Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1880-09-23
Helena, Montana, Thursday, September %, 1880.
HIS SON JIM'S BAY MARE,
GHOnnelsdale Herald. ]

[Honnesdale HerAld.l
i've come all the way from Canaan to ri,
a leetle law, said man with horsewhlu
under his arm, blue Overails in his boots, and
gray, stubby beard on his face, as he en-.
tered the Allen House reading room yester-
day, where number of the boys were talk
ing politics. "Mebbe some o you fellers kin
give me the correct thing without the dick
erin with lawyer
The speaker Was a wellknown farmer of
the southern part of the county. He and his
son Jim are noted for their sharpness at a
bargain and readiness to trade horses, COWS.
wagons, farms or anything that belongs to
them, at any and all times customer may
present himself. Jim lives on a farm mile
from the old mans. ,...
eye see. boys continued the speaker,
'my boy Jim had bay mare that he traded
ayearlin' bull an crOss-toOth harrow fur
She was a good critter, an no mistake.
wanted that mare the wust kind, an made q
heap o good offers fur her, but he wuldn't
bite. Last Wednesday he came to my house
kinder careless like, and sot down on the
front stoop. was chopin kindlin' wood
fur mornin. Jim sot there a lookin' up an
down the road, whstlin' the Sweet by an
| by kinder to himself When carried in nv
kindlin' wood I sot down on the stoop bv
| him. -...
."'Jim, ST you better let your oldf a.
ther have that bay mare O. yourn,' sez |.
''Jim had jest started the second verse of
the Sweet by an by but he whsted her ali
the way through afore he answered me.
81 ben thinker O letlin' you have the
mare, pap, seq he, seems you got yer heart
sot on her so, perviden' we kin git up dick
er, sez he. s>E.
Jim had been goin' to camp meetin' pooty
steldy fur week back, an heard he wus
gettin' serious. ] He hadn't bin whistlin
nothin' but hymn tunes for two or three
days, and when he came around SO nice on
the mare question made up my mind that
the mOurners afOre long;
"'Jim, I can stan $50 fur the mare.
sell. .....
'Jim looked up the road, and bummed a
verse of Come ye sinners, poor and neaty :
Then he sez. ,<.
Pap sez he, I know I orto let ytu
have that mare fur them figures, seq he, but
you know I've refused double that fur her,
seZ be. An so he had, boys. sure.
"Jim, sez again, i think could raise
the eighty about twenty more, maxim hun
dred. seq I, but that's all kin do. Remem-
ber Jim, sez I, that I'm yer father, an I'm.
eittin' old, an my hearts sot on that mare,
sez l.
'''Plunged in a gulf Of dark despair
hummed Jim, lookin' plump up to the sky.
l guess he got away two verses afore he said
anything TO me, an l didn't interrupt him
singin'. Then he seZ:
Pap, sez he,s I'll tell you what I'll do
Give me hundred dollars, sez he, AN throw
in them two Berkshire pigs, an the mare is
yours, sez he, Jest as she is
IA bargain = sez |, the pigs is yours, an
I'll be down after the mare to- morrow, seZ |.
Il counted out the hundred an give it to
him. He druv the pigs home with him. They
was worth $15 apiece, easy. | could
hear Jim whistlin' Hold the Fort till he got
half mile away.
/" "'Jemima, seZ to the old woman, 'Jem-
ima, sez l, I never thought Jim d git pious,
did you? But I've got the bay mare,' sez |
an what the old boy Jim was thinkin' of l
can't see. She's worth $3.50 any day in the
week. sez. Religion is maxim fool O.
Jim,' seq I.
"Well, next mornin early went down to
Jim's to git the mare. Jim had gone to town.
see his wife. g.,s,
".Tve bought the bay:mare, Nancy
seZ. -.
: "'Yes. know ye have sez Nancy, grin
ming ali over her face. -" 5'3s
Where is she 2 sez |. i. aI1E
"'She's down in the stone lo:; sez Nancy,
GRIMM more'n ever.''J. ...fs4l
II thought it was funny the mare should
be down in the stone lot, but I went down to
find her. Boys, found her. She was layin''
behind big stone heap; deader'n door nail I
went back to the house. = : "a
"'Wby, Nancy seal, the bay mares
dead :, .s,a",e. 'a1e
80, yes, sez Nancy. laughin' as if she'd |
split, she died yesterday mornin' with the
collie, sez she. '"-''" = '.n.'
.sBoys, for minute was mad. Then |
come too an'sez to myself, .l'll be glued il [
don't get the mares shoes; anyhow sez |.
So went back to the stone lot to draw her
shoes off. Boys, ! II divide up my farm be-
tween We if Jim hadn't drawed them shoes |
hisself, an the mares feet was as bare as
when she was born. M
''Now, amt no ways mad at Jim, boys. |
for it was fair and square dicker, and it |
shows there's stuff in him only he mought |
a left the shoes on the mare. What | want
to know is, can't I get back at the camp /
meetin folks some way for damages? If it
hadn't been for them hymn tunes Jim larnt
at the meetin's I'd ben q lookin out for
him. But they throwed me way Off my
guard. The way look at it is that the camp
meetin' society is responsible for me losin'
800 an two $15 pigs. Can't git 'em back
for tresspass, or false pretenses. or excessary
afore the fact, or suthin'? Can't do it,
boys ?"
Oyup ono hundrad vouro n, mon of Newark