Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1874-08-20

work OF trying bacon and Daklng slap
| jacks to come out and ask 81. t. and
companion how they came by the big
| donkey.
! In as few words as possible Jones
| made them acquainted with the eharac
| ter of the beast When he had finished
| his account of the scene at the livery
stable, every man of the Buckeye com
pany was firmly convinced that the jack
could ''walk the log" of Old Nick him.
self, but mum was the word. No hint
of the fighting qualities of the animal
was to go out of the cabin
Presently Joggles, whose boarding
house was just across the street, espied
the lack and came over TO where he was
being unpacked.
A smile struggled about the corners of
his mouth as he came.
Walking up to the beast and eYeing
him from stem to stern for time, jog
giles said
"Purty good chunk of jack. Bin
buyin' him ?"
SWELL" said Jones, Il don't know.
We have him on trial. We may buy
him. He is big and strong, and seems
nice and uJiet-may be trlt1e lazy.
JOggle,s, who seemed to be calculating
how mSny mouthfuls he would make for
Old Pizen, at last said: -..-..
''V[ell, yes, he seems rather quiet.
Javing unpacked the jack, one of the
"boys" gave him a slap with a strap, as
much as to say "You are now at lib
erty to go off and enjoy yourself as you
| please"
"What :" cried Joggles, opening his
eyes in amazement, ''you amt going to
turn that jack loose here ? The first
think you know he'll poke up to the fiat
where Old Pizen is. Then he will be a
dead Jack as sure as you live Why, he
wouldn't make a mouthful for PiZen" +
'cWell, l don't know" said Jones,
.'the jack is a very quiet old fellow, and
/ I guess Old Pizen won't think him
worth bothering with. Besides, the
chances are that he will stay and pick
about camp-won't find his way up the
fiat at all. J" =-'. +
ssWen, Just as you please" said Jog
giles, pretending some concern ''but
! you know what Old Pizen isl ~ -
Eyes, / know, said Jones, "but Pizen
is getting old. / guess he don't thirst
for the fray as in younger days. |
shouldn't wonder now, if the old jack
! were to whip HMM case they should
get together" added Jones, laughing.
/ '.What ~. cried Joggles, turning red,
| ''that blamed old jack whip Pizen!
! Not much ! FL bet you $100-yes III
bet you $200-he can't whip one side OF
him Come, now" ...#..e II.
''The trouble is, ;" said Jones, ''that
the Jack is in strange place. He might
not fight However, he looks as though
I there might be some fight in him. 1t the
two ever do get together, l think he'll
make it warm for the broncho." d..
"You do, eh p said Joggles. "Well,
| [ don't Here-here, nOw-back up
your opinion or take water. Here's $500.
I'm Willin' to jist let the animal alone
let them find their way to each other
and bet this 5000 that when they. do
meet Old Pizen whips-that he eats
your jack up alive Come now Pix
! ley, here, shall hold the stakes See me,
see me! come down. Two hundred
goes that Pizen whips - .r.., ....... g..
Thus urged, %. P :. covered the coin
in Pixley's hand, and once it was done
a better pleased man than Joggles was
never seen on the Stanislaus. He
thought that he had the deadest thing IN
| the world. s.r..r. ......s g-..--
The bet made, away ran Joggles to
tell all the ''boys' in the camp what a
dead thing he had ON Jones; always
winding up with !: cold Pizen'll ohaW
him up--chaw him up. aliyel' The last
thing he said to his dodgers that night
before he went to bed was: "Knowin'
.Pizen as he does, Jones must be gOin'
crazy. That jack'll be chawed up
chawed up alive !" s.. ~.
All the evening the jack remained
! browsing about the camp, and the next
morning was still there standing with
his head down and eyes closed, dreamily
moving his ears and lazily switching his
scanty tail. .-.s.. =. &-.-... -t.I 3,
Joggles smiled contemptuousiy every
; time be looked at the old jack. Stand
/ ing ON his porch, as the miners of the
camp passed on their way down to their
claims on the river, Joggles facetiously
inquired whether any of them would
like to back "That there ferOciOus beast
against Old Pizen for another $500.
At last all the camp of the men were
down on the river at work. About 8
o'clock in the morning one of the men
of the Buckley Company happened to go
from the bar up to the bank of the river
for something. A moment after, grin
ming gleefulIy, he called out to those
below .'The impatient Joggles is going
to bring on the game There win be
some fun before long; | see him startin'
the old jack along up the valley toward
the fiat. He's on the sly, and is getting
rather keen to see that fight"
Watching JOggles, he was seen in the
edge of the timber throwing rocks to
urge the jack to move up streak of
open ground that led to the flat be-
tween two groves of pines. Presently
he came back and seated himself on the
porch, getting up once in while and
stretching his neck to see if the jack
was going in the right direction. He
was dying to have the animals get to-
gether.
At last man who had climbed upon
the bank reported that the jack was not
to be seen, and that he had no doubt
gone over the ridge into the flat.
All was now excitement among the
men, and two or three of them were
constantly on the river-bank listening
for sounds of the fray. Presently they
cried out that the battle had begun. All
hands fastened to the top of the high,
steep bank, whence was to be had a fair
view of the open ground leading up to
the ridge, beyond which lay the flat
where roamed the fighting horse.
Although half a mile distant a terrible
squealing and braying could be dis.
tinctly heard-cries of rage and pain
from the contending animals. A great
cloud of red dust could be seen rising
from the ridge. This cloud, that told
of the battle, moved to and fro; some
times appearing to approach quite near
to the crest of the ridge, then again to
recede. All this time there was heard
the most fearful squealiDg and braying
imaginable-s sometimes very distinctly,
again more family, as the varying breeze
: waited the sounds, or as the scene of
the battle shifted
L~king toward the camp Joggles was
seen jumping up and down and running
, frantically about, evidently intensely
excited. Soon he was observed to get a
ladder and mount upon the roof of his
porch, and thence to climb to the top
of his house, vainly stretching his neck
J, to obtain view of the fight. .., ..-
4 l.