Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-09-23
A Fable for the Hour.

Out upou u tituc tuCiO WnS . pCi-
sonage called Uncle Samuel-the
same who was reported to be "rich
enough to give us all a farm" and
from whom certain OF his children
expected at one time donation of
forty acres of land and a mule each.
Now, this uncle had for many years
q horse named "Dem.", that could
run tremendously on election days,
but spent all the rest of his time eat
ing oats out of the public CRIB. The
old brute was chiefly made up of ap.
petite and legs, and he devoured pro.
vender until Uncle Samuel couldn't
rest, and so a good many attempts
were made to get rid of him, but
once in four years parcel OF men
who owned black servants would
come in and rub him down and
straddle 3 new groom upon his back,
and SO, in what they called the Pres.
idential races, old "Den.' kept
coming in ahead, keeping possession
of Uncle Samuers stable and eating
all the fodder as before.
But old "Dem." felt his oats too
much and grew vicious. Presently
he began to tear down the fences of
Uncle Samuel's farm, and some of
his tenants took it into their heads
that Uncle Samuel didn't own the land
any way. A number of them banded
together and declared that each one
could do as he liked with his farm,
although it was only rented, and re-
solved to have nothing more to 90
with Uncle Samuel, but to build q
big barn OF their own for old "Dem."
to come and eat in as long as he
liked, without the trouble of running
very hard in order to win the races !;
for they declared that no other horse
should run against him.
This was just what suited old
"Dem.", and he was willing enough
to 90, but before starting he engaged
in a grand tantrum, and kicked his
stall all to pieces, and he knocked off
all the doors of the barn and tipped
over all the barrels of oats, and fin.
ally managed to set the whole con-
Germ a6re, and then he trotted off to
the secession stable with his head
and tail in the air, and snorted so
loud that he frightened Ben Butler
and several others who had groomed
him little at one time or another,
but did not seem tn realize how bad
he could behave.
There being nothing left of old
"Dsm." in Uncle Sans dominions
but an evil odor, which some called a
"putrid "reminiscences" of course he
lost no time in getting new horse,
and his name was "Rep." Now
"Rep." was a horse that obeyed his
master, and didn't tear down fences
or kick stables to pieces, and al
though he ran nightly on occasions,
he did not always have to be headed
towards the cribs in order to get
him to do anything. He bore his
masters soldiers into the war against
the rebellious tenants; drew his plow
in the fields where the grain grew,
and hauled rails to mend the broken
fences nay, he bore the great rail-
splitter from farm to farm, until at
length all the fences were restored
and made good and strong as they
were before they were torn down.
Uncle Samuel did not forget the good
work that "Rep." had done, and SO
he put him in his stable (Which had
been rebuilt), gave him a striped
blanket with some stars in one cor,
her, and took him ont for race once
10 while. and gave him plenty of
exercise all the year round.
The other day a man with a blue
coat on came into the yard leading a
quadruped all covered over by q
military blanket, and stumped Uncle
Samuel to trade horses. The Uncle
lifted corner Of the rag and ex-
claimed, II know this ugly beast
well enough-it's old "Dem." that
raised hob with me 30 many years
ago. He's got the hind legs of a
kangaroo, the fore legs of giraffe,
the back of camel, the stomach of an
ostrich, and the mouth of a crocodile.
I've had enough of him: and be-
sides, my horse "Rep." is good
enough for ma"
"But," said the man in blue, "you
have had Rep for twenty years
It's a good plan to change once 10 a
while"
"Wsll," said Uncle Samuel, 81 had
Dem most OF the time for thirty
years, and | think l know his gait.
He knocked everything to flinders
when he left, and l wouldn't trust
elm again."
"It's all in the rider" said the man
in blue 81 know just how to man.
age him. The old fellow looks rather
bad because he has been away from
the crib 80 long, but just let him get
filled up once and you'll see how fine
he looks. / wear long spurs, and
he's good for a race yet"
"That may be-" quoth Uncle Sam.
uel, "but I've got an Ohio boy named
Jim who knows how to manage a
horse pretty well-and mule, too,
for that matter-for he used to drive
on the tow path, and l think that I'll
keep rep under his charge for a
few years. He is horse that | can
find no fault WITHHOLD Rep is, and
has never acted badly. Dem was
an ugly, vicious horse when l had
him,snd Idon't care to try him again.
Good day. Inter Ocean.