Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1881-01-18
MIscELLANEoUS.
HIS SON JIM's BAY MARE,

| t.e2 " E come all tho way in from Canaan tc
- git little law" said man with a
hersewhip under his arm, blue overalls in
his boots, and gray, Etubby beard on hi.
taee, as he entered the Allen House reading,
room yeste day, whore number of the b ".
were taking politics. "Mobbo sono O. you
tsiiers KIN give me the correct thing With,
cut me diGkeTin' with q lawyer"
The speaker was a we'll known farmer ol
the southern part of the county Ho and
his son Jim are noted for their skarpusrs at
bargain and q readiness to trade horses,
COWS, wagons, farms, or anything that be.
lsngs to them, at any and all times Gus.
toner may preseut himself Jim lives on q
| farm mile from tha old aan's.
"To SEQ, boys" continued the speaker.
"rny boy Jim bad bay marc that be traded
a yearlin bul! and q CROSS tooth harrow fur
She was good critter, an no mistake. I
wanted that marc tho wust kind, an mado
Jim heap O. good offers fur her, but he
wouldn't bito. Last Wednesday be como to
my house kind O. careless like, and sot down
on the front stoop. I wes a chopin kind
lin rood fur morniu'. Jim set thero a
lookin' up an dewn tho road whistl;n' the
Sweet BY and By kind O. to hisself. Whom
L carried in my kindlin', set down on the
stoop by him.
Jim" 1 seq, ''you better let your old
father have that bay marc O. yourn, )" scz I.
jim had jest started the second verso of
the "Sweet By und BY" but ko whistlcd
her al! the way through aEore he answered
ne.
Il ban thinkin' g lottiu' you have the
mare, pap" scz he, "seein's you got yCr
hoart sot on her So" sez ho, "pervidin' We
kin git up dicker," SEE ho.
u had hmm ,
Pooty steady for week back, sn' heerd he
was gcttin' serious. Ho hadn't been what
lin nothin' but hymn tunes for two or three
days, an when he come around SO uieo on
tho mare question 1 mado up my mind thnt
mo aud the old woman would see him iinin'
the u1ournars fore long"
Jim" I sez, q kin stand eighty dollars
fer the marc" ssz I.
Jim looked up tho road, and hunmcd n
verse Of Come ye sinners, poor an needy. -
Then he aez:
''Pap," sez he, Il know I orter let yov
hovs that mare fur thom figures" sez he.
'but you know I'vo refused double that for
her" scz he Ar SO he had, boys, suro.
| Jim" see I, again. II think I could
raise the eighty about twenty more. maxim
a hundred" scz I; "but thst's all kin do
Remember jim" sez I, 'that I'm yer faith
er, and Tn gittin' old, an my hearts sot OF
thst nara," seq I.
Plunged in gulf of dark despair,
hummed jim, lOokin' plump up to tho 81 '
said anything. to me, an didn't interrupt
his siDgin' Then he sex:
Pap" seE hs, 'I'll toll you what I'll do
Give me hundred dollars" sez he. "and
throw in thom two Berkshire pigs, an the
marc is yours" pGz he, "jcst as she is."
"a bargain" SCI I. Tho pigs arc
yours, an I'll bo down after the mare to.
morrow"
81 couutod ont the one hundred an give
it to him. He druv the pigs home with
him. They was worth fifteen dollars apiece
easy. l could hear Jim wbistIin' Hold the
Fort. till he got half mile away.
"Jemima, SCI to the old woman. "Jo.
min, never thought Jim'd git pious, did
you? But I've got tho bay marc, an whai
the old boy Jim was thinkin' of cant SEQ
She's worth two hundred an 6fty any day
in the week. Religion is maxim fool o.
jim" I then SEE.
"Well, next mornin' oariy I went down te
Jins to git tho mare. Jim had gono Il
town. 1 then went to sec his wife.
1--WE bought tho bay mare, Nanc7."
GRIMM
"Where is. she?'
"She's down in the stsne lot" sez Nan
cy, GRIMM all ovor her face, moron evor
Il thought It Vas funny that tho mar,
should be down in the stone lot, but wen
down to ind her. Boys, found her. Sh,
was layin' behind big stone heap. desder'l
o door nail I went to the house"
"Why, Nancy" sez I, "tbe marc i
80, yes" seq Nancy, laughin' as if che,
split, "she died yesterday mOruin' will
"Boys, for minute was mad. Bu
then come te, and seq to myself. "I'll b.
glued if don't git the mares shoes, an,
how" So went back. to the stone lot L
draw her shoes off, Boys, I'll divide m,
farm between ye if Jim hadn't drawed then
shoes hisself, an the mares feet was bare a
when she vas born"
"NoW, L ANT no ways mad at Jim, boys
for it was fair and square dicker, an i
shows there's stuff in him; only he mough
a left the shoes on the mare. What war
to know is, can't git back at the eamJ
rneetin' folks some way fer damages? If
hadn't been for them hymn tunes jim
larDt at the meetin's I'd ben Isekil' gu