The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-11-07

i NAAgSuA cnOCc, anu W IL OIhO A11u W
pasture and then we can kind O. set by
the river and fish. Hepsey wanted q
mess O. fish for supper, and I wuz caP-
latin to get some for her. You boys go
and be diggin' bait and git yer lines"
And so as we were sitting TRANQUILITY
beside the Charles River, watching our
lines, Sans narrative began:
"Ye see, boys, Parson Williams IS
dead now,-but when l was boy he
wasone of the gret men around here.
He writ books. He writ tract agin
the Armenians, and put 'em down, and
he writ a big book on the millennium
Give got that ERE book now); and he
was smart preacher; folks said hehad
invitations to settle in Boston, and there
amt no doubt he might "a he'd Boston
parish eff he'd ben "a min to take it,
but he'd got good settlement and a
handsome farm in North Billriky, and
didn't care to move; though s'pose,
that It was better to be number one in a
little place than number two in big un !;
anyway, he carried all before him where
he was.
"Parson Williams was a tall, straight,
personabie nlan-come of good family
father and gram ther before him all
ministers: he was putty up and down
and commandin' in his ways, and things
had to go putty much as he said. He
was good deal sot 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
worldly-minded, but then he was one O.
them folks that knoeca aUhaPs good in tenn
porals as well as spirituals, and liked to
have the best that there was goin', and
he alters had an eye to good hoss.
Now, there was Parson Adams and
Parson Scranton, and most of the other
ministers, they didn't know and didn't
care what hoss they he'd; Jest logged
1 round with these ERE poundin', pot
bellied, sleepy critturs that ministers
mostly hes, good enough to crawl round
to funerals and ministers meetin's and
associations and sich, but Parson Will
liams he alters would hev hoss as was
a hoss; he looked out for 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 none of 'em cheat him
on hoss-fesh and so one time when Buel
was down with drove, the doctor he
bought the best horse in the lot. Zach
said he never seen parson afore that
hecouldn't cheat, but he said the doctor
reelly knew as much as he did, and got
the very one he'd meant to "a kept for
himself.
!" This 'ere hoss was peeler, I'll tell
you. They'd called him Tamerlane,
from some heathen feller or other; the
boys called him Tam, for short. Tam
was a gret character. All the fellers
for miles round knew the doctors Tam
and used to come clear over from the
other parishes to see him.
oval this 'ere sot up Cuffs back high,
I tell you. Cuff was the doctors niger
man, and he was nat'lly drefful proud
crittur. The way he would swell and
strut and brag about the doctor and his
folks and his thingsl The doctor used
to give Cuff his cast-off clothes, and Cuff
would prance round in 'em and seem to
think he was doctor of divinity him
self, and had the charge ofall natur'.
"Well, Cuff, he RELY made an idol O.
that ERE hoss, reg'lar 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 lady's satin dress; and
he took pride in ridin' and drivin him
cause it was what the doctor wouldn't
let nobody else do but himself. You
see, Tam warn't no lady's hoss. Miss
Williams was 'fraid as death of him, ano
the parson he he'd to git her sort O low
sperited crittur that she could drive
herself, but he liked to drive Tam, and
he liked to go around the country OF
his back, and fine figure of man he
was on him, too. He didn't let nobody
else back him or handle the reins bu
Cuff, and Cuff was dreffnl set up abou
it, and he swelled and Dragged abou
| that ar hoss all around the country
! Nobody couldn't put in word 'bou
any other hoss without Cuffs feather
would be all up stiff as tom turkey
tail,-and that's how Cuff got the doc
tor into trouble.
" Ye see there nat lily was others tina
thought they'd got hosses, and didn'
, want to be crowed over. There was Bill
: Atkins, out to the West parish, and TX
Sanders, that KEEP stable up to Pequo
Holler; they was down a-lookin' at tn,
( parsons horse, and bettin' on their'I
g and a-darin' Cuff to race with 'em.
! "Well, Cuffcouldn' stand it, and whe
I the doctors back was turned he'd be O
t on the sly, and they'd hev their race
r and Tam, he beat 'em all. Tam, ye set
boys, was hoss that couldn't an
e wouldn't hev hoss ahead of him-h
q Jest toouldn't. Eff he dropped down dea
q in his tracks the next mint, he woul
e be ahead, and he always got ahead, an
: SO his name got up; and fellows kel
comm to try their hosses, and Cuff u
t take Tam out to race with fust one an
then another till this 'ere got to be
e reg'lar thing and began to be talke
IS about.
q Folks sort o. wondered if the doct,
IS knew, but Cuff was sly as a weasel, ar
v alters had story ready for every tur
e Cuff was one of them fellers that coul
!! talk bird off tree-master hand
J, was to slick things over.
u There was folks as said they b
I lieved the doctor was knowin' to it, al
N that he felt sort O carnal pride. SUI
y as minister oughtn't fer to hev, and
shet his eyes to what was goin' o
Aunt Sally Nickerson said she was su
III 1aII ! b