into the gopher, an away we went,
dad leann forward to his pulln right peart,
and we made sharp plowln', dad right over the
bushes aud sprouts, same as a rale hoss, the
only difference he went on two legs. Presently
We come to a sassafrac patch, an dad, to keep
up his karacter as hoss bulged square into It,
and tore down hornets nest nigh unto as big
as hoss head, an all the tribe klvered him
right strate.
He rared, kicked once orNwice, and fotched
squeel wusser nor ara hoa in the districr,
and sot in runnln away jest as natural as ever
you seed. let 80 theshnes, an hollered who,
dad, who but you mlght as well sed who to a
locomotive Geewhlkftls how he run. When
he come to bush he d clear the top of it,
gopher aud all praps he thought there mout
be another settlemeur0f bald hornets In it and
that 1t war safter To gOTpyer than thrue, an'
quicker done. Every now an then he'd paw
one fore leg an then t'other. then he'd give
hlsset an open handed slap that sounded life a
that gophersabout as asst an high from the
yearth as everea. gopher was carried | swar.-s
When he come to- the fence, he busted rite
thrue ii, taring nigh unto seven pannels, scat
term an bTeakln the rails mltily, and here he
left the gopher, geers, slngietree AMI kiivis, all
mixed up, nSryWerth durn. Must of his shirt
stuck on the splintered eud of broken rale,
an nigh unto a>piptof hormts staid with the
shirt astingn' it all over; the balance On EN-.
about gallon and aNhaif, kept on with dad.-
He sci out just as fast as horlet could fly, for
1t were the tightest race lever did see down
through the sedge grass they all went, ztbe
around dad s bald head Me with nothin' on but
the birdie, an nigh unto yard OF plow lines
sailing behind him.
[ seed now that he was amin fur the swim
mia hole in the creek, whar the bluff is over
twenty five feet perpendicular to the water, and
hits nigh onto twenty feet deep To keep up
his karacfer as hoss, when he got to the bluff
he jist leaped off, or rather he SiSt kept On run
nin Ker,lung into the creek he Went; | seed
the water fly plum above the bluff whar was
Now, rite thar, boys, he overdone the thing, if
that was what he was arter, for there's nary
boss ever foalded fool enough to leap over such
place cussed mule moat have done it, bat
dad warn acting mule.
L CTGpL-up W JHC CuSCndn YuOhcu UFcT, tudT
was old baldhead, forall the ,yearth like peel
ed onion. popri aAup an down, an''the hornets
sailin, around turkey >bllzzard fashion, and every
once in while one and sometimes ten, would
make dip at dad s head. He kept up pite
peart dodgin under = sumtimes they his him,
and sumtime arter, the water Was kivcred With
drowned hornets.
''What on yearth are ye dom thar, dad p
sez I. Don't tdip) you see these internal var
mints (dip) arter me 2" ''Why," sez |, them
is hoss les thar-ye aint really atreard of EN-,
are YEP ''Hoss fe>, h-lP' sez dad; ''they re
rale (dip) genuine bald hornets, you (dip) in
fernal euss II ''Welk dad. you i.have to stay
thar till mite, and ar'er they go to roost, you
come home. an Il feed YOU. sorter think
ye won need any curryin fora week or SO. .
Il wish may never see to morrow (dp) IT L,
don runate you when | git out, sez dad
Better say you wish you~mayA Anever see an.
other bald hornet if you ever play boss agin,
seq l. And KNOWN dad unmodited nature,
| broke from them parts andeorter come to the
copper mines. Istad hid out I'LL the next ar
ternoon when seed fellow .trav Tin, and sez
l, "What was goin on attheekahin this side
of the creek when yeu past Ahy, nuthln
much, only man setting in door with nara
shirt on, and womanSwas greasin' his back
and arms, an he hadn tt he frstsign of an eye
all smooth" '.Thassman was my dad, sen
I. Been much fighting IN this Sneighborhood
lately?'' seq the traveier, rather drily. Nun
wuth speaking of, personally or-partcularly.
sez [. Now, boys, amt seen dad since, and
would be afraid to meet him in the next ten
years. Let's drink.