Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-10-04

leaned down and caught Tam round the
neck and held on for dear life, till they
come to the stopping place.
oval, Tam was ahead of them all,
sure enough, and was snorting and
snuflling as il 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 inn
pudcntest feller that ever you see, and
he roared and rawhawed at the doctor.
Good for you, parsonr says he. You
beat us all holler,' says he; takes a
parson for that, don't It, boysP he said.
And then he and Ike and Tom and the
two Hokum boys they jest roared, and
danced round like wild critters. Wal
now, only think ont, boys, what q sit
uation that 'erc was for u minister-a
man that had come out with the best of
motives to put stop to Sabbath break
in! 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 acause
o. that 'ere hoss. There's times, boys,
when ministers must be tempted to
swear, if there amt preventin' grace,
and this was one o. them times to Far
son Williams. They say he got red in
the face and looked as if he should
bust, but he didn't say nothin'; he
scorncd TO answcr-the sons o. Ieruiah
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: We'll,
boys, ye'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
"Wal, 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 tcllin' the talk
this ere thing made. Folks will talk,
you know, and there warn't 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. hoss, and that
he ID give the enemy occasion to speak
reproachfully. Ii reely did seem us if
Tam's sins was imputed to the doctor;
and folks said he ought to sell Tam
right away and get sober minister s
hOss.
"But others said it was Cuff that had
got Tam into bad ways, and they do
say that Cuff had to catch it pretty live
ly when the doctor come to settle with
him. Cuff thought his time had come
sure enough, and was so scairt that he
turned blacker IN ever; he got enough
to cure him o hoss racin' for one while.
But Cuff got over it arter a while, and
so did the doctor. Lordy massy, there
amt nothin' lasts forever. Wait long
enough and most everything blows
over. So it turned out about the doc
tor; there was rumpus and a fuss, and
folks talked and talked and advised;
everybody had their say, but the doctor
KEEP right straight on, and KEEP his
hoss all the same.
"The ministers they took it up in the
Association, but come to tell the story
it sot 'em all a-laughin' so they couldn't
be very hard on the doctor.
"The doctor felt sort o. streaked at
fust when they told the story on him;
he didn't jest like it; but he got used to
it, and finally, when he was twitted on
t, he ID sort o smile, and say, Any
way, Tam beat 'em; that's one COM
fort. '"-H0rriet Beecher StooOc, IN Al
tanttc Monthly TOR october.