American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-02-28
A Peculiar Mare and an Obstinate Man.
The New York .sun tells the following

The New York san tells the following
1.-The McMann Mare" was a beast o
extraordinary speed and endurance. Like
most rare animals, whether brute or hu
man, she was eccentric in her ways. L
matters not who owned her at the time o.
the incident to which this article relates
/ Suffice 1t to say her owner was a sensible
man and thorough horseman, his predi
| lection for hOrsefeSh more than ANYTHING
else having driven him into the livery
business. Next to the wife of his bosom
he loved the McMann mare. For this rea.
son the mare was intrusted only to par
. ticular customers; AMI, when let, the per
son who hired was always carefully in
structed as to the peculiarities of the ami
NAL. An old friend, Uncle Joe Richelieu,
unacquainted with the animal or her
ways, and troubled with an impeachment
in his speech, as well as an intirmity of
temper which prevented him from using
any charity for living creatures of slow
and tardy motion, applied to the livery
man for horse for a journey of dozen
miles or so, taken for the purpose of
bringing his wife home from her fathers
The contract was made as follows:
w-w-want horse-a good 'un-one
that'll s-ss-start the minute you s-s-sa-say
'Pwpwh- pwhist,' a-an and'll go like thun-
der"
suit you, l guess" was the reply.
"We-we-well, out with her, them
The mare was put between the shafts of
nice light buggy, her harness thorough
ly adjusted by the owner, the reins care
fully laid over the dashboard, and the
usual chapter of advice was begun con-
corning her management.
90, g-g-git out with your directions. l
can drive, guess l own the fastest PAGER
alive, here" interrupted Uncle Joe, and
picking up the reins he sprang for the
seat, but landed heels up on the buggy's
bottom. The mare was off; but the driver,
being game, had command, as he thought,
through recovery of the lines, upon which
he pulled as though resolved ''tO do or
die" A slight smile was visible on the
demure face of the stable-keeper as the
vehicle receded from view at breakneck
speed and nothing more was known I'M
til the next day, when Uncle Joe made
his appearance with the mare, but with
out his wife. AS he drove up cloud
o'erspread his face as ne saw the stable
keeper at the stable door.
"W-w-what k-k-kind Of an incarnate
b-br-brute dye ca-call this:"
BEST horse in the stable"
"W-wwell, / started for D.
Eyes, l know it.'
"W-well, before | could stop I went to
Ii (tllrty-HVe miles,; drove back this
morning. You k-kn-know my fathers
door yard-half a mile wider"
Yes, well!''
"W-w-well, old man, br-br- bro brother
Jim, hired man, and visitor besides tt
tri-tri-tried for two hours to get w-wi-wife
into the wagon and couldn't do it; t-t-the
pl- plaguy critter danced college horn
pipes all TT round, an-an-and over some
Of us, but not passenger could we get
in"
How did you get ins'
Tell you. Old mans foxy as Mace.
Told me to take her out. / did. Told
ne to g-g-get in. 1 did, and after l got in
hey hitched the mare, and he-he-here l
be. Wwwo-wouldnt give Spanish
lollar for the mare, though she did come
he twelve miles in fforty-two minutes"
"Why?"
"Look at my hands"
They were one blister. The stable
keeper smiled. 'If you had listened to
ne all this would have been avoided;
lllow the lines to remain untouched until
you are seated, and she never starts till
you tell her. Drive her with slack rein
md she will go as slow as you desire"