The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-04-05

4'No,' said the captain, mot ir
me, but the mares They talked 4
over until the talking became bar
gaining, and the bargaining became
a swap. The adjutant was also one
of the people who knew how te
manage so that no harm comes uF
the rope to them when they lead
dogs, and my little captain got in
exchange for his calash and pair o.
mares, a saddle horse, q gray, which
if it had been the same in front as
it was behind, would have left moth
ing to be desired.
Il knew this gray thoroughly; il
had been sent to Bukowina the yeal
before to make up the number o.
horses wanted for the cavalry; and
the little captain in exchange for his
two horses, one good-for-nothinl
devil. for there were ten furious
fiends and fire eaters. in this one
gray, which ran with all four legs in
the air at once, and was of no use
in Gods world except to stand in
the stable, eat oats and smash the
groom's shins.
"Well, my little captain got this
very gray, and the next day mount
ed it and rode through the streets
of Peterwardein into the fields, and
the ten devils in the gray rode with
him, but remained asleep, and the
the gray danced along the road like
Clerk Blocken's old black mare.
My captain was riding on thinking
of nothing in particular, when
hunter came up with a dog, and my
little captain began to wonder where
the hunter was going and where the
dog was going, and what the dog
was doing with the hunter and the
hunter With the dog. While he
was thinking over these circum-
stances the ten devils in the gray
walked, rubbed their eyes, and whish
my little captain was lying in
the ditch.
"Here, my son." said my Uncle
Matthies, ''here." / thought his
confounded moral was coming and
ducked. "No," said he, mot yet,
the story isn't finished; here my
son originated the saying: When
do mountain and valley meet?' To
which the answer -: when a
Pucklichter falls into ditch
"The confounded gray then ran
around The racecourse till it reach,
ed the spot where the captain lay,
when it kicked, plunged, neighed
and snorted, while the ten devils in
it had its tail straight out in the air
my little captain gathered his
bones together out of the ditch as
well as he could, spite fire and
flames, snatched the hunters gun
from his shoulder and shouted,
wait, you scoundrel, we haven't
done with each other yet, as the
turkey cock said to the earthworm
writhing in its bill,' and wanted to
shoot the gray.
"But the hunter caught his arm
and begged hira to spare the horse
twas senseless animal ard meant no
harm. When my little captain
swore he couldn't bear the sight OF
it, the hunter swore he needn't be
would take the beast himself and
give the hunting dog for it, and at
last succeeded in soothing him.
$50 this bargain was struck. But
the dog was not the end of the
swapping, there was more to come.
"My little captain knew as much
about hunting as a COW does OF
Sunday, but for the sake of the
brown dog he became a great Nim-
rod, ran about in pair of huge top
boots. shot himself with both bar
rels through the brim of his hat be.
fore the eyes of the whole sqadron,
and then went partridge shooting as
if nothing had happened.
"Well, was then quartermastel
and acted as mother to the whole
squadron, kept the key OF the strong
box and could accommodate the
officers by making advances, SO
they often took me with them when
they went out hunting, and / was
tired enough of running about, for
l got nothing but weary legs.
well my little captain and
went together, and i was clever
enough to keep three steps behind,
for L thought, Your calves and
what rs over them are not his hat
brim.' My little captain called his
dog, whistled, patted, stroked and
| Fflogged him, pulled his ears, made
him seek and carry, and went
through so many performances
with him that even a dog with an
angels patience would have lost its
wits. Ponto at last became so gid
dy that he ran when he ought to
have pointed, and pointed when he
ought to have run, and the captain
fired and missed, blamed Ponto and
wanted to kill the dog. Ipitied the
creature and said:
"The dog is young, captain, it
hasn't been trained enough vet; let
me have it, and I'll give you this
pipe bowl. See, there's the famous
city of Criwitz, in Mecklenburg,
painted on it; this on the left is the
church-tower, and these little Jumps
on the right are the vineyards.
"He had a large collection of pipe
bowls-that / knew-and on some
were Vienna and Ofen and Trieste,
but he hadn't one with Criwitz, SO
it was something new to him and he
made the exchange.
"Then he went horne, he smoking
his new pipe. As he entered the
Peterwardein gate, felt so tickled,
tnat | said: Captain, do you know
what you're really smoking?"
He looked at me in a puzzled
way, and answered: "A pipe
NO said /, "a glass coach with
four horses, and showed him what
he had made by swapping.
He took the glass coach and
four, the calash with two horses, the
gray with the ten devils, the young
dog, and the pipe with the city Of
Criwitz with all her vineyards, and
smashed the whole on stone, say.
ing: Then I'll get rid of i..e
trumpery.'