Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-12-18


why, If there was two birds setting on
a fence, he'd bet you which one would
fly first !; OF if there was q camp meet
ing, he would be there regular to bet
on Parson Walker, which he judged to
be the best exhorter about here-and
SO he was, too. and q good man. II he
even saw . straddle bug start to 40
anywhere, he would bet you how long
it would take him to get wherever he
was going to, and if you took him up
he would follow that etraddle bng to
Mexico, but what he would find out
where he was bound for and how long
he was on the road.
Lots Of the boys here has seen that
Smiley, and can tell you about him.
Why, it never made no difference to
him-he would bet on anything-the
dangdest feller. Parson Walkers wife
laid very sick once for q good while,
and it seemed as if they warn't sgoin'
to save her. But one morning he came
in, and Smiley asked how she was, and
he said she was considerably better
thank the Lord for his infinite mercy
and coming on 80 smart that, with
the blessing of Providence, she'd get
we'll yet; and Smiley, before he
thought, says: "Well, I'll risk two
and half that she don't, anyway"
This yer Smiley had q mare-the
boys called her the fifteen minute nag,
but that was only in fun, you know,
because of course she was faster than
that-and he used to win money on
that horse, for all she was 80 slow, and
always bad the asthma, or the distem-
per, or the consumption, or something
of that kind. They used to give her
two or three hundred yards start, and
then pass her under way; but always
at the fag end of the race she'd get ex-
cited and desperate-like, and come
cavorting and straddling up, and scat
tering her legs around timber, some.
times in the air, and sometimes out
side among the fences, and kicking up
M. Ore dust, and raising more rack
ct with her coughing and sneezing and
blowing her nose-and always fetch up
at the stand just about neck ahead,
as near as you could cipher it;down.
And he had little, small bull pup
that to look at him you'd think he
want worth q cent but to set around
and look ornery, and lay for a chance
to steal something. But as soon as the
money was up on him he was different
dog his under jaw'd begin to stick
out like the fO'castle of a steamboat,
and his teeth would uncover and shine
savage like the furnaces. And a dog
might tackle him, and bullyrag him,
and bite him, and throw him over his
shoulder two or three times, and An
drew Jackson-which was the name of
the pup-Andrew Jackson would never
let on but what he was satisfied, and
hadn't expected nothing else-and the
bets being doubled and doubled on the
other side all the time till the money
was all up and then all of sudden he
would grab the other dog jest by the
lint of the hind leg and freeze to it
not ohaw, you understand. but only
lest grip and hold on till they throwed
up the sponge, if it was year.
Smiley always come out winner on
that pup, till he harnessed dog once
that didn't have no hind legs, because
they'd been sawed off by q circular
saw, and when the thing had gone
along far enough and the money was
all up, and he come to make q snatch
for his pet holt, he saw in minute
how he'd been imposed on, and how
the other dog had h m in the door, SO
to speak, and he 'peared surprised, and
then he looked sorter discouraged like,
and didn't try no more to win the aght,
and so he got shucked out bad. He
givo Smiley look, as much a. to say
lis heart was broke, and it was his
fault, putting up a dog that hadn't no
hind legs for him to take hold of,
which was his main dependence in u
fight, and then he limped off . piece,
and laid down and died.
1t was good pup, was that Andrew
Jackson, and would have made name
for hisself if he'd lived, for the stuff
was in him, and he had genius know
1t, because he hadn't had any opportn
mites to speak of, and it don't stand to
reason that IL dog could make such q
fight rs he could under the clrcum-
stances if he hadn't no talent. It al
ways makes me feel sorry when l think
OF that last fight OF his'n, and the way
it turned out.