The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-12-17
Temple Bari
DOWSE, THE Gypsy,
CHAPTER I-CoNTINUED.

| GuT1Ch u SUumDllu CdDGIug
"Oh, no! Nothing Of the kindT ]
struck in hastily, glad Of an honest
chance Of entering a protest against
the wholesale way in which this rag
ged vagabond spotted at once all poor
old Dobbin' -eccentricities, let us say
''It's true he's been down-once
but that was leaping nasty stone
wall in the hunting-feld, and I don't
see how you guessed it, for he didn't t
mark himself. But as for stumbling
he's as sure-footed as a goat"
'Let me see thin, captin," he said
musingly, summing up the evidence.
''Rising fourteen; been down-once,
more or less; the Taste taste in loife
thick-winded, but very good horse
vidal; though, in coorse, ye couldn' t
extortionate big price on me, wild
them weeshy drawbacks to the fore.
Now wait till | tell you! You and me
will come to terms, and I'll take the
ould chestnut, whatever else I'll do.
An I'll ride him to Rathcollin, where
l left Black Beauty afther the gintle-
man disappointed me rispictin' him.
An that's ten miles from the spot yer
| honor stands on. But meself an
Black Beauty will be wild yez the NOR
rows morn afore noon, and ye can
thry him in the park. An av ye've
bought horse in the days fair. or av
ye've took fancy agin Black Beauty
(for good judge like your honor
couldn't in raison mislike him. thin
I'll take the ould chestnut from yez
for Els, an be off wild the rest O. the
bargain"
"e15! My good fellow, it's you that
are joking now! I couldn't possibly
let him go under ESQ! No, I'd rather
take him home and wait half-a-dozen
years, if horses don't go up before
| then"
"An' av We waited three years, let
alone six, yer honor" he responded
with a grim chuckle, "ye'd wait till
the ould horse had gone up as high as
the happy huntin' grounds above, as
Red Mike was discoorsin' upon"
Without inquiring who Red Mike
was, l rejoined,-
"Come Dowse, no more palavering,
as Red Mike would probably say.
Make me a fair offer, or let it alone.
Say thirty, if [ don't take your horse. "
"Twinty, yer honor. Not a six
pence more! I couldn't do it. It wud
go agin me conscience to the wife an
the childher. An whin ye see Black
Beauty, it's proud yell be to give me
the ould chestnut and fifty pound to
bootr'
Of course I spurned this proposal
with righteous Indignation, and offered
in my turn should Black Beauty be
the choice bit of horsefesh described,
to give old Dobbin in exchange and
"thirty pound to boot"
Equally Of course, after the stereo-
typed amount Of haggling and spittl-
ing six-pences inseparable from an
Irish bargain, we halved the difference
and decided upon e40 as the utmost
limit of generosity to which our duties
to our respective ''wives and childher"
would allow us to go, nsy ''childher"
being an unknown and entirely fcti-
tious quantity introduced into the con-
versation by the exigencies of the mo-
ment.
As the bargain was finally struck,
we entered the town. I dismounted,
administered farewell caress to old
Dobbin's dropping head, and saw
Dowse, the gipsy, ride off in the direc-
tion Of Rathcollin.
No! my friends, no! My story does
not end thus. | was not so utterly
raw and inexperienced as you are be-
ginning to surmise.
Dowse, the gypsy, did not ride off
with my horse never to return. On
the contrary, he insisted on depositipg
with me as security for his re-appear-
ance, a Bank Of Ireland note for ez0.
This he extracted, greatly to my as
constituent, from greasy, unwhole-
some-looking, evil-smelling lathern
purse. I confess I should have been
satisfied without further guarantee for
his good faith than that afforded by
his honest, ugly face, but he professed
uneasines lest some unforeseen acci-
dent should endanger his life and my
property. So gave way.
With light heart walked towards
the open market-place where the fair
was held, passing the toe, odorous
pledge through the fragrant curls of
smoke issuing from my cigar. The
fast approaching triumph over my
tyrant, Charles, supplied me with
mental pabulum Of the most delicious
kind.
This old reprobate was reported by
Buttons to have affirmed that he
''would not be surprised if Masther
John wor to come back wild no more
than a ten-poun' note in his pocket
for ould Dobbin, an wild fifty poun'
out of it for an ould screw as would't |
so much as pay it's own buryin' ex-
pensesr' As [ examined the different
Of the noble race set
forth for sale, with the dipassionate
criticism of a man already suited, |
myself heartily on my
good luck.
There was only one animal in the
fair worth second glance as far as
my own black mare, Sharon,
was concerned, and she was too young.
might have been deluded into buy
ing her, and thereby, if possible, sink
ing still lower in old Charles estima-
tion, for she seemed to me to be per-
feet animal, full of blood and fire.
But | thought Of my treasure, my
Black Beauty, and l refrained.
The fair contained little of interest
to me. so | sauntered away to the
house of my brother-in-law. / found
Arthur and his charming young wife
at home. and spent the rest Of the
day very pleasantly.
The former professed his regret
on hearing that I had parted with old
Dobbin, horse he had always ad-
mired, respected rather. Respect was
the sentiment invaribly inspired by
old Dobbin! He fnrther expressed his
on my extraordinarily
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