The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-01-03
The Lawn Mower Horse.

A lawyer was visited early this week
by an excited and disguised citizen.
who wanted to bring suit against an
other citizen for damages, breach of
promise, obtaining money under false
pretenses, or anything that the lawyer
thought best. The lawyer asked him
to relate the particulars of his griev-
ance, and he said:
"Well, you know that pony I bought
last summer that goes with his head
down by his knees, his tail between his
legs and a general look of being con-
stantly tired. I paid a hundred dollars
for that pony, entirely IN his style.
The man 1 bought him of took me in
the buggy to ride after the pony and
the animal held his head up, and his
tail up, and champed on the bit, and
snorted and pranced all the time I was
in the buggy. The man drove up and
down in front of his house ON the ave-
nue. and I never saw a small horse that
seemed to put on any more airs. He
acted like a thoroughbred and 1 bought
him too quick. I thought I had a
horse that would look up with most OF
them and attract attention. / took the
horse home and the next day l hitched
him up and told my daughter to get in
and 1 would show her q little piece Of
horse flesh that would make her proud.
We drove out on the avenue and /
pledge you my word the pony went to
sleep ON the walk. He held his head
down, and when I struck him with the
whip he turned one ear back as though
his attention had been called to some
thing, but he did not wake up. l
| Ir0x,4 49,, ar-O,,aI f~,, ~ D, ~
daughter was fairly sick with shame at
the way the pony acted. We passed a
place where a man was running alawn
mower and for ahalf a block the pony
got up in style and acted like he did
when l bought him, but as soon as he
got out of hearing of the lawn mower
he settled down to his nap. Now, am
satisfied that man put up a job on me.
tHave you spoken to the man about
it," asked the lawyer, as he took a pen
Gil and prepared to draw a diagram of
the pony on a piece of paper"
ayes, / went to him about it, and he
laughed at me. He said he forgot to
tell me, when L bought the horse, that
a lawn mower ought to go with him.
He said when he had the pony he al
ways hired a man to run a lawn mower
near the house, and the day he sold
him to me he had four men running
lawn on the block where we
drove. He advised me to buy a lawn
mower and hitch it on behind the bug
gy."
"Then he never told you the horse
was Stylish said the lawyer. .sHe let
you do all the talking, didn't he, and
you made up your mind aboutthe horse
from what you saw?"
eyes," said the owner of the sleep
ing pony, 81 can't say as the man told
me anything that vas not so. But
what I want to know is, has a man any
right to sell a horse that is goaded to
excitement by lawn mowersP' Isn't it
a deception, and is a man a good citi-
zen who will play such a trick on a
friend? Have 1 got to go through life
with a lawn mower hitched to my bug
gy in order to make a decent appear
anceP Can't I sue the man for arson,
or some Latin thing?"
The lawyer said he couldn't see any
way to get eve with the man, and the
best way would be to try the same
means to get rid of the horse.
.That settles it," said the owner OF
the pony. 81 will have a corn shelter,
which makes more noise than a lawn
mower, arranged under the seat of the
buggy, fixed so l can turn it with my
feet, and l will get out on the avenue
some day when the fancy turn-outs are
airing themselves, and you will see
Style, and the first man that is mashed
on that pony gets him, but 1 shall al
ways have my opinion of a man thai
will plaV such a trick on q neiphbor'
.'-fecE's ,Sun.