Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-07
A LUCKY MISTAKE.

cold November afternoon, as we stood
in the tlag-paved hall of our old-fash-
toned farmhouse, 'tyou'd better put
the little bay mare in the dog-cart and
90 into Warrington for that saddle. I
clean forgot to call for it yesterday,
and if you want to go out with the
hounds on Saturday, you won't have
another chance of getting it."
Thus said my stalwart, weather-red-
dened, gray-haired old sire, as he put on
hisroughha and took his thick walking
stick from the stand, preparatory to
going about the farm. It was about
three o'clock, and dinner was just over;
for the time of which 1 speak was TWEEN
ty years ago, and the farmers had not
then learnt to live according to the
laws of a fashion unsuited to his income
and his occupation, or to ape the style
and expenditure of his landlord. My
father was an old-fashioned yeoman,
who TILED the land which his great
grandfather had titled before him; and
even had he lived in these days, when
men of his type are rare, he would have
kept to the old-fashioned ways.
l was nothing 10th to act upon the
parental suggestion, although it meant
o long drive in the biting cold, and
although the return journey would have
to be done in the dark or with very in
different moonlight. We. were utterly
isolated at the Mistletoe Farm; for we
were seven miles from Warrington,
our nearest town, and ten miles, in the
opposite direction, from the nearest
railway station. My father farmed near
ly five hundred acres, some of the land
especially that lying toward Wor-
thington-being very poor stuff, and
only fit for sheep. There was not even
a village near; the laborers lived ii cot
tages scattered over the estate; and in
the depth of winter, when there was
snow, or when the floods were out, we
were often a week at q time and never
saw a soul besides ourselves and our
employees.
But we always had a good bit of
horsc-flesh in the stable; as, indeed,
was absolutely necessary, when u
only means of communication with the
outer world was by road, and when the
distances were SO great and the roads
so bad. The little bay mare that I was
going to drive-Fly-by-night was the
name we afterwards gave her-was a
young one of our own breeding, clever
as Il cat and docile as a dog. From her
infancy she vas my play-fellow; would
come to me when 1 whistled to her; eat
out Of my hand or my pocket; and
when the time came for backing her
and breaking her, there was nothing to
be done. She had perfect confidence
and trust in us all, and especially in
me-; the cat by the tireside could not be
more gentle or more easy to control.
II only people would learn that a horse
can, by kind treatment and constant
association, be made as tame and affec-
Tomato as a household pet, there would
be fewer broken bones from back
jumpers and runaways.
She was a world two good for har-
ness, thought to myself, as I led her
out OF the stable and proceeded to put
her to the old-fashioned. square dog
cart, which turned up behind and
looked like a mail cart-barring the
color, which was a dingy gray. The
little mare was my hunter when the
hounds were in reach and my father
would let me go; and she carried me
as gamely, even after twenty miles of
harness the day before, as if she was
one OF the squirrels cracks and went out
only once a week.
AS we trotted quietly down the drive,
my father put his head over the hedge
and called to me:
May be the saddle won't be fin
sshed," he said, his red face glowing
W.T. cold, his eyes g}ancing critically
at the mare. eff so, you can put up at
Inc Angel and have your tea; but don't
oe later than you can help. Have you
got your watch on you?"
Yes" l said, wondering at the
question. b
You'd better give it to me-" said
my father, stretching his arm owe the
hedge. 81 heard yesterday, at the Or
ulnary, there was a gentleman stopped
On Monday night on the road. You
~supposeI'
mo danger" said I, with a laugh, as
: put my watch and chain into my
a os big, brown hand. ''They won't
get much out of me if they try it on"
n Oft we went, turned into the high
$ and sped at a quick trot through
me gathering twilight in the direction
VI Worthington.