St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-10-04
about most nothin, else.u

about most nothin' else.n
And Sam leaned back on his cold
forge, now empty of coal, and seemed
of general reflection.
"Yes, hOsses does seem to be sort o.
unregenerate critturs," he broke out,
''there's suthin' about bosses that de-
ceives the very elect; the best o. folks
gets tripped up when they come to deal
in hosses.r
"Why, Sam, is there anything bad in
horses ?" we interjected, timidly.
'HTain't the hosses, boys" said Sam
with solemnity. 'fLordy massy, the
bosses is all right enough, ,-hosses is
scriptural animals; Elijah went up to
heaven in chari't with bosses; and
then all them lots o. hOsses in the Raw
elations, black and white and red and
all sorts o. colors! That 'ere shows hos
ses goes to heaven but it's more'n the
folks that hev 'em is likely to, eff they
don't look out.
"Ministers now," continued Sam, in
solilOquizing vein; ''folks alters thinks
it's suthin' sort o. shaky in minister to
hev much to do with hosses,-sure to
get 'em into trouble. There was old
Parson Williams, of North Billriky,
got into a drefful mess about hoss
Lordy massy, he warn't to blame, neith-
er, but he got into the dreffulest scrape
you ever heard On-cOme nigh to un-
settlin' him."
"Oh, Sam, tell us all about it," we
boys shouted, delighted with the pros
pect of a story.
"Wal, wait now till get off this crit
tur's shoes, and we'll take him up to
pastur', and then we can kind o. set by
the river and fish. Hepsy wanted a
mess q fish for supper, and l was
caTlatin' to git some for her. You boys
go and be digging 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,-he's
dead nOw,-but when | was boy he
was one of the great men round here.
He writ books. He writ a tract agin
the Armenl ms, and put 'em down, and
he writ big book on the millennium
Owe got that ERE book now; and he
was smart preacher folks said he had
invitations to settle in Boston, and there
amt no doubt he might "a he'd a Boston
parish eff he'd "a ben a mind ter take it,
but he'd got good settlement and a
handsome farm in North Billriky, and
didn't care to move; thought, s'pOse,
that twas better to be number one in a
little place than number two in a big
un any way, he carried all before him
where he was.
| "Parson Williams was tall, straight.
personable man, come of good family
father and grand'ther before him all
ministers; be 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 Will
liams was, and his wife was a Derby,
one o. them rich Salem Derbys, and
brought him lot o. money, and so they
lived putty easy and comfortable so fur
as this worlds goods goes. Well now,
the parson want RELY what you call
worldly minded, but then he was one
% them folks that knO,cS lUhatS good in
tempOrals rs well as sperituals, and
alters liked to hev the best that there
was goin'; and he alters had an eye to
a 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 boss they he'd; jest logged
round with these 'ere poundin' pOt-bel-
lied, sleepy critturs that ministers most
ly hes, good enough to crawl round to
funerals and ministers meatin's and as
scciations and SIGH; but Parson Will
Hams he alters would hev hoss as was
a hOss he looked out for blood, and
q n
come down with IL drove, the parson he
he'd his eyes open and knew what was
what. Couldn't none of 'em cheat him
on hoss flesh; and so one time when
Zach Buel was down with drove, the
doctor he bought the best hoss in the
lot. Zach said he never see parsor
afore that he couldn't cheat, but he said
the doctor RELY knew as much as he
did, and got the very one he'd meant to
IA kept for himself.
"This ERE hoss was a peeler, I'll tell
you. They'd called him Tamerane
from some heather feller or other; the
boys called him Tam, for short. Tam
was 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.
"Wal, this 'ere sot up Cuffs back
high, tell you. Cuff was the doctors
nigger man, and he was nat'lly dreffnl
proud crittur! The way he would swell
and strut and brag about the doctor
and his folks and his things The doc
tor used to give Cuff his cast off clothes
and Cuff would prance round in ZEN
and seem to think he was a doctor OF
divinity himself, and had the charge ol
all natur'.
''Well, Cuff he RELY made an idol o
that ere boss, a reg'lar craven image
and bowed down and worshipped him
he didn't think nothin' was too GOOD
for him he washed, and brushed, anC
curried him, and rubbed him down, til
he shOne like lady's satin dress; anC
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 boss
Miss Williams was 'traid as death O
him, and the paTsOn he he'd to git her
sort O. low-sperited crittur that sh,
could drive herself, but he liked t,
, drive Tam and he liked to go rount
the country on his back, and fin,
figure of man he was OH him, too
He didn't let nobody else back him O.
handle the reins but Cuff, and Cuff wal
drefful set up about it, and he swellet
; and Dragged about that ar hoss al
round the country. Nobody couldn'
put in word bout any other hos
without Cuffs feathers would be all III
stiff as tom turkeys tail-and that
how Cuff got the doctor into trouble.
"Ye see, there nat'lly was others tina
thought they'd got horses, and didn'
J want to be crowed over. There wa
Bill Atkins, out to the west parish, an,
= Ike SandarS that l-o4,i rta Z