Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-01-09
How They Settled for the Farmers Old
Horse.

a hornv-hlnded old farmer entered the
office OF the big railroad m anies SaLur-
day, and ina rired for the man who settled
Tor horses which were killed by the loco
motives of Il hlOltrd corporation. They
referred him to the company counsel,
wh IN, having found, he thus addressed:
Mister WAS driving home one even
iny last week. ben drinkinCP
strenuousy questioned the lawyer, I'm
g nterpole ol the local Tent of Rcclabitts,'
said the farmer. THAT doesn't answer
my question, replied the man of the law;
" saw man who was boiling drunk vote
the prohibition ticket last year. " Hadn't
tasted liquor since the big flood of l84G,"
said the old man. " Go anead."
:" will, squire. And when | came to
the crossing of your soulless monopoly
it was pretty dark, and zip! along came
your train, no bells rung, no whistles toot-
ed, contrary to the statues in such cases
made and provided, and again the grang-
cr provisions, and-whoop! away went
my off boss scootin' over the telegraph
wires When had dug yself out n Il
swamp some distance off and plcified the
other critter. found that thar of hoSs
was dead us Perry Smith, no,hin' valuable
about him but his shoes, which mought
have brought say eight cents for old iron.
Well"
We'll, you want pay for that ere off
horse?" said the lawyer, withn scarcely
repressod sncer. Il kinder should, you
see" said the farmer. frankly, and
don t care about suing it, though possibly
I'd get verdict; for jurics out in our
town are mostly made up of farmers, and
they kinder help each other rs matter of
principle in these cases of stock Killed by
railroads." And this ere off hoss, said
the counsel, mocking'y, was II ilamble-
tonian colt, out of an Abdalah mare, with
seventeen Messenger crosses, wasn't he?
He was rising four years, rs he had been
for several seasons past, and had shown
2. 2j on u half mile track in the mud, hadn't
he9 And you had been offered sixteen
thousand and five hundred dollars for
him the day he was killed, but wouldn't
take it because you were going to win all
the purses in the circuit with him, and
then going 10 Nevada and buy silver
mine and Senatorship with the proceeds?
Oh I've heard of that horse before
" ! guess there's II mistake somewhere,
sonny said the old farmer, with an air
of surprise; "my hoss was got by the old
man Butts roam pacing horse, Pride of
Lemont, out'n wall eyed no-account
mare of my own, aud now that he's dead
[ may say that he's twenty nine next
grass. Trot? Why Fred Erby's boss that
he WAS fined for furious driving oi was old
Dexter alongside of him! Sixteen thou
sand dollars? Bl IS your soul, do you
, think I'm fool, or any one else is? 1t is
true was made IN Offer for him The last
time | was in town, and fol the man look
ed kinder simple, and you know how it is
! with hoss.trading, ! asked the fellow
, MORN than the animal might have been
r worth. Ia,krd him >iXDy-five dollars, but
I'd have taken forty dollars
| Forty dollars" gasp'd the lawyer
" forty dolarsn ',Yrs,' replied the Tar
A mer meekly aud apoogrticaIIy. " it kinder
| looks IL big sum, know, for IN Old horse,
4 nui that ere off hoas could pull mighty
/, biz load cons,derin Then | WAS kinder
i Snook up and the pole of my wagon was
t ous id and had 10 get the harness fixed,
+ and there's my loss of time; all that
= counts. Say fifty, and it's about square.
t The lawyer whispered to himself.
: Wei. | Il be bail dozrl.' and filled out
n IL check for i've hundred dollars. Sir
n said he, covering the old mans hand
t You're the first honest man have ev' l
e met in the course of Il legal experience Of
Z wrnty three years, whose dead horse was
worth less than one thonsInd dollars, and
/, couldn't trot better than 234 without
S training. Here also is Il free pass for
n yourself and your male heirs in IL direct
/ line for three generations, and if yon have
t u young boy to spare we will teach him
y teiegraphng and find him lucrative and
e steady employment"
4 The honest old man took the check and
a departed, shifting his brawny leg with a
. horny hand in triumph as he did so, with
f the rem rrk, :" | knew III fetch him on the
t homo track! Last horse | got killed |
sworc was II trotter, and all | got was
one hundred and sixty-live dollars with
. interest. Honesty is the best policy. -
Buriington Hbwkeye.