Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-03-14

Yes, there they are at the bottom,
with q crowd of little fishes rubbing
their noses against them, and Bill
wished to goodness his nose was close
for one second. His beautiful teeth
that had cost him SO much, and the
show was coming on and no time to
get another set-and the widow and
young Sockrider. Well, he must try
and get them somehow-and no time
to lose, for one might come along and
ask what he was fooling around there
for. He had no notion of soiling his
good clothes by wading in with them
on, and besides if he did that he could
not go on to the widows that night, SO
he took 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 to the bank and
waded into the almost ice-cold water
but his teeth did not chatter in his
head-he only waded along so as not
to stir us the mud, and when he got to
the right spot he dropped under the
water and came up with his teeth in his
hand and replaced them in his mouth.
But bark What noise is that? A
wagon and a little 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 q spanking pace, with the unfor-
tunate bachelor after him, and the lit
dog yelping after the bachelor. Bill
was certainly in capital running Co.'S
tune, but though he strained every
nerve, he could not touch the buggy or
reach the lines that were dragging on
the the ground.
After while his plug hat shook off
the seat and the hind wheel went over
it, making it as flat as q pancake. Bill
snatched it as he ran, and after jam
ming his fist into it, all dusty and dap
pied, put it on his head. And now he
saw the widows house on the hill and
what, oh, what will he do! Then his
coat fell out; he slipped it on, and then
making desperate squirt he clutched
the back of the seat and scram bled i'll
and pulled the buffalo robe over his
legs and stuffed the other things be-
meath. Now the horse happened to be
one that he got from Squire Moore,
and he got it from the widow, and he
took it into his head to stop at the gate,
and Bill had no power to prevent, as he
had not possession of the reins, besides
he was too busy buttoning his coat up to
his chin to think of doing much else.
The widow heard the rattle of the
wheels and looked out; seeing that it
was Smiley and that he did not at
tempt to get out, she went to the gate
to see what he wanted, and there she
stood with her arms on top of the gate,
and face right toward him; while the
cold chill ran down his shirtless back
clear to his bare feet beneath the buff
falo robe, and the water from his hair
and the dust from his hat combined to
make some nice little streams of mud
that came trickling down his face.
She asked him to come in.-"No," he
was in hurry" he said. Still he did
not attempt to go. He did not like to
ask her to pick up the reins for him
| because be did not know what excuse
to make for not doing so himself.
Then he looked down the road behind
him, and saw white-faced horse COM
ing, and at once surmising that it was
Gus Sockrider coming he resolved to
do or die, and hurriedly told mis- GRAND.
The widow would be delighted to 60,
of course she would. But wouldn't he
come in? "No, he was in hurry"
he said; had to go to Mr.. Green's place.
"Oh," said the widow, "you are 60
ing to Green's, are you? Why, I was
just going there myself to get one of
the girls to help me quilt more. Just
wait minute till / get my bonnet and
shawl, and I'll ride with you" And
away she skipped.
"Thunder and lightning" said Bill,
what scrape p aud he hastily clutch
ed his pants from between his feet, and
prepared to wriggle into them, when q
light wagon drawn by the white-faced
horse, driven by boy, came along and
stopped beside him. The boy held up
pair of boots in one hand and pair
of socks in the other, and just as the
widow reached the gate again he said:
Heres your boots and socks, Mr..
Smiley, that you left On the bridge
when you was in swimming"
you're mistaken" said Bill, " they're
not mine"
"Why," said the boy, Saint you the
man that had the race after the horse
just now?"
Ono sir, am not. You had better
go about your business" Bill sighed
at the loss of his Sunday boots, and
turning to the widow, said:
'Just pick up the lines, will you,
please. This brute of horse is forever
switching them out of my hands,"
The widow complied, and then he pull
ed one end of the robe cautiously down,
and she got in.
"What a lovely evening"" said she,
"and so warm [ don't think we need
this robe over us, do we?'
You see she had on nice dress and
and new pair of CATERS, and wanted
to show them.
"Oh myl" said Bill earnestly, "you
will find it chilly riding. I wouldn't
have you catch cold for the world"
She seemed pleased with the tender
care for her health, and contented her.
self with sticking one of her little feet
out with q long silk neck-tie over the
end Of IL