The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-10-14

The Bonner of Shernpantown, q very
dissipateil and unholy mining settlement
near white Pine, Nebraska Territory, is
Mr.. Watson, whom his bosom friends
know by the graceful pet name Of Buck
skim and whose taste In horsedesh is at
once the admiration and envy Of all his
most uproarious associates. BY reason
Of the European war, or some other in
ternational disturbance of credit Mr..
Watson's bank account has not always
been favorable to ouch extravaganza in
Hambletonians and revenues as that gen.
tleman's fastidious equine nature habit.
ually yearns for; but some weeks ago, q
happy combination OF right and left bow
er endowed him with few hundred dol
lars, and he forthwith, purchased q eer>
tain little bay mare lately from abroad,
and assumed an air Of superiority that
was an outrage upon every horsc-0Wter
in town. The keenest of jockeys, no less
than the most sensible Of men, are sub.
jected to curious equine iiifatuations at
times, and Mr.. Watson's turn came when
h, had secured this little bay mare. He
believed that she could trot . mile in GER.
tain incredible time; he gathered togeth.
er all his worldly property for amagnifi-
Gently reckless wager upon it; and his
friends could no longer blind themselves
to the fact that the time for his clean
ing out" had certainly arrived.
A certain gaunt and swift gray horse
of superlative ugliness and bottom, was
obtained from White Pine 10 pit against
the bay, and a select ring of the most re-
spectacle gamesters Of Shermantown
concocted a subtle plot for what they
felicito nly called "rakinS Duckskfn's
little pile" To assure the soundness 0:
their friendly speculation, these saga.
cious gentlemen went quietly to Mr..
Watson's stable one moonlight night
and, leading the vaunted little mare
thence to the race-tfack, obliged her to
show her speed against the gray Alas
for the vanity Of human Judgment! that
raw-boned monster Of celebrity trotted
away from her like Dexter from Noun
tain Boy, and she was stealthily returned
to her stall, with the contempt ever felt
for any kini of failure by noble minds.
Now, according to the very admirable
principles of tie turn, everything was
ready fer formal match with the unsus-
pectiug Buckskin Watson, and that gen.
tleman was duly dared and abused into
making a race between his little bay and
the gray. .~,rr .ln,fs zI0ga
The day of the great event brought all
Shcrlnantown 70 the track, and the SPORT
ing excitement ran high. twas exceed
ingly curious to observe, however, that
everybody was Wild to wager heavily
upon the gray. while none bet upon the
bay but her infatuated owl er. He, in-
nocent man, took bets of everything,
even watches, revOlvers, and breast-pins,
with an apparent plentitude Of cash mag
ical to behold, The race ensued, and in
It the gallant gray surpassed his every
previous effort, and made far better time
than on the moonlight night Of the first
contest. This was Immensely ,eatisfac-
tory to his hackers. of course, but not so
satisfactory as it would have been had
the gray won the race. The beast. des-
pite his splendid points" was actually
distanced In the very first heat by the
little bay mare. 2 si3GiEN ~
z Tremendous was the sensation ut this
incredible result, and dense the confusion
OF the numerous knowing ones BY whose
contributions the simple, unaffected Mr.,
Buckskin Watson became quite Roths-
child. As he took the spoils from his
friends Mr.. Watson begged that they
would excuse him for being so artfal as
to let them take out the little bay mare
and try her on that beautiful moonlight
night, when they thought him asleep.
because, you see, chaps" he observed,
pocketing brother-iu-lsw's watch WITH