Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-10-03

uuulDeI one III uICIe place imam num- |
Der two in big un; any way he carried |
all before him where he was.
"Parson Williams was a TALL. straight, |
personable man, come of good family
father and grand'ther before him all |
he was putty up and down |
and commandin' in his ways, and things !
had to 60 putty much as he said. He
was a good deal sot by, Parson Williams
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 world
ly-minded, but then he was one O. them
folks that koOns 1gbdt's good in temper
ais as well as sperituals, and alters liked
to hey the best that there was goin'; !
and he alters had an eye to a good boss.
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
bellied, sleepy critturs that ministers
mostly hes, good enough to crawl round
associations and SIGH; but Parson Will
Jams he alters would hev a boss as was
. boss: he looked out for blood, and when
these ere Vermont fellers would come
down with a drove, the parson he he'd his
eyes open and knew what was what.
Couldn't none Of 'em cheat him on boss
flesh; and so one time when Zach Buel
was down with a drove, the doctor he
bought the best boss in the lot. Zach said
he never see parsOn afore that he could
MT cheat, bat he said the doctor RELY
knew as much as he did, and got the
very one he'd meant to "a kept for
himself
This ere boss was a peeler, Tll tell
you. They'd called him Tamerlane.
from some heather Teller or orther: the
boys called him Tam, for short. Tam
vas greet character. All the feIlers
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, [ tell you. Cuff was the doctors
niger man, and he was nat'lly a dref-
full proud crittur? The way he would
swell and strut and brag about the doc
tor and his folks and his things! The
doctor used to give Cuff his cast-off
clothes, and Cuffwould prance round in
'em and seem to think he was a doctor
of divinity himself and had the charge
Of all natur.'
well, Cuff he RELY made an idol O.
that ere boss, a regular craven image,
and bowed down and worShipped him;
he didn't think nOthin' was too good
for him; he washed and brushed ard
cunied 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 would Mt let nobody else do
but himself. You see, Tam warn't no
lady's boss. Miss Williams was 'fraid
as death of him, and the parson he he'd
to get her a sort O low-sperited crittur
that she could drive herself,
but he liked to drive Tam;
and he liked to go round
the country on his back, and fine
figure of man he was on him too. He
did Mt let nobody else back him or
handle the reins but Cuff, and Cuff was
drefful set up about it, and he sWelled
and Dragged about that AZ boss all
round the country. Nobody could MT
put in word bout any other boss
without Cuffs feathers would be AL up,
stiff as Il tom turkeys tail-and that's
how Cuff got the doctor into trouble.
eye see, there nat'lly was others that
thought they'd got horses, 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-lookiu'
at the parsons boss and a-bettin' on
theirn, and a-darin' Cuff to race with
EN-.
Wal, Cuff he couldn't stan it, and
when the doctors back was turned he'd
be of on the sly and they'd hev their
race; and Tam he beat 'em all Tam, We
sec, boys, was Il boss that couldn't and
would Mt hev boss ahead of him-he
jest 1cOuHnH Ef he dropped down dead
IN his tracks the next mint, he aOouH be
ahead and he alters got ahead, and so
his name got up; and fellers KEEP comm
to try their horses, and Cuff ID take Tam
out TO race with fust one and then an
other till this ERE got to be 4 regular
thing, and begun to be talked about.
Folks sort o. wondered if the doc
tor knew, but Cuff was sly as a weasel
and alters had story ready for every
turn; Cuff was one of them fellers that
could talk bird off bush-master
hand he was to slick things over!
There was folks as said they be-
ieyed the doctor was KNOWN to it, and
that he felt a sort o carnal pride, sech
as Il minister oughtn't fer to hev, and so
shet his eyes to what was a-goin' on.
Aunt Sally Nickerson said she was sure
ont; t was all talked over down to old
Miss Bummiger's funeral, and Aunt
Sally she said the church ought to look
into t. But everybody knew aunt Sal
ly; she was alters watchin' for folks hal
tins, and settin' on herself up to ledge
her neighbOrs.
oval, never believed nothin' agin
Parson Williams; it was all Cuffs con-
trlvances; but the fact was the fellers all
got their blood up, and there was
boss racin' in all the parishes; and it
got so they'd even race HOSES q Sun
day.
wal, of course they never got the
doctors boss out Sunday. Cuff would
MT a burst to do that, Lordy massy, no!
He was alters there in church settin' up
IN the doctors clothes, rollin' up his eyes
and lookin' as pious as eff he never
thought O racin' HOSES; he was an aw-
fuI solen-lookin' niger in church, Cuff
was.
But there was a lot O. them fellers
up to Pequot Holler-Bil Atkins and
Ike Sanders and Tom Peters and them
Hokum boys used to go out arter meetin'
Sunday afternoon and race bosses. Ye
see. 1t WAS lest close to the state line