Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-11-14

al'' Ooyss' says he, 'let 'em get close
S Sp ana then rn give the word. and The
uoc'oFs boss will be racin' ahead III
wall SO the doctor and his folks tho,,
drew up behind the bushes. and stooa
there, innocent as could be, and saw se,,,
Citing ready to start. Tam he began to
shuttle and paw, but the doctor never
mistrusted what he was up to till Ike sung
out, go it, boys!' and the horses all start
ed, when, sure as you live, boys, Tam
give one fly, and was over the bushes and
in among them, going It like chain light
ming ahead of 'em all.
"Deacon Popkins and Ben Bradley jest
stood and held their breath to see 'em
goin' it so like thunder; and the doctor
he was took so sudden it was all he could
do to jest hold on any way, so away he
went, and trees and bushes and fences
streaked by him like ribbons his hatfew
of behind him and his wig arter, and he
got catohed in barbsrFy bush, but Lordy
massy, he couldn't stop TO think of them.
He jest leaned down and caught Tam
around the neck and held on for dear life,
till they came to the stopping place.
"Wal, Tam was ahead of them all, sure
enough, and was snorting and snuf1ing
as If he'd got the old boy in him, and
was up to racing some more on the spot.
''That 'ere Ike Sanders was the impu-
dentist feller that ever you see, and he
rOared and haw-hawed at the doctor.
" Good for you, Doctor says he; you
beat us all holler,' says he; takes par
son for that, don't it boys?' he said. And
then he and Ike and Tom and the two
Hokum boys they just roared and danced
round like wild critturs.
HWal, now only think o. it, boys! What
a situation thatwas for minister-a man
that had come out with the best of mo-
tives to put a stop to the Sabbath breakin'I
There he was all rumpled up and dusty
and his wig hanging in the bushes, and
these 'ere ungodly felle-s gittin the laugh
on him, and all because o. that 'ere hOss.
There's times, boys, when ministers must
be tempted to swear, if there amt pre-
venting grace, and this was one of the
times to Parson Williams. They say he
got red In the face, and looked as if he
should burst, but he didn't say nothing;
he scorned to answer, the sons of Zerniah
was too hard for him, aud he let 'em heV
their say; but when they'd got through,
aud Ben had brought him his hat and
wig. and brushed and settled him agin,
the parson he says;
'''Wal, boys, we've had yer say and yer
laugh, but warn you now, I won't have
this thing goin' on any more, says he, $50
mind yerselves.'
"Wal, the boys see that the Doctors
blood was up, and they rode off pretty
quiet, and believe they never rode no
more on that spot.
FtBut there amt no telling the talk this
'ere thing made. Folks will talk, you
know, and there Rarn't a house in all
Billriky, nor in the south parish nor GEN.
ter where it warn't had over and discus
sed. There was the deacon and Ben Brad
ley 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 1t made great scandal; that a min
lister had no business to hev that kind Of
hoss, and that he'd give the enemy Oc-
casion to speak reproachfully. 1t RELY
did seem as If Tam's sins was imputed to
the doctor; and folks said he ought to
sell Tam right away. and get sober min
| ister's hoss.
"But others said it was Cuff that had
got Tam in bad ways, and they do say that
Cuff had to catch 1t pretty lively when
the doctor came to settle with him. Cuff
thought his time had come sure enough,
and was so scared that he turned blacker
than ever; he got enough to cure him Of
hoss racing for one while. But Cuff got
over it arter while, and so did the doc
| tor; there was rumpus and fuss, and
| folks talked and talked and advised; eve
| rybody had their say, but the doctor kept
right straight on, and kept his hoss all
! the same.
s'The ministers they took 1t up in the
association, but come to tell the story it
set them all laughing, so they couldn't be
very hard on the doctor.
/ ''The doctor felt sort o. streaked at fust
whom they told the story on him; he did
not like it, but he got used to it, and final
ly when he got twisted on it, he would
sort O. smile and say, ANY way, Tam beat
| 'emy that's one comfort"