The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-03-11

And the morning and the evening
were the sixth day. FoGY.
MiseeHaneOns Selections.
from Chambers Journsl.]
THE MYSTERY OF BELGRAVIA.
It was no use for me, bein' a poor
man to 90 on grumblin' at our gov
ernor, ror he'd only have said what
he said before, There's the keb,'''
he says, land there's 'oss," he says;
''and if you don't like en- you can
leave en-. / don't asst you," he says
.'to bring in so much by two shillin'
as I do your mates; and if you don't
like to drive number three thOusin'
eight hundred and naughty-nine,
there's plenty more as will be glad
to, so no more about it. Well You
see that how it was; and from driv-
ing 4 shabby keb and a knacker Of
'oss, I GOT into the habit Of goin'
shabby myself, and always got all
the shabby jobs as came to the
Knightsbridge stands; takin' serv-
ants to the parley trains-boxy jobs
as / calls EN-; linendrapers' gals with
boxes of things to show at gentle
folkes houses; all the wust-paid fares
there was, and too glad to get 'em.
For you see mine was shabby
turnout, quite reg'lar sight, you
know: old yaller keb with cOat-Ot
arms on it, and bloc linin's, cept the
cushin's' which is odd uns, stuffed
with all sorts; and all us, no matter
how ] smoke or air that ere inside,
smellin' offic O mush rooms, so OF
you might think some old woman
had broken a bottle O. ketchnp in
slider when in amt nothin', bless
you, but the damp. The paint had
got very shabby, specially about
the terers; and the spokes O then
wheels would rattle in dry weather
most as bad as did the windys in
wet. For you see the glases used
to be all up in wet weather, while
the people was glad enough to keep
'em doOwn in dry, becos of the smell
and them windys was about the most
aggrawtinest part about the keb
since you never had no CONTROL Ovel
them, for they shet up when they
liked, and shet down when they lik-
ed; and them all the while in such
thin glass, as You bidn't dare show
fight for fear of their goin' all tc
smash, and your havin' to pay up.
[ said as them windys was about
! the most aggrawtinest things about
that keb, but this worn't, for all that
the 'oss was the wust by q long
chalk. He was a disappointed sort
of 'oss as took everything contrary
/ and though / drove him matter o
ten year, I never once got anothin
like understandin' his charakter
lyon see he was low spereted ami
lmal, one as had seen better days, a;
lyou might know by the way he hug
Iged the left and sharp, as if it had
been a pole-showin' as he'd once
run in pairs, perhaps alongside 0
some lovely creetur ola mare as dice
and So broke his art maxim him t.
come down in the world, and tax,
no pride in hisself- For though
Ibid all a man could do to make hin
look decent, he never would, not ;
hit Of it. III bore him up tight, t.
make him arch his neck, he Onl,
iarched it wrong ways-pyntin' tha
nose of his up to the sky, and goin
lalong like a camel as was in want
of water in great q desert. fIpu
a couple O. bits O layloek on eacl
Iside of his blinker, to cheer him VI
a Bit, he'd do nothin' but shake hi
head, mornful like, jest as if he wa;
lsavin: ''This here's a vale of tears
land then ten to one if he didn't hav
la fit ofmegrims-bad uns too. Ha''
.lgot the toughest coat as ever a os
.ihad, one as never shined any whe
lit was wet; while where his man
IOught to have been, was stubbly
scuffy ridge, like a worn-out brust
! As for all his tail-there, it worn
lno wonder as he used to keep
tucked very close in between hi
llegs, for that was the only redeemiI
Ipvnt in his eharakter; he wer
ASHAMED of that there tail. Yo
never saw his old scayined hock'
InOr his broken knees, nor his roug
coat. nor nothin' else, when that tai
was visible, for it took up yourwhol
attention, so as you couldn't sc
Inothin' else. l believe / might hay
got on bit better at first, same as
Ibid towards the last, if it hadn
-Ibeen for that tail; for you see it wa
lenough to ruin any turnout, eve
: lif It had been Lord Mayors ca
: ridge. You couldn't help that ta
! wherritin' you, do what you would
= for though it was all very well s
long as the 'oss-SolOmon | calle
| him as he was such q leng heade
Iun-was down in the mouth an
, kept his tail outer sight, yet thel
= was times when he'd stick it straigl
out. specially if he'd got a bearil
: Ireign on, ard then, do all l would t
lIkeep my temper, l used to be ablit
+ ed to hit that ere tail with the bl
= end of the whip, to make him kee
it outer sight.
t Now III just tell YOU what I'll
r tail was like. 1t was just eightee
: inches long; and, beginning at tt
5 top. there was just twelve inches a
smooth as smooth, and then thel
c was seven airs; after which yo
-Etravel over six more smooth inche
! right to the point, and then thel
2 was twenty-three more long un
r. Now, Jest let me ask anybody th;
, knows anythin' about losses if tn;
1 iworn't tail as would brake an
l mons art. Thirty airs there va
V altogether in that there tail, for
+ counted EN- often to sec if any mo-
l was a-conlin' but no; not blesst
4 air more would come, no matt
4 now l coaxed 'em. Fancy a ia
r with only thirty airs in AourishC
e about in your face when you was
}. drivin, and jest see, if you was ti'
o down to it. if you wouldn't soon g
1 to look as shabby as your 'oss al
s keb. l took my missus into consr
- tation of the tail, which ! s'po
d came bald from grief; and she sa,