The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-10-08
HIS son JIM'S BAY MARE.
Were the Camp NJ Getting Folks responsiI
for that particular Dicker?


HoNEsDALE, PA. Aug. 20.-"Tve
came all the way from Canaan to GIT a
leetle law" said man with horse
whip under his arm, blue overalls in his
boots, aud gray, stubby beard on his
face, as he entered the Allen house read
ing-roon, yesterday, where number of
the boys were talking politics. "Meb-
be some o. you felers kin give me the
correct thing withoutthc dickerin' with
lawyer"
The speaker was a well-known far
mer of the southern part of the country
He and his son Jim are noted for their
sharpness at bargain and readiness
to trade horses, cows, wagons, farms
or anything that belongs to them. at
any and all times customer may pre-
sent himself. Jim lives on a farm a
mile from the old mans.
aye see, boys" continued the speak
er, "my boy jim had bay mare that he
traded yearlin' bull and a cross tooth
harro fur. She was good critter an
no mistake. l wanted that mare the
wust kind, an made Jim heap o. good
offers fur her, but he wouldn't bite
Last Wednesday he came to my house
kind o. careless like, and set down on
the front stoop. Twas chopin kindlin'
wood for mornin.' Jim sot there a
lookin' up an down the road whistlin'
the Sweet By an By kind o. TO hisself
When l carried in my kindlin' | sot
down on the stoop by him"
"'Jim,' sez, 'you better let your old
fIther have tia bay mare o. yourn, sez
Jim had Just started the second verse
of the Sweet BY an By but he whis-
tied her all the way through afore he
answered me.
"IPve ben thinkin' o. lettin' you have
the mare, pap sez he, seems you got
yer heart sot OH her so,' sez he, pervid-
IN we kin git up dickcr,' sez he.
"Jim had been goin' to camp-meetir'
pOoty steady for week back an |
heerd he was gittin' serious. lie had
MT been whistlin' nothin' but hymn
tunes for two or three days, and when
he came around so nice on the mare
question made upmy mind that me
an the old woman would see him jinin'
the mourners' afore long.
"Jim kin stand $50 for the mare
sezI
"Jim looked up the road an hummed
a verse of Come ye sinners poor an
needy. Then he scz:
"'Pap, sez he, I'll tell You what I'll
do. Give me a hundred dollars scz he
an throw in them two Berkshire pigs
an the mare is yours scz lie, Jest as
she is
"A bargainl sez l. The pigs is
yours, an I'll be down after the mare
Tomorrow sez |.
81 counted out the hundred an give
it to him. lie druv the pigs home with
him. They was worth $l5 apiece, easy.
| conld hear Jim whistlin' Hold the
Fort till he got half mile away.
Jemima,' sez 10 the old woman,
'Jemima,' sez |, Il never thought Jim ID
git pious, did you? But I've got the
bay mare, sez | an what the old boy
Jim was thinkin' of | can't see. She's
worth two hundred and fifty any day
of the week. Sc. Religion is maxim
fool o. Jim,' sez |.
"Well. next mornin' early | went
down to Jim's to git the mare. Jim
had gone to town. | see his wife.
"'Pve bought the bay mare, Nancy
| sez.
".'Yes, | know ye ,have,' sez Nancy
GRIMM all over her face.
"Wherc is she sez.
WShe's down in the stone lot, sc;
Nancy, grinnin' morc'n ever.
al thought il was funny that th'
mare should be down in the stone lot
but went down to find her. Boys,
found her. She was lynn behind a bis
stone heap, deader'n a door-nail.
went back to the house:
deadp
"O,yes, ,sez Nancy, ,lauehin'as if she''
split, she died yesterday mornin' wit
the collie, sez she.
"Boys, for minute | was mad
Then i come to, an seZ to myself, 'pl
be glued if don't git the mares shoes
anyhow sez |. So went back to th
stone lot to draw her shoes oil. Boys
III divide my farm up bet'een ye if Jir
hadn't drawed them shoes hisself, al
the mares feet war rs bare as when sh
was born.
"Now, | amt no ways mad at jim
boys, for itlwas fair an square dicker
an il shows there's stuff in him; onl
he mought left the shoes on the marc
What want to know is. can't | g
back on the campmeetin' folks som
way for damages2 If it hadn't be
for hem hymn tunes jim larnt at ii
meetin's I'd ben lookin' out for hin
But they throwed me way of my guar'
The way look at II is that the CAM
meetin' society is responsible for n
losin' my hundred dollars and two ii
| iaau-dolIar nios Cnn't | Oit back