The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-04-22

sech old plugs as that there, but briog OIL
the bay hoss you got of Tarbox."
John, the hostler, then led forth from
box-stall niee-loeking, bright ba,
horse, with a handsome, arching neck
that took my fancy at once.
"No use, Av'ry," plaintively remarked
MIR. Cropper, mo money won't buy tina
hoss; Mis- Cropper would-well, she'C
nigh about go crazy if | let him CO."
"There, squire" said Mr.. Avery, to
tally disregarding his friends remark
$50 longs l can't sell We hoss, / wan
ye to have good one, an if ye git him,
said Avery, indicating the animal by 1
backward jerk of his thumb, you'll get ;
hoss as is hoss."
1t would be useless for me to prolony
the details Of our trade. But what
gave for the bright bay horse, "David,
is secret locked carefully beneath my
own shirt-bosom.
Suffice it TO say that ! gave my check
for i'm, aud, borrowing a buggy, drove
him joyfully homeward, first donating &c
Mr.. Avery $2l 80 rs per agreement, in
Guiding horse hire. "Cropper must be
somewhat of htrmorist," remarked tC
myself as heard trio of cachinations
proceeding from the stable yard, when
started from thence, and, with joy in
my bosom, drove home at round pace
My good lady stood on the piazza OF
our cottage as I reined up in excellent
style, and | could see that she was al
once prepossessed in favor Of my new
purchase, though she pretended TO ridi-
cule the peculiar cut of his tail, which
| am free to confess was somewhat alb
breviated, but as no other blemish could
be found, my wife somewhat reluctantly
admitted that for one of my purchases
the animal did not look 80 bad.
"But l fear" said the e,timable lady,
as she prepared to put on her shawl at
my offer of giving her ride, chat you
will wish that you had taken my advice,
and not bought him Of horse-dealer." "
Now | could not recall that my wife
had ever given such advice, beyond a
vague and general remark concerning
the unreliability of men who "swopped'
horses; but, as | have said, have dis
covered one of the secrets of matrimonial
felicity to consist in the golden gift of
silence; therefore, | merely smiled,
helped the lady into the buggy, and drove
off.
"Don't he go little lame," observed
my wife, somewhat obviously, as the ami
NAL assumed a sort of up-and-down gait
that brought to mind n Utter" or ''see-
saw" of my youthful days.
30, no, was my cheerful and decided
answer, as | remembered the positive as
serton of Mr.. Cropper regarding the
soundness of the animal. "Cropper said
that he had been used as Il saddle-horse,
at times, by his wife, and he sometimes
broke into Il cantcr."
~ suppose that the man gave you a
written warranty that he was sound"'
remarked my lady, with an exasperating
air of doubt.
As much as ] admired the sagacity of
my wife, as shadowed forth in the ques-
ton, WIS at the same time vexrd, for l
had forgotten, if had ever known, that
this was customary. But had no time
to acknowI. dre my negligence in This re-
spcct, for Perkins boy, who had been
str&wbcrrying in my unmowed meadow,
suddenly sprang over the fence with a
pail of the fruit in his hand.
Perkins boy is not by any means pre-
pos essing in hispefsonal appearance, but
had no idea # the effect which his
freckled face and red hair would produce
upon the sensitive mind of my new pur-
chase.
He gave a backward jump that threw
my wife into cluster of bramble- bushes
by the road-id and pitched NE head
long from the buggy into the dusty road,
where, for moment, Il brill mt and pan
oramic display Of fireworks was lit up for
my special benefit, and then the gallant
steed, with leap forward, upset the
buggy, and started along the road at a
pace that noting short Of runaway To-
comotive could have equaled, his move
ments being somewhat accelerated by
frantic shrieks of "Whoa!" from Perkins
boy, who, at the first indications of the
horses running away, had SHE'D the pail
fui OF berries Ht his head, and then yelled
after him like a red-headcd fiend.
My first thought, after finding my
bones whole, was for the safety of my
wife, who, TO my joy, saw disentangiing
herself from the brambles with a some
what flushed countenancc.
"Are you hurt, my dearW | inquired,
anxiOusly.
forbcar to repeat her answer, as she
was naturally somewhat agitatad, but no.
ticing that Perkins boy was listening
with eager ears aud and apnrcciativr grin,