Litchfield enquirer., 1879-12-04
.There," said he, sis the old house where


 ing bears right out O the door q that old house back wonder. He came out all the way in s wagon, and squatted here Tn the woods. Lord he had no idea then that there'd ever be rail road within five hundred miles of him. He was a regular old pioneer-the old man was - always wanted to be on the go His name was George Whipple, and I was his oldest boy and named after him, 80 Pve always had tc write 'Jr.' after my name. It's pity folks can't find names enough for their children, without Z ivin' 'em some that's been all used up in the family afore. But then it took g good many names to go round in our family There was thirteen of us altogether, big and little, old and young. Well, my mother died when was about fourteen, and after she died, my father married again in few months. don't blame him, the way he was fixed; you see he was poor, and had lot O children tc be took care of, and he had to have somebody so he got married.
 "Well, me and the old woman he got couldn't agree, so run away and went to Detroit, and began life for myself, a-settin up nine pins in an alley, ia a mhiskey saloon. That's d bad place to begin, stranger but that's the way begun for myself, and that's where l begun to drink. ..
 II stayed there for couple O years, till got tired O that place, and then l went into a livery stable. Iworked there for about three years, till was pretty near of age, and then went South, down to Knoxville, Tennessee, and went into the livery business there for my self. And there's where first saw Dick. Her father was planter had a nice place, with lots O, nlggers, about twenty miles up the country from Knoxville; used to live ill big style, regular old Southern swell, in fact.
 Il wish you could a. seen Dick, stranger, just as she was the first time ever l saw her. She'd come down to the vile on visit to some folks knowed. You see, it was one egenin' along about the last O September, and d nig- ger came down to the stable and ordered up a carriage for the old man. We'll, the horses was pretty nigh all out. for it was just as nice an evenin' for ride as ever grew, and every hody was makln' the most of it, and so had to rig up team of little black Allies, that we hadn't had in the stable very long, and dare not trust to Tom, Dick and Harry to drive so made up my mind I'd go and drive 'em myself. tell you they was beauties, strang- CT pretty nigh full-bloed Morgans, just as clean-legged and smooth built as they ever grow, and full O life; d get up and go for all was out and yet just as gentle as kittens, if you knowed how to handle 'em. Eve drove a good many horses in my day, stranger, but never found anything quite up to Morgan, and these was just about as nice MOrgans as ever see.
 "Well, rigged up, and lit out. Up to the house, the folks was all ready, a-waitin out on the porch 1 never noticed much about 'em, when 1 first drove up. You see, when a feller is a-drvin' for folks O that stripe, about ali he wants to do is to tend to his team, and mind his own business generally. But Lord, stranger, just as I was standin' there, waitin' for an old woman to get in, heard some one laugh, comin' down the walk. Heavens, stranger, if you could only "a heard that Haugh! turned round, and there she was Bless your life stranger, it aint no use for me to try to tell you anything about her. 1 might talk from now till we get to Jackson, and then you wouldn't be no better off'n you are now. You see, Dicks one O them kind O women that you've got to see to know about. She was about fourteen then, not much bigger round n my thumb, not very tall, but slim and graceful as greyhound And her eyes, and her lips and teeth, and hair! Oh, it ant no use, stranger, cant tell you uutirfr auout her now, no more'n 1 could then. There aint but one such face in this world.
 'tWell, she come laughin' down the walk, and lit into the carriage as though she didn't weigh an ounce, and shut the door, climbed up and drove off. Lord, stranger, I never took another such ride as that in my life, afore or since. Why it just seemed to me was a-sittin on cloud, and drivin' an angel right through the sky without ever touchin' ground. You see. that little team was just what l wanted, just as much like dream hors- es as you could get and just gave the little gals the ribbons, and they took 'em, you bet.
 Well, We drove up the river, and then away back O town up in the hills and then down the river, and then back to the house. Dick got out first and ran round to the horses and began pettin' Kit. (That was the off one the same one that I'd been pettin' all the way) She pated her neck and stroked her head, and, finally, she just put her cheek right down on the tllly's face Kit stood there as quiet as lamb. And Dick stood there min ute, and then she looked up to me and spoke to me, the first words she ever said to me in her life. She just looked right at me-Ill be blowed, stranger, if it don't go over me now just to think O how she looked at me that even'-and then she says: You must b good to her, mister driver, for she's little and nice and not very strong. Fix her up good to- night, won't you flor she's been an awful long ways for us, and looks tired, poor little thing!'
 "Well stranger, mebbe that lilly didn't get well tended to that night -nebbe she didn't ! But as near as l can recollect, didn't leave the stable till about three o'clock in the morn in, and I'll bet went into that stall more'n fifty times, to see if there want something could do for that little gal.
 'Well all this time I'd been drinkin' pretty steady. took drink that night afore went to drive them folks. I always drank then, right along didn't think could do without it. But the next mornin', when got up, 1 went right down to the stable, and never took drop-somehow couldn't The first thing 1 done, l went into Kits stall and petted her a Jn x..1,o flnr,x l., n.. had done. Hanged if I didn't put my face right down against hers, just as Dick doae, and felt myself blush clear up to my ears when 1 done it, too. kept that lilly for more'n five years after that, and wouldn't "a sold her then, only had to-.
 ssWell, didn't drink notbin' for more'n week. and I kind e,- kept alone by myself good dear. Two or three times went up by the house where Dick had been, but couldn't get sight of her. She told me afterward that she went home the next day, up into the country. Then the boys. they got to maxim fun of me. You see I'd quit drinkln', and gamblin', and swearin' mostly-though that was the hardest to get rid of haint got quite clear U that yet But the boys, they asked me when got religion, and how soon was goin'to preachini, and all that; Lord, they hadn't no idea what really was the reason for my doin' as 1 did, or reckon they'd "a just about run me out O town maxim game of me- When they first began blowin' I got mad about it, but saw that only made things worse. SO 1 finally give in, and went to drink in again. ' ..,-.- ... .,. F '.Wel, by fnquirin' round found out where she lived, and who she was, and all about her. So, along the next spring. went up that way, sort O casual like, to buy some horses. rigged up in the best I'd got, and I could sling it on pretty thick them days, too, if tried, for it was afore the war and times was flush i; did a good business and owned all my stock. got up there, and met the old man and talked business with him for blind. and laid low and kept an eye out for Dick I saw her at supper, and then l staid all night and spent the .evenin' with the family, The old man had Dick play and sing for me. Lord, stranger, but she can sing Oh no, she can't go so high as some of 'em but somehow she's got way of getting off a song that just double discounts anything else ever heard. - i. Oh, we'll, it's no use maxim a long story out of it! But anyhow, ]. used to go up there, of and on, for about two years, and got well acquainted with her; and the better got to know her, why the ofteuer went to see her. And then, finally, l got to takin' that little