The Portland daily press., 1871-03-25
aWs,j, and now !, ~ ahont. nrjce pv

"Well, and now how about price?'
Forty guineas, SIR said the groom-"iofty
two pounds in gold." ,s
(which means that five and-thrty Pouinu99
will bay him, suppose?' l said Tor me- sIe
the horse, the man, and the character vi '"'
affair altogether. 60, fe,v
momopfs and then his face wiinkled all over
no a simne orjn. "N ell, sir, master said:
nast fnrty nollno, and stick to il, but if you
CO.. oct fye-and-thirty, bring him back a.
Ilooked,the cob over and over again, felt his
hooks pnd fetlocks, and, with all my manipu-
latiop, found him as quiet as lamb,
"Wel, my lad" / said, after bidding him
thirty in vain, ''Fll give you the tive-and. thir-
ty pounds"
"Suvrings, SIR
"Well, a check on Galfit's bank will do?"
| said, smiling.
u don't know nothing about checks nor
notes, Sir. suvrinss for me, please" said the
lad and The purchase was completed by my
fetching the gold from the bank myself, TO re-
turn finding the groom just moving of:
Thought it was all do, Sir saiG The
man, touching his hat and Frightening up;
and then, on my remembering him with hve
shilings led my purchase to the inn, where
he was put to, and L drove home, delighted
| with my bargain, for no horse could have
| cone better He required a touch or two OF
| The whip once, but, on the whole, he trotted
along most respectfully, and was as nice look
ing plump cob as a parson need wish TO
drive.
Our boy was absent Oh my return, aud I
had to take the new horse out myself, my
wife coming TO see him by lantern LIGHT, patti
ing him and expressing her admiration loudly.
Farmer Tomson, being an early man, was
over next morning by the time we had done
breakfast: and proudly led him out to the
stable, unfastened the halter, and brought out
the purchase smilingly, while the old man
walked round it and round it again; looked
at its head, its tail ran his hand ali over it !;
stopped down by its legs one by one, and then
looked at me.
"Well" | said "what ought to have given
for it?"
Pound legv' he exclaimed.
"Pooh !-nonsense said. "What is he
worthw
"Pound leg, tell you,man! Why, drat
it, parson, you've bought your own old boss
againp
"Whatw exclaimed, laughing
"Absurd.' exclaimed Mrs. Tozer, who Just
then joined us. "Why, Prince had four white
legs, and he'd follow me about like dog.
And SO will you some day, then-a poor fell
low, thenw
IL my W Ier SUI PRISE, Tue horse WalkeU up
to her, and put his nose in her hand, as l
had seen Prince do scores of times
thought 1 knew little about horses but
did not. The holows over poor Princes
eyes, that had been blown out, hollow ed out
again; his locked tail grew and the dye wore
off his four stockings; while the dodge Of re.
shoeing him, so as to give a limp in the near
fore foot was shown to me by the old farmer
and learned how that, where two legs were
lame, they formed pair, and the lameness
was not noticed.
| But, after all, l did uot lose thirty-one
pounds five; for upon choking down my dis
gust, and asking Farmer Tomson's advice, he
said: "Turn him out on the paddock, the
| lameness may go off; but don't think OF try
ing law. Bear the first loss, and don't throw
| good money after bad. I'll never say nowt
| about it.
Neither did till now; and in proof of my
| journey not being all loss, the lameness did
go of, and we drove old Prince till he died
suddenly, five years after the Turning of the
Screw.