The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1876-05-03

has he? Well, so have l, and new
harness, too; and his horse can't get a
sight of mine and l declare | have
half mind to-yes, 1 will I'll go
this very night and ask her 10 90 to
the show with me. I'll show Ed Will
bur that | amt such a calf as he thinks
l am, if | did let old Watson get the
start of me in the first place !"
Ed could scarcely keep from laugh
ing outright, buthe hastily hitched the
bags on his shoulder, and with a low
chuckle at his success, started home to
tell the news to Nelly; and at about 5
o'clock that evening they saw Bill go
by with his horse and buggy, on his
way to thewidow's. He logged along
quietly, thinking of The old singing
school days, and what pretty girl Su-
san was then, and wondering inwardly
if he would have more courage now to
talk up to her-until, at a distance of
about a mile from her house, as he
came to bridge, he gave a tremendu-
Gus sneeze and blew his teeth out of his
mouth, and clear over the dash board,
and striking the planks they rolled
over the side of the bridge and dropped
into four feet of water.
Words cannot do justice to poor Bill,
or paint the expression of his face as
he sat there, completely dumfounded
at his piece of i'll luck. After a while
he stepped out of his buggy, and get
ting down on his hands and knees,
looked over into the water. Yes, there
they were at the bottom, with a crowd
of little fishes rubbing their noses
against them, and Bill wished to good
ness his nose was as close for one sec
ond. His beautiful teeth that had
cost him so much, and the show COM
ing on and no time to get another set
-and the widow, and young Sockrider.
Well, he must try and get them out
somehow, and no time to be lost, for
some one might come along and ask
him what he was fooling around there
for. He had no notion of spelling his
clothes by wading in with them on,
and besides, if he did, he could not 90
to the widows that night, so he took a
look up and down the road to see that
no one was in sight, and then quickly
undressed himself, laying his clothes
in the buggy to keep them clean. Then
he ran around the bank and waded in
to the almost icy-cold water, but his
teeth did not clatter in his head-he
only wished they could. Quietly he
waded along so as not to stir the mud
up, and when got to the right spot he
dropped under the water, and came
out with his teeth in his hand, and re-
placed them in his mouth. But bark
what noise is that? A wagon, and a
dog barking with all his might. and his
horse is starting. "Whoa! whoa
Stop, you brute, you, stop!" But stop
he would not, but went off at a spank
ing pace, with the unfortunate bache-
lor after him. Bill was certainly in a
capital running costume, but, though |
he strained every nerve, he could not |
touch the buggy or reach the lines that |
were dragging on the ground.
Afer awhile his plug hat shook off
the seat, and the hind wheel went over
it, making it fiat as pancake. Bill
snatched it as he ran, and, after jam
ming his fist in it, stuck it, all dusty
and dimpled, on his head. And now
he sees the widows home on the hill,
and what, oh, what will he do? Then
MS coat fell out and he slipped it on,
md then making desperate squirt he
reached the back of the seat and scram-
Dled in, and, pulling the buffalo robe
over his legs, stuffed the other things
beneath. Now the horse happend to
be one he got of Esq. Moore, and he
got it from the widow, and he took it
nto his head to stopat her gate, which
Bill had no power to prevent, and he
vas too busy buttoning his coat up to
his chin to think of anything else. The
widow heard the rafting of the wheels
md looked out, and seeing that it was
Smiley, and that he didn't offer to get
,ut, she went to see what he wanted,
md there she stood chatting, with her
white arms on the top of her gate, and
Ter face toward him, while the chills
an down his shirtless back clear to his
bare feet beneath the buffalo robe, and
he water from his hair, and the dust
rom his hat had combined to make
ome nice little streams of mud that
anne trickling down his face.
She asked him to come in. No, he
vas in a hurry he said Still ba did