The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-12-18


ture and then we can kind o. set by the
river and fish. Hepsey wanted q mess O.
fish for supper, and I wuz cal 'larin to get
some for her. You boys TO and be Dig
! gin bait and git yer lines"
And so as we were sitting TRANQUILITY
beside the Charles River, watching our
lines, Sans narrative began
I'VE see, boys, Parson Williams, -ha' s
dead now,-but when was boy he was
one Of the great men around here. He
| writ books. He writ tract agin the
Armenians, and put 'em down, and he
writ big book on the millennium Give
got that ERE book now; and he was a
smart preacher; folks said he had invita-
tons to settle in Boston, and there amt
no doubt he might "a he'd Boston par.
ish eff he'd ben a. min to take it, but
he'd gota good settlement ana hand
some farm in North Allriky, and didn't
care to move; thought, s'pose, that t was
better to be number one in little place
than number two in big un anyway, he
carried all before him where he was.
"Psrsen Williams was tall, straight
personable man-come OF good family
father and gran'ther before him all min
listers; he was putty up and down and
commandin' in his ways, and things had
to go putty much as he said. He was a
good deal sol by, Parson Williams was.
and his wife was Derby, and one o. 'em
rich Salem Derbys and brought him lot
O money, and so they lived putty easy
and comfortable, SO far as this worlds
goods goes. Well, now, the Parson wasn't
really what you call world y- minded, but
! then he was one o them folks that kn0ws
aotat's good in temporals as well as spirit
uals, and liked to have the best that there
was goin,' and he alters had an eye to a
! good boss.
Nov, there was Parson Adams and
ParSon Scranton, and most OF the other
ministers, they didn't know and didn't
| care what boss they he'd; jest logged
round with these ERE poundin', potbel-
lied, sleepy critturs that ministers mostly
hes, good enough to crawl round to fun
erals and minister's meetin's and associ-
aticns and such, but Parson Williams he
alters would have boss as was boss;
he looked out Tor blood, and when these
ere Vermont fellers would come down
with drove, the Parson he he'd his eyes
open and knew what was what. Couldn't
zone of 'em cheat him on hoss-fesh: and
so one time when Buel was Gown with
drove, the doctor he bought the best
boss in the lot. Zach SAID he never seen
parson alore that he couldn't cheat,
but he said the doctor REILLY knew as
much as he did, and got the very one
he'd meant to "a kept for himself.
"This ere boss was .peeler, I'll tell
you. They'd called him Iamerlane,
from some hethen feller or other; the
boys called him Tam, for short. Tam
was great character. All the fellers for
miles round knew the doctors lam and
used TO come clear over from the other
parishes to see him
''Wai this ERE sot up Cuffs back high,
l tell you. Cuff was the doctors niger
man, and he was natlly a drefulrGroud
crittur. The way he would sA And
strut snd beg aboutdne petor bis
folks and his thingsr The doctSsa lsed
TO give Cuff his cast-off clothes, and Cuff
would prance round in 'em and seem to
think he was doctor Of divinity himself,
and had the charge of all natur'. -
We'll, Cuff, he RELY made al idol o.
that ere boss, regular craven image,
and bowed down and worshiped him;
he didn't think nothin' was too good for
him; he washed and brushed and curried
him, and rubbed him down till he shone
like a lady's satin dress: and he took
pride in ridin' and drivin' him, cause it
was what The doctor wouldn't let nobody
do but himself. You see, Tam warn't no
lady's boss. Miss Williams was 'fraid as
death of him, and the person he had to
git her q sort o. low sperlted crittur that
she could drive herself, but he liked to
drive Tam, and he liked to 60 around
the country on his back, and fine figure
Of man be was On him, too. He didn't
let nobody else back him or handle the
reins but Cuff; aud Cuff was dreadful set
up about it, AMI he swelled and Dragged
about that ar boss all around the country.
Nobody couldn't put in a word bout any
other boss without Cuffs feathers would
be all up stiff as tom turkeys tail---and
that's how Cuff got the doctor into
trouble.
Ye see there natlly was others that
Thought they'd got hcsses, and didn't
want to be crowed over. There was Bill
Atkins, out to the West parish, and Ike
Sanders, that KEEP q stable up TO Pequot
Holler; they was down ,a-lookin' at the
parson's horse, and a bettin' on thejr'n,
and a-darin' Cuff to race with 'em. L.,
"Well, Cuff couldn't stand 1t, and when
the doctors back was turned he'd be off on
the sly, and they'd have their race; and
Tam, he beat 'em all. Tam, you see,
boys, was boss that couldn't and
wouldn't hev boss ahead of him-he
jest aoouzdpt. Ef he dropped down dead
in his tracks the next mimi, he would be
ahead, and he always got ahead, and so
his name got up; and fellows Ike p COM
in to try their hosses, and Cuff 'ud take
Tam out to race with fust one and then
another till this ERE got to be regular
thing and began to be talked about.
"Folks sort O. wondered if the, doctor
knew, but Cuff WINS sly as weasel, and
alters had a story ready for every turn.
Cuff was one Of them fellers that could
talk bird off q tree--mas:er hand he
was to slick things over.
'sThere was folks as said they believed
che doctor was KNOWN to it, and that he
felt a sort O. carnal pride, such as min
lister oughtn's fer to hev, and SO shet his
eyes to what was agoin' on. Aunt Sally