Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-03-23
CHARLEY OTIS RIDE.
AS TOLD BY HIS GRANDSON.


He is my grandfather now-Charley
Otis is-and he told my brother Hal and
me this story. He's regular fine old
gentleman, is my Grandfather Otis.
There ism a bit of old fogy about him.
and he likes to see us boys have any
amount of fun. He isn't hard on fell
low either, when he gets into trouble
through some of his mischief, though he
looked pretty sober when Hal and I and
Uncle Timothy's beys painted Squire
Dexter's Chester Whites one time, and
the Squire caught us at it, and thrashed
us, and made father and Uncle Timothy
pay ten dollars apiece to get out of hay
ing a lawsuit.
don't have any more of that sort of
fun, boys" says grandfather.
''No, SIR says we; and we don t
mean to, for there isn't any fun in it.
Some folks in story-books are all the
time preaching up how funny it is to
paint pigs. 1t isn't. If it is. it is mean
fun, and don't like that kind. For be-
sides making a fellow feel cheap, there's
almost always something not so nice to
top off with.
.Boys will be boys, Susan That's
what grandfather says to mother time
and again.
"Well, they needn't be wild Indians
says mother. But she doesn't tell father
that time. You see, my grandfather
was a boy once himself, aud he knows
we can't keep bottled up all the time.
We have to '.let nature caper''-that's
what grandfather calls it-once in a
while OF we would burst, Hal and I,
and 90 off like two rockets maybe. l
hope when | grow up I'll be Just the
kind of a grandfather my grandfather is
Last Washington Birthday we boys
bad planned to have no end of fun
skating on the pond, and swapping
crackers at folks, and playing shinney.
But when Hal and | got up in the morn
ing, everything was dull gray; and when
breakfast was over, it was showing as if
the witches were emptying all their
feather-beds at once up in the sky.
Hal looked out of the window, and
turned away, and shut his lips. Then
looked out, and-well, I'm not very
old, and small of my age-and [ cried.
At that grandfather put down his
paper.
& Hoity-toityH' said he; whats all
this about?'
We told him.
"Well," said grandfather, s'this snow
will make first-rate coasting, and while
you re waiting for enough of it to come,
I'll tell you story"
So here is the story. You ought to have
heard Grandfather Otis tell it, though,
with his funny wrinkles and wrinkles to
set it off; but because you couldn't, I'm
going to tell it my own way, in regular
story-book style:
Early one Twenty-second of February,
more than fifty years ago, my grand
father and my two great-uncles, Ste
phen and Samuel, were out looking for
to have fun with. Trouble
was.' says grandfather, ':there was ice
enough, but we hadn't pair of skates
to our feet" Pretty soon, while they
were standing around on the doorstep,
a man came along leading a horse and
sleigh, and hitched it to the fence. The
mans name was Mr.. Mutt.
"Good morning." said the boys, Won
dering to themselves what made him
walk and lead the horse, instead of
riding. Catch bog doing it!
"Mornin' - said Mr.. Mutt, "Father
to home, boys?''
"Yes sir,'' said they
Elm going after the doctor,r said
Mr.. Mutt, "ard that critter runs away
so st I can't do nothin' with him. It's |
LAWYER Chadbourne's horse, down to !
Nestp port, at l took for his keep, and
and that's more'n I'll get out n him. |
[ can get your fathers team,
boys?"
Wouldn't WONDER said they.
80 Fathers chopping wood in the north /
ot.''
With that Mr.. Mutt started off across !
The field, and the boys walked down to
he gate to look at the horse. He was
a red horse, with "three- white-feet-and- |
Awhile nose-take-o ff-his- shoes and
yive-him- -the-crows."
The boys walked around him, and |
ooked at him, and felt of the harness.
.sLooks kind enough" said Steve.
"Don't believe he II run away" said |
Sam.
1.-The harness is Stout said Charley.
Then they all looked at each other
and laughed.
"S'pose we do said they; "and be
'pry about it."
So Sam and Charley got into the
sleigh, and Steve unhitched the horse,
md got on behind, with one foot on each
'unner, and Charley took the reins, and
away they all went. The horse didn't
20 so very fast at first, but he kept GO
ng faster and faster and faster; and
pretty soon the sleigh hit his heels.
Then didn't he go!
"Stop him." yelled Sam. sWhoat'
Whoar' sung out Steve, a-hanging
m to the old sleigh-back for dear life.
We've go-go-gone far enough
But there wasn't any whoa to that
lorse. And Steve made up his mind
hat he'd ridden about as long as he
wanted to. and so he dropped off. He
ell flat, and slid for as much as rod
N the ice before he stopped. Took
very one of his wesket buttons off,"
avs grandfather, 'slick and clean as
-ou' d cut 'em with knife
But that didn't stop the horse-no.
ir! On he went, with the old sleigh
at his heels, and the ice his
hoes cut up flew like sleet into the
aces Of the two boys. All Charley