Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1883-05-19
4 RACE FOE. A WIFE.


young, handsome and spirited lady, and
for month or two all went we'll about
the house and farm; then the husband
fell back into his old tricks. The wife
demonstrated, and, for a time, the hus-
baud reformed. Presently, however, she
became satisfied that the "bettle tipping"
Mas again going on. When she spoke to
heY husband about the matter he swore
th%t the aroma she detected was that Of a
collie medicine he was taking, he having
developed most intractable collie, for the
relief of which he had brought home and
paraded bottle of medicine.
The wife was confident that there was
kept somewhere about the premises a con-
siderable store of very different kind OF
medicine. She kept her own counsel and
at the same time strict watch. In a day
or TWO she discovered under manger in
tho barn the secre: hoard. She said moth
ing of the discovery to her husband.
Some time afterward the husband had
business at a peighbor's, some two miles
away. On his return lie was somewhat
surprised at seeing note pinned upon
his front door. He hastily advanced and
read as follows:
BEN: You VIII find the key of the house
where you keep your collie medicine. L
have taken Kitty and gone home TO my
mother. Father and brother Bob will
come tomorrow for the trunk in which L
have packed my things. NELLIE.
The husband rushed to the barn. At q
glance he saw that Kitty, his wife's mare,
md the sidc-saddle were gone. Darling
~ the manger, he hauled out his corpu-
lent demijohn of gin, and suspended from
lis neck found the key of the house.
Securing The key, he sent tue demijohn
whizzing aud crashing against the post of
the barn. Bounding forth, he ran to and
inouated the horse he had left standing
I'm front OF his house.
Away he dashed 1t was ten miles to
the house OF his father-in-law, and he was
determined to overtake his wife before she
reached it or kill horse in the attempt.
Said the butter man: "Now, l seed
Beu's wife come over the hill half Il mile
south OF my house, on her little mare
Kitty, and begin 10 perform some queer
sbolutioCs. After she'd got over the brow
OF the hill size paced up and down the
road for a time; then she rid up and
looked over the ridge for while. After
loOkin' bit she turned about and rid up
and down the road u few times, then went
up TO the brow of the hill again. So she
kept doin', and once or twice she got off
and led Kitty up to the top Of the hill.
~ was puzzled as to whether she was
waitin' for somebody or had lost some
thing while Oh her way to her fathers
place, some four miles beyond my house.
| was just about to walk out that way
when / seed her wheel Kitty round from
The brow o the hill and begin to ply her
whip.
''ln half a minute she was flynn past
my place like mad woman. L stood at
my front gate by the roadside, ready TO
holler out at her to know what was up,
but, bless you, she never looked towards
me. Her eyes seemed sOt in her head, her
face Was pale, and at every jump she let
into Kitty with whip. | swar, her
ridin'-skirt fairly cracked as she bounded
past.
'Jest then hcered tremendous clat-
ter behind me. Turnin' about, seed Ben
a-comin' over the pitch Of the hill on his
big black boss like wild COmanche. He
was ridin' with loose reins, leanin' away
for'ard, and diggin' his big spurs into his
boss like he'd rip his insides out.
''He passed by, with hair and coat-tails
sailin' back in The wind, and never turn
ing his head TO the right Or left. L thought
j seed murder in his eye. L tell you
million thoughts went through my brain
in 4 second. Ill the stories I'D ever heard
about jealous husbands and about insane
husbands went through my head in u
lump, and do believe if I'd had my gun
in my hand I'd have taken wing shot at
him OH suspicion.
81 seed Nell look back once and then
lay the whip on Kitty hotter'n ever. Ben
WAS goin' like the wind. know'd Nell
was headed for her fathers, and seed
plain as day that Ben would get her fore
she was safe landed.
cat last lie caught up to her. 1t was
a. nd fl Do,
reaching out for kitty's bridle. At last
lie got it, and the two horses gradually
slowed up till they finally stopped. [
mounted my gate-pOst all OF tremble,
expectin' to see something dreadful hap.
pen.
"They stopped in the road talkiG' nigh
onto half ali hour; then l see Ben lean
over aud Nell lean over till their two
heads come together.
"'What the mischiefn says l, 'kissin'
instead of killin' Well, that sort o.
fracas gifts me- After the head bumpiD'
the pair turned about and came slowly
joggin' along back.
GAS they passed Inc 1 called out to Ben
to know what in the living jingo it all
meant. Ben began to stammer something,
bout half of which never got through his
big beard, when Nell sings out to me:
'ODly race for kiss! and givin' Kitty
cut that made her bound ten feet, she
called out to Ben; Come on! A race to
the top of the hill for anotherp and away
they both went.
"That was five years ago, and I never
knowed the meanin' of that wild, harum-
scarum ride till about three months ago,
when the story bout the collie medicine
leaked out among the wimmin folks. For