, 1881-01-30
THE "TALE" OF A HORSE.
Writtfn for The Chicago Tribune.


After our days work was finished we all
gathered round a big, cracking fire in the
| little, old-faslioned sitting-room Of the Bulls
Head tavern, and with the whistllng wind
J outside apd sleet-rain pelting against the
| wintlowsI-inside the comfortable fire, hot
! grog, and that greatest of comforts. plenty
| OF tobacco,-we settled down to our nightly
round Of storytelling. After we had all
| filled np our pipcs-not to mention glasses
! Jack related the following story:
Well, boys, that mare was the highest to
| a human being Of any critter ever see, and
loved her as l never loved no other. She
was as pretty. and as quick us
fawn, kind and gentle as dove,
aud that smart,-why there was no
gettin' even with her. The time I was
speakin' Of was more years ago than like to
think Of ! was young then. no rheumatic
in these ERE legs O. mine. and lived i'll n dear
little home among the mountains of Penn.
syl'ania, along with my old 1norllcr But I
was always puny, sickly boy. and when /
sud my days was numbered, that cons,,,np-
ton had me right in his fist l tell you what,
fellows life was pretty bright ami sweet to
me tleia, and jest made up my mind that
where was, born and raisel-ald parted,
with an aching heart, from my dear old
mother-bIess her heart! [ c;tn sec her
now as she sto"d with fearful eyes at the !
road, till a turn gave her the last look at tie |
on. dcarcr to her than life ITSELF
well, pards, to make Il long story short. !
fsaf Galae out here 1! to this Western country to
tsa.tie nattie 1of NE. l. maue my living at horse
nlaae headquarters. There was lyin' here
then man named jim Brown: he was the
pig gun Ut the place, but made all his money
A. at cards. ile was 4 good deal Of a scamp, /
money; but for all that, if you could ret All
ne llad z warm spot way down in his heart.
Weil, THIS Brown owned Il mare that
What w hey take for her, tic sais1, Why Jack,
II rs soon part with one Of my children Us
S1st II! Hi'sS DO. 0%' acn't Ut navs ss'i mS. S.H
il you'll pay for the kcepn' Of her, We'll, time
Sa %cnt On; luck turned aein Brown, and one dny
ne thgas came e. to ane and says Jack, TN hnrl up
must hnye y hundred dollars by Tomorrow, or
l ~ ruined man; If you'll let me have the
Flora fthal's the mares na1ne} VIII be yours
Wen, Saturday c,1ne, and Brown had lost |
eyes aud told nc the mare was mine; but 1 eavc
o'm one more chnnce. and loaned him nifty
,n1ore 11;,. with two weeks time to pay t in; bit
ut last he had to skip the place, md I've never I
seen him from that lay TO this
WA lttA nut ulU luuHy IL race WITH the |
In5uns, and she knew Just rs well as did that
hey meant no GOOD und when she'd hear them
;,omin8 shed prick up her cars and start on Il
Lead run. md never stop till they was clean out
If sight,
"One day, just about shutdown, we was aufet-
is, when all on Sudden tho familiar ,yaoon aen
vent up. and we both knowed the brutes was | ,
Ifter t;' u.s. and Gan tell YOU what, boys that was
11gnt haoi. Ihey drove lis into the cuiion |
own here, about ten miles tyou know the onej, :
na there we was-tho crazy loous On both sides
ng down as # the old NICK yns alter sel it. Enc E1sa
urned tln well that no horse. could live to git
cross but it was better to die that way than to
iFe those red devils tho satisfaction OF mhktn' |
m.g ,,ao oat OF ths top of my head-so we just q
lunged onward. not thinkin' Of what was be-
when we was pretty nigh give out. and Flora | =
ns sl e gcttan ~ out OF wind, | caught sight Of a
nmP Of underhrz'sh, and just says "a myself c.
M our last chance; don't know If 1 ran |
takc her tumble to it. but it's worth the tryia1 mr.
;a7 5nst gnvc her cut on the fore legs, and ID
oth down flat on our bcllies-and we could hear D
le shouts coming nearer md nearer =
Inv aen s.o,n tnes we're most on us I heard ponr =
oKln Q.Sl around saw about a dozen Of those -
aaato .et Is nnny n'G5ynu o. know What they are boys
ed give me away. Q :.
Well pards, them Injuns went clean by is.
ID can tell SOU t.. didn't take Flora and me
ore than second to jump up ana start or II
o o!9er be slh a1recron :; 70, Dnt st couldn't
wn the stream. So waved my hat to 'em. nnd -
iew minutes Flora and nee Was OUT Of sight.
oeu EN-. ~ oS Neo 81 81
: After that often used to come across SQUADS -
req men, ouS somehow they never olfered 10 |
Eerfere- and long afterwards lner Il half |
eed. VINO told me that the fnJuns thought / had y.
: power 10 make my horse nnd self invisible, 0'
9 their superstition prevented them from ever -
ling to do me evil
Come on boys, fill up your mugs, and wen D.
INK 10 the Epod Old mare That sared my lffc'' I Ma
"TOAMY."