River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-11-03
4 TALEOF THE YORKSHIRE woLDs.

But not always a hero like thls-and that's all.
TALEOF THE YORKSHIRE WOLDS.
Fifty years ago the laws were not so
thoroughly enforced as they are now
upon the wild ranges of England called
the Yorkshire Wolds. Few of the
busy jewellers in populous London
have any idea of their grandeur in a
winter snow storm, or of their beauty
when an August sun pours down its
rays upon stretches of waving corn,
that lie like sheets of gold along the
ridges, fringed above with dark plan
tations. During the great exhibition
of 1851 few fir ends and | took a real
holiday for once in our lives, and went
for week to see the wonderful things
in London which the papers were so
full of. We saw all that was to be seen
in the time, and we did not lose mo-
ment, | assure you. But after all, /
saw nothing like our grand old hills
1t was the first time that most of us
had been so far away from home.
My tale? . yes, that was what | start
ed to tell you; but that was twenty-five
years before our London visit, when /
was young man, farming one hun
bred and sixty acres of land. | had
occupied the farm about two years,
renting, at the same time, a house in
the nearest village, about two miles
away, for my wife and two children.
The farm buildings consisted of a large
barn, which went by the lame of Red
Barn, il being built of red bricks; an old
six horse stable, matched with whins
a fold-yard, paled around; and two or
three wood sheds. A good sized house
and better outbuildipgs were being
built; but none ofthem were far enough
advanced to be habitable for man or
beast. A plantation of ash and spruce
trees sheltered the farmstead from
wind and storm, as it was situated high
up on the hillside.
Returning home rather later than
usual one Saturday night from our
market town, distance of II miles, |
was told by the man who came out to
take my horse, that an accident had
happened up at the farm that after
noon.
''What is the matter, David ?"
asked.
'sRoger has run fork into his foot"
was the answer.
Roger was one of the horses, and, it
appeared, on further questioning, that
one of the large steel forks used for
stacking in harvest time had been care
lessly laid upon the stable floor, and
Roger, a farm horse, had run its prongs
into his foot. The man thought it was
II serious wound.
"What have you done for to- was
my next question.
''Sent of for Coats" Coats was the
veterinary surgeon for the district.
Has he Gomez"
"NO, sir; he had gone to Melby."
Melby, | knew, was eighteen miles
away across the country from Goats
home; and after that journey he would
not feel inclined, at IL O'Clock on cold
winter night, TO start again for another
sixteen miles.
Turning my horses head, l told Da-
vid to 60 to bed, and | would de up
to the Red Barn.
Shall sit mp for your norse?' he
asked, yawning, tired from a long day S
exposure to cold and storm.
mo, no one need wait for me- and
| started off.
Fifteen minutes brought me to the
stable door; but | paused to let my
heated mare drink from the pond,
close bv, and IS | stood | caught a
murmur of human voices within the
stable. Surprised, as not man lived
at the stealing, | tried the door. II
was fastened ON the inside. | knocked.
still holding my horse by the bride,
and the thought coming across my
mind hat Coats must have come
straight here, without waiting for any
one to assist him. There was no answer
To nv first summons, so | knocked and
called again more loudly
what dye want ?" demanded q
grutf voice from the inside.
WANT? | want To come in, to be
sure. What are you doing there,
should like to know? Open the door
at once :"
Likely p was grunted back again
when we are just warm, and settled
= after nasty cold tramp"
Now | knew who my unnv1teo
: guests were. 1t is not every one who
knows, or knew, of class of mendt
eants. Familiarity termed, among us
.Wold Rangers" pest to the farmers
and a great dread 10 the inhabitants 81
outlaying farms. They were constant
pilferers. and rarely would work
though often applying for 1t. None OF
them we're above poachlng, and most
of them had been In prison some time
or another. A few protested to be
hawkers of some sort; but the majority
begged from door to door. We had
no policemen nearer than ten miles
and his face was almost as strange as
the shas in our district. These iawless
wanderers rarely travelled alone, but
were generally accompanied by nu.
merous following of women ana
children, n horse and cart or two, otter
a donkey, and two or three dogs.
NV visitors were in no particlar hur
nv to comply with my reiterated de
mand for abundance, and their louC
snores were most irritating to hear iron
the outside. Again / vigorously pom
melted the door with an ash sapllns
that | carried in my hand, and loudly
stormed at their obstinacy. 1t was o
no use, as q growl was all the reply
GOT. As determined to be inside a
they were to keep me out, | went hacl
a few PAGES and then dashed open th'
door with my foot.
The moon just shown in with sutfi
cient light to enable me to see what ;
strange lot of bed-fellows were grouped
together among the straw; and th'
loose horse-box was at the end of thu
stable. right through the thick of them
Iordered them one and all to turn out
An Irishman by the name of Dea'
Ned" lifted his fierce, shaggy face anC
dared me, in strong language, TO al
tempt TO disturb them.
"But my horse" | reasoned mus
see to him"
But reason was drowned IN the oppo
sition of dozen hoarse voices.
was young then and reckless Q
danger; more so than ! am now on To