The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-07-28
s.T,u take five dollars. ma'om. ;

py?"
There he is, father .
"Why, if that amt a FIVE dollar
bill You don't say J"
Ben explained, and added, "The
pig did it father"
"Well, YES, the pig did il. 1t just
beats me though" "
"He won't know what to do with
five-dollar bill.
"Nor YOU either But soon's /
can throw off this load we must
drive up town there's to be horse
auction"
Ben knew what that meant, for
( his father knew all about horses, and
was all the while buying and selling
them. So it was not long before the
wagon was empty, and Ben and his
father made their way to where the
horses were TO be sold.
There's a good many of 'em,
said Ben's father, but the whole lot
isn't worth much. | guess there
/ isn't anything here | want"
Not many people were bidding
for the horses, and they were indeed
4 a poor looking lot, but pretty soon
I a gray horse was led out that limp
ed badly, and was Is thin as if he
had been fed on wind. One man
/ bid a dollar for him, and another bid
two, and there were a good deal OF
fun made about it; but Ben's father
had very quietly slipped down from
/ the wagon, and taken a careful look
at the lame horse.
For all that. Ben was little sur
prised when the auctioneer's ham
mer fell, and he shouted, Sold for
! five dollars, to. What's your
name mister? ?"
"Ben Wittlesey,
Ben's father said that But it
wasn't his name IL name was
I Robert.
Ben" said his father, when he
came back to the wagon, hand me
that fve-dollar bill. If | can get
that horse home. III cure him in a
fortnight. There's no great thing
the matter with him.
There was trouble enough in max
ing the poor lame animal limp so
many miles. and they got home af-
ter dark: but that was Just as well,
for nobody saw the new horse, or
had Il chance 20 laugh at him or his
owner.
Its the pigs horse said Ben.
Ben's father was as good as his
word about curing the lameness, and
plenty Of oats and hay, and no
work, and good care did the rest.
The man that sold the gray for FIVE
dollars would not not have known
him at the end of two weeks.
1t was Just about two weeks after
that Ben's father drove the pigs
horse to town and back in a buggy,
and with nice new harness on. He
stopped at the blacksmith's shop on
his way home. and Mr. Corrigan, the
blacksmith, seemed 20 take great
fancy to the gray.
Just the nag ! want, Mr.. Whit
tlesey; only I've no ready cash to
pay for him"
Il don't sell on credit you know"
said Mr.. Whittlesey. Anything
to trade?"
Nothing that | know of unless
YOU care to take that vacant lot OF
+. mine next to the tavern. 'Tisnt
doing me any good. l had to take
it for debt, and | have paid taxes
for it these three years.
"Will YOU swap eyen2
'Yes, ! might as well.
There was more talk, Of course,
before the trade was finished. but IL
came out all right in the end. Be
fore the next day noon Mr. Corrigan
owned the pigs horse; bat the deed
of the town lot was made out in the
name of Ben Whittlesev, and not of
the pig.
Father" said Ben at the tea ta-
|, bic. 'mayn't | let that pig out in
! the road every day ?''
mo, Ben; all the pigs in the vii
lage can't root up another cent like
that"
He did it.
"Well. Ben, he did and he didn't.
| Do you know how he got the town
lot for your
why yes. Don't ! ?"
Not quite. You saw him turn up
! the cent, and knew what to do with
, it; he didn't"
"Yes, father"
"And Squire BurchaFd saw the
: cent and knew what 70 d6 with it
/, you didn't"
"Yes, father"
"And the lady saw your puppy,
and knew what to do with it, and
YOU didn't nor either. And | saw
J the gray horse, and knew whatto do
! with him; the rest didn't"
'But | don't know what to do
with the pigs town lot.
no, nor Mr.. Corrigan didn't. nor
either; but the man from town
that's Just bought the old tavern, is
going to build / over new, and
wants to buy that lot to build on.
] tell YOU what, Ben. my boy, there
isn't much in this world that's worth
having unless somebody comes
along that knows exactly what to dc
with IT,"
Benz" suddenly exclaimed his
j mother, as she looked 9Vt of the
. window there's that pig Gui in the
garden"
"Jump, Ben" said his father "If
he gets into your patch Of musk
: melons. he'll know just what dc
with then.
, Before Ben got the pig out of re
garden, the pig learned that Ben
knew what to do with = big stick.
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