The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-10-31
DOWSE, THE GYPSY.
CHAPTER I.

Ktllnaoallew, the Y 7.h-to-morrow, that IS. A good opportunity for me to pick up horse, Norrie p So remarked to my wife in an airy, off-hand manner as glanced over the advertisement page of the Klllnaoalle~ RefOrtsy, our local paper, Ia which the latest agrarian out rage, the next meet of the county fox hounds, aud a g glowing account of the last temperance soiree trod on one an- others heels wlth the characteristic in. congruity of the minor Irish newspapers.
 was pre- ared f>r the mildly reproach- fnl tone of her reply;
 "A horse, J)hnl Another horse Surely you are not going to sell the black snare. Why, only esterday you pro. nounced her pelf-ct r I hardened my heart, difficult process for young hus- band of three months standingl
 "Well, no, my dear! It's not the black mare l think of parting with, but old Dobbin. You see e-"
 "O'd Dobbinl r she interrupted hastily with tl,solog eyes-tIu. Irish eyes, with a world of lurking fire latent in their gr 4y- blue depths, though mild enough iu gem eral. "Oa, ohnl Not dear old Doobin surely! Just think how long you've had himl And such a steady, faithful, dear old horse ] Not single fault, Joan I've heard you say so And so safe and easy for me to drivep
 Her voice quivered with t,e pathetic tremor that we'll knew and sorely dreaded. Nevertheless, once more 1 hardened my heart, settled myself more firmly in my mental attitude, and pro- ceeded to justify my intention.
 No fault No, of course; certainly not! Nothing that you could fairly call fault. But ou cannot deny, my dear, that he is almost superannuated, and would stand poor chance in race with my fat Berkshire. Then look at his color 1 lntolerable Light chestnut might pass when we had a pair. But now that the young black mare has been promoted from the plough-tail to the carriage e-vice Thunderer, deiunct-you must confess it really does not look well. Why, even Captain Purcell remarked upon the startling effect of the contrast, aud ad- vsed me to change By the way, my dear," h,s in the desperate endeavor to avert the storm th 4t invariably gathered at the mention of the gallant captains name )-" by the way, are you sufficiently well up in comparative anatomy to in- form me which portion of the implement is that termed in contemptuous parlance the plough tail P"
 l. was in vain.
 "That hate full man l" Nora vehemen,ly ejaculated. might have guessed that that wretch was at the bottom of your wanting to sell dear old DobLin. John, if you must hunt, wish you would refuse to have anything to do with the conceited young puppies that you meet there, whose opinions you seem to rate so far above your own Y
 This was unkind, but accepted it amiaoly, and only queried jocosely:
 What young puppies, my dear? Do you alude to the hounds ?' Then seeing my wife look honestly affronted, con tinued: But seriously, Nora, don't you think it is little unreasonable to set down all the members of the hunt-and so of them very nice fellows too-as young puppies, and credit them with no end of influence over your husband, merely because one of them happens to advise me to sell one of my horses and his advice chances to chime iu with my own opioion?'
 That's not all, John," she flashed out eagerly. Then suddenly abandoning the position as untenable, she accepted the inevitable with sigh.
 "Well, John, since you must have a horse, don't please, ask Captain Purcell for his invaluable assistance, but take old Chatles with you to choose him
 Indeed, shall do nothing of the kindp was my brief response. "Old Charles thinks great deal too much of his own knowledge and judgment in the matter of hoisefesh, and as much too little of mine. shall certainly not con- stitute myself the laughing stock of the fair by taking with me boas,ing, blun- dering idiot like old Charles. know hope know-a good animal when l see cne, which is more than he does, I fancy. But don't feari shall not con- suit Purcell either. As said eetore, l am not child in leading strings, and l fatter myself that know the points of a good horse as well as any man in Ire land"
 Then, feeling rather ashamed of my heat, went on more temperately:
 hear to-morrow's fair is to be the best of the year. So my best plan will be to ride old Dobbin over, sell him there if l can get my price for him, and look out for a substitute. If don't find what want, can stay over the night with your brother Arthur, and come back by train the next day but if succeed ln getting the right sort of thing, 1 shall ride him home the same night. And now I'll take another cup of coffee, if you please"
 This was final, and meant that the sub- ject was not to be resumed. had been married long enough to know that if a maa does not intimate decisively that his szy is said, his mind made up, the best cf women will protract subject ad nauseam, and ten to one get her own way by sheer force of longwindedness. Bu.