Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-10-02

tnOuSnC o raCln nOSSoS; ne was an aW-
full solen-looi1in' niger in church, Cuff
was.
"But there was lot O them fellers
up to PequOt Holler-Bill Atkins and
Ike Sanders and Tom Peters and them
Hokum boys used to go out arter meetin'
Sunday afternoon and race bosses. Ye
see, it was Jest close to the state line,
! and if the s'lectmen was to come down
on 'em, they could jest whip over the
| line and they couldn't take 'em.
wal, 1t got to be a great scandal;
| the fellers talked about it up to the tav-
ern, and the deacons and the tithingman
they took it up and went to Parson
Williams about it; and the parson he
told 'em jest to keep still. not let the
| fellers know that they were bein' watch
ed, and next Sunday he and the tithing-
man and the constable they'd ride over
and catch 'em in the very act.
" So next Sunday afternoon Parson
Williams and Deacon Popkins and Ben
Bradley (he was constable that Year,
| they got on to their HOSES and rode
over to Pequot Holer The doctors
blood was up and he meant to come
down on 'em strong, for that was his way
Of dom in his parish; and they was in
sort O day O jedgm ent frame O mind,
| and logged along solemn as a hearse,
till come to rise the hill above the hol-
Ter they see three or four fellers with
their bosses gittin' ready to race; and
the parsOn says he, Lets come on quiet
and get behind these bushes, and we'll
see what they're up to and catch 'em in
the act
'But the mischief ont was that Ike
Sanders see 'em comm, and he knowed
Tam in a minit,-Ike knowed Tam of
ld,-and he jest tipped the wink to the
rest. wait, boys says he, 1et 'em git
close up, and then I'll give the word and
the doctors boss will be racin' ahead
like thunder
oval, SO the doctor and his folks
they drew up behind the bushes, and
stood there innocent as could be, and
saw 'em gittin' ready to start Tam he
begun to shuttle and paw, but the doc
tor never mistrusted what he was up to
till Ike sung out, Go it boysr and the
bosses all started, when, sure as YOU
live. boys, Tam give one fly and was
over the bushes and in among 'em,
goin' it like chain lightnin', ahead of
'em all.
Deacon Popkins and Ben Bradley
Jest stoed and held their breath to see
;em all goin' it like thunder; and the
doctor he was took SO sudden it was all
he could do to jest hold on any way, so
away be went, and trees and bushes
and fences streaked by him like ribbins;
his hat flew off behind him, and his wig
arter, and got catched in a barbery
bush; but Lordy massy, couldn't stop to
think O them. He jest leaned down
and caught Tam round the neck and
held on for dear life, till they come to
the stopping place.
wal, Tam was ahead of them all.
sure enough, and was snorting and snuff
fling as if he'd got the very old boy IN
him, and was up to racing some more
on the spot.
THAT ere Ike Sanders was the impu-
dentest Teller that ever you see, and he
rOared and rawhawed at the doctor.
Good for you, parson!' says he You
beat us all holler,' says he, takes a par
SOD for that, don't it, boys?' he said.
And then he and Ike and Tom and the
two Hokum boys they jest roared, and
danced round like wild critturs. Wal
now, only think ont, boys, what a stu
alton that ere was for a minister,-a
man that had come out with the best Of
motive to put a stop to Sabbath breakin'!
There he was all rumpled up and dusty
and his wig hangin' in the bushes, and
these ERE ungodly fellers gettin' the
| laugh on him, and all accuse O. that 'ere
boss. There's times, boys, when minis
tiers must be tempted to swear if here
amt preventin' grace, and this was one
O them times to Parson Williams. They
say he got red in the face and looked as
| if he should bust. but be didn't say
nothln'; he scorned to ansWer,-the sons
O Zeruiah was too hard for him, and
he let 'em hev their say. But when
they'd got through, and Ben had brought
him his hat and wig, and brushed and
settled him ag'in, the parson he says.
well, boys, we've had your say and
your laugh, but [ warn you now won't
have this thing going on here any MORE
says he: SO mind yourselves
oval, the boys see that the doctors
blood was up, and they rode off pretty
quiet, and [ believe they never raced
no more in that spot.
"But there amt no tellin' the talk this
ere thing made. Folks will talk, you
know, and there warn't a house in all
Billriky, nor in the south parish nor
centre, where it warn't had over and
discussed. There was the deacon and
Ben Bradley was there to witness and
show jest how the thing was, and that
the doctor was jest in the way of his
duty; but folks said it made a great
scandal, that minister hadn't no bust
ness to hev that kind O boss, and that
he'd give the enemy occasion to speak
reproachfully. 1t RELY did seem as if
Tam's sins was imputed to the doctor;
and folks said be ought to sell Tam
right away and get a sober minister's
! boss.
"But others said it was Cuff that had
got Tam into bad ways, and they do say
that Cuff had to catch it pretty liyely