The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-06-20

"Cover thy poll, Gaul, cover thy
poll" cried the driver, who was Mr..
Richard Jones; "cover thy poll, or
the frost will pluck out the remnant Of
thy locks. Had the hairs on the head
of Absalom been as scarce as on this
crown of thine, he might have been
living to this day." The clergyman,
for such was the Office of Mr.. Grant,
modestly, though quite affectionately,
exchanged his greetings with the trav-
ellers also, when Richard prepared to
turn the heads of his horses home
ward.
1t was in the quarry alone that he
could affect this object, without as
cending to the summit of the noun
tain. A very considerable excavation
had been made into the side ofthe hill, at
the point where Richard had succeeded
in stopping the sleighs, from which the
stones used for building in the village
were ordinarily quarried, and in which
he now attempted to turn his team.
Passing itself was a task of difficulty,
and frequently of danger, in that mar
row road but Richard had to meet
the additional risk Of turning his four
in-hand. The black very civilly vol
unteered his services to take Off the
leaders, and the Judge very earnestly
seconded the measure with his advice.
Richard treated the proposals with
great disdain.--
"Why, and wherefore, cousin duke"
he exclaimed little angrily; the hor-
ses are as gentle as lambs. You know
that | broke the leaders myself, and
the pole-horses are too near my whip
to be restive. Here is MIR. lie Quoi,
now, who must know something about
driving, because he has rode out so
often with me l will leave it to Mr..
lie Quoi whether there is any danger"
Richard, by sudden application of
his whip, succeeded in forcing his
leaders into the snowbank that cover
ed the quarry; but the instant that
the impatient animals suffered b@ the
crust, through which they broke at
each step, they positively refused to
move an inch further in that direction.
IN +h, ,ySr. finding +ho+ 4ho ,,..: go
and blows of their driver were re-
doubled at this juncture, the leaders
backed upon the pole-horses, who, in
their turn, backed the sleigh. Only
single log lay above the pile which up
held the road, on the side toward the
valley, which was now buried in the
snow. The sleigh was easily forced
across this slight impediment; and
before Richard became conscious of
his danger, one-half of the vehicle
was projected over a precipice, which
fell, nearly perpendicularly, more than
hundred feet. The Frenchman,
who, by his position, had q full view
of their threatened flight, instructive
ly threw his body as far forward as
possible in the sleigh, and cried, "Ah !!
Mon cher monsieur Decck mon dieu
prenez gardez yous !"
"Donner and bitten, Richart," ex-
claimed the veteran German, looking
over the side Of the sleigh with unusual
emotion, "put you will preak ter sleigh
and kilt ter horses"
"Good Mr.. JONES'" said the clergy
man, losing the slight flush that cold
had given to his cheeks, "be prudent,
good sir-be careful"
sect up, you obstinate devils p
cried Richard, catching a birds eye
view of his situation, applying his
whip. with new vigor, and unconscious
ly kicking the stool on which he sat,
as if inclined to urge the inanimate
wood forward "Get up, say
Cousin duke, shall have to sell the
grays too; they are the worst broken
horses-Mr. LIE Quaw !" Richard was
too much agitated to regard his pro-
nunciation, of which he was common
| ly little vain "Monsieur LIE Quaw,
pray get off my leg, you hold my. leg
so tight, that it's no wonder | can't
guide the horses.
"Merciful Providence exclaimed
the Judge, "they will be all killed p
Elizabeth gave a piercing shrek,
and the black Of Agamemnon's face
changed to a muddy white.
At this critical moment, the young
hunter, who, during the salutations Of
the parties, bad sat in rather sullen
silence, sprang from the sleigh of Mar
maduke to the heads of the refractory
leaders. The horses, who were yet
suffering under the injudicious and
somewhat random blows from Rich
ard, were dancing up and down with
that ominous movement, that threat
ems a sudden and uncomfortable start,
and pressing backward instead of 60
ing into the quarry. The youth gave
the leaders a powerful jerk, and they
plugged aside, by the path they had
themselves troden, and re-entered the
road in the position in which they were
first halted The sleigh was whirled
from its dangerous position, and upset
with its runners outwards. The Ger
man and the divine were thrown rath-
er unceremoniously into the highway,
but without danger to their bones.
Richard appeared in the air, for a mo-
ment, describing the segment OF a
circle, of which the reins were the ra-
dii, and was landed at the distance of
some fifteen feet, in that snow-bank
which the horses had dreaded, right
end uppermost Here, as he instinc-
lively grasped the reins, as drowning
men seize at straws, he admirably
served the purpose Of an anchor, to
/ chnclc thn f1rthnr carner Of his stneds