The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-03
The Lawn Mower Horse

A lawyer was visited early this week
by an excited and disguised citizen.
who wanted 20 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
20 relate the particulars of mis- griev-
ance, and he said:
"W ell, you know that pony | bought
last summer that goes with his head
down By bis knees, his tail between his
! legs and general look of being con-
stantly tired. paid hundred dollars
for that pony, entirely on his style.
The man | bought him of took me in
tie 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 l was
! in the buggy. The man drove up and
/ down in front of his house on the ave-
/ nue. and | never saw a small horse that
! seemed TO put on any more airs. He
acted like d thoroughbred and | bought
/ him too quick | thought | had a
horse that would look up with most OF
1 them and attract attention. / took the
. horse home and the next day | hitched
| him up and told my daughter to get in
and | would show her 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 | 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. /
( drove him around for an hour and my
daughter was fairly sick with shame at
the way the pony acted. We passed a
| place where man was running lawn
mower and for ahalf block the pony
! got up in style and acted like he did
when / 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. "
Have You spoken to the man about
it, asked the lawyer. as he took pen
Gil and prepared to draw diagram OF
the pony on a piece of paper"
''Yes. l 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 90 with him.
He said when he had the pony he al
ways hired a man to run lawn mower
near the house, and the day he sold
him to me he had four men running
lawn mowers on the block where we
| drove. He advised me to buy lawn
mower and hitch it on behind the bug
gy.'
''Then he never told you the horse
ct,-lich - coiH tho 10 GGHn LOT
you do all the talking, didn't he, and
you made up your mind about the horse
from what You saw?'
.'Y-e s." said the owner OF the sleep
ing pony, Il can't say as the man told
me anything that was not so. But
what | want to know is, has a man any
right to sell horse that is gOaded to
excitement by lawn mowers? Isn't il
a deception, and is man a good citi
zen who will play such trick on
friend? Have | got to 90 through life
with lawn mower hitched to my bug
gy in order to make a decent appear
ance? Can't sue the man for arson.
or some Latin thing?"
The lawyer said he couldn't see any
way to get even 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. Il will have corn shelter.
which makes more noise than a lawn
mower, arranged under the seat of the
buggy, fixed so | 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 l shall al
ways have my opinion of man thar
will play such trick on a neighbor.'
Picks San.