The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-12-10

and was capital hunter in his day"
"Thin av it's in airnest yell be, an
We name to sickle for e40, av We wait,
begorra, from this fair till the next,
sorra the ghost of an offer will ye git,
and that's the thruth for yezr'
Now the matter of the fact was
this. 1 should have jumped at the
chance of $50 for the old nag, or EOS
either. But we know-by what law
Of morality or justice | cannot say
that all is fair in love, war, and horse
dealing. Or rather, all is so very far
from fair, that ones motto must per-
force be, EVERY man for himself,
and we all know the fate that over
takes the hindmost
Still my conscience smote me light
ly, as I answered carelessly, looking
full into the ingenious face of the
man whom | was deceiving,-
"ee35 or $40. It's not much for
such horse, especially as expect to
have to pay up pretty we'll for the one
I shall get in his place, as [ want him
to match another"
The gipsey's face, which had sud-
denly lighted up, became again over
cast, as he exclaimed, "Och, shure!
Thin it's no good; an I was thinkin'
I knew what wud suit yer honor down
to the ground, but av it's for
match"
"Never mind" interrupted, on the
alert at once. "What were you about
to propose?"
''Faix, | was thinkin' [ moight buy
the horse meself, an sell him, wild a
fair profit on the thransaction, to
farmer up in the north, as is lookin'
for his loike. An | was thinkin' yer
honor moight be willin' to swap, for
I don't think good O givin' away a
big lump Of twenty-pounder, all in
a hape. An the horse, yer honor,
he's as full O. fire as a box of lucifers,
an as snowy an gay and bright as a
paycock. But av it wor for a
match"
HE might suit, - interposed again,
my mouth watering for the enbodi-
ment of this glowing description.
Describe him, my man."
mo, no! He wouldn't suit, I'll go
bail! An how should he? He'll be
too high for yer honor by couple o
inches"
"Ah! That must be the first consid-
Grafton. Sixteen hands exactly! Not
an inch more or less! Just the height
of this fellowr'
"Bedad, that's his height to hair!''
cried the gipsy gleefully, snatching
off his battered, brimless hat, and
beating an excited tattoo on the crown.
"Wouldn't it be the quarest thing at
all, yer honor, av it wor to be match
atwixt them two? But I'm thinkin
ye let slip word Of grey?"
mo, no! Not grey! Bay mi ght do,
but should prefer"
Don't say black, your honor!
Don't say black! Blacks the little
darlint that's whinnyin' for me this
minute in his stable Don't say black
nowr' and he actually stretched out
his hands entreatingly in odd con-
tradiction to his words, while his
spare frame fairly quiyered with ex-
citement.
"Black it is though" I responded,
laughing outright at his naive exhibi-
tion of delight. BLACK, rising six,
sixteen hands, housekeeping, free,
and fast! There's her picture for you,
Dowse, to match if you can!''
sits himself! It's himself! His
very moral! Black Beauty's twin
brother! Ye've hit him off to hair,
and that's the thruth for yez!'' and
this irrepressible child of the south
laughed, capered. and bestowed face
tious pokes in the ribs on his own
spare person in his exquisite enjoy
ment of the coincidence.
"An' more be token, it's the lucky
man yez are, captin!'' this title was
a mistaken one, but was often given
to me by strangers. Why, [ can only
conjecture; but no matter, it sounded
pleasantly in my ears, and l did not
undeceive the gipsy,) sits the lucky
yez are, captin, if the baste ye've got
at home is aqual to the one I'll give
yez. But mebbe ye're wantin' him at
onst, and it's ten miles. away he is
this minute. Tt was to this very fair
I was bringin' him, az yell believe
me, an a gintleman as heard on him
for he's well known in these parts
sends for. me to Rathcollin, an has
Black Beauty igzamined by the vet.
An yer honor, me, and the vet, an
the gintleman, we all says to one
another, says we, that he's ne'er a
fault, nor a blemish, nor hairs dis
paragement on him. An | only asks
a beggarly sivinty-fve for him, an he
refuses him bekase he wor one dhirty
inch below the ould bag-o'- o'-bones he
wor to run wild, and that's the thruth
for yezr'
"e75r,, 1 exclaimed, seizing upon
the main point Of the story. "e75!
Why, man, that's preposterous! But
if you want to swap, that may alter
the case. What would you be willing
to take now, with the chestnut thrown
imp"
"Shure, I'll lave that to yer honor
It's not Dowse, the gypsy, would make
bould to spake before rale gintleman
like the captain"
Of course | was trife too astute
for this touch of blarney to go down;
yet the air of manly Difference with
which the gipsy spoke was of piece
with the simple, childlike character
which had at first caught my fancy.
''An' it's not namin' a price ye'd |
have me be afore iver I've cast my
eye over the baste?" he continued,
laying his hand on the bride with a
business-like air, preparatory to a
leisurely inspection. 'Ah! foine
baste inthoirely! An ne'er a blemish,
yer honor was sayin'. But" with a
bland and insinuating smile, "a thrife
touched in the wind, amt he, now?"
'Short-winded! Why, man, isn't
he breathing is quietly as you or |?
| asked with an affectation Of indig-
nation. It did not deceive the gipsy's
keen eye.
SAY, calm and quiet enough, now!
But not when your honor came up wild