Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02

sincwy man, mounted on a sorry sorrel
nag, who proved, however, to have
blood in her. and to DO fast walker
and full Of endurance. The mail-rider
was iaciturn, n natural habit for man
who rides alone the year round, over n
lonely road, and has nothing whatever
to think of. He had been In the war
sixteen months, in Hugh Whites regi-
ment, reckon you've heerd of him?
"Confederatep"
"WhichPn
WAS he on the union or confederate
sideP"
ooh, union"
Were you in any engagement"
"WhichP"
"Did you have any fghtingp"
"Not regular"
"What did you doP'
"WhichP"
What did you do in Hugh Whites
rcgimontP" ....
"Oh, just cavorted round the noun
tains."
You lived on tho countryP'
"Which?n
picked up what you could find
corn, bacon, horses?"
That's about so. Didn't make
much difference which side was round,
the country got cleaned out.
"Plundcr seems to have been tho OBJ
iect?'
"Whichp"
You got living out of the farm
ers?'
You bet"
Our friend and guide seemed to have
been jayhawkor and mountain ma
rauder-on the right side. His attach
mcnt to the word (which prevented
any lively flow of conversation, and
there seemed to be only two trains of
ideas running in his mind One was
the subject of horses and saddles, and
the other was the danger of the ford
we were coming to- aud he exhibited
good deal of ingenuity in endeavoring
to excite our alarm. He returned to
the ford from every other conversations
al excursion, and after every silence.
81 do knows there's any great dam
ger; not if you know the ford. Folks
is carried away there. The Toe gifts
up sudden. There's been right smart
rain lately. If you're afraid, you can
get sci over in dug"out, and III take
your horses across. Mcbbe you're used
to fordng? It's pretty bad ford for
them as don't know it. But you'll get
along, if you mind your eye. There's
some rocks you II have to look out for.
But you'll be all right, if you follow
IIc.
Not being very successful in raising
an interest IN the dangers of his ford,
although he could not forcgo indulginc
III Il malicious pleasure in trying to
makc the strangers uncomfortable, he
finally turned his attention to a trade.
his hoss Of mine" he said, "is lust
the kind OF brutc-bcast you want for
this country. Your hosses is too heavy.
Low II YOU swap for that one o yourn?'
hc reiterated assertion that the horses
were not ours, that they were hired,
made little impression on him. All
the way to Burusyillc he kept recur-
ring to the subject OF n trade. The in
stinct OF swap" was strong in him.
When "" met Il yoke of steers, he turn
ed round and bantcrcd the owner for
trade. Our saddles took his fancy.
They we're Of the army pattern, and he
allowed that one of them would lust
Fu,. him. He rode small Hat English
pui, across which was flung the United
States mai, pouch, apparently empty.
lie dwclt upon the fact that his saddle
Wa, new and ours were old, and the
advantages that would accrue to US
from the exchange. He didn't care if
they had been through the war, as
thcy had, for he fancied an army sad
die. The Friend answered for himself
that the saddle he rode belonged to a
distinguished union general, and had a
bullet IN 1t that was put there by
careless confederate in the first battle
of Bull Run, and the owner would not
part with it for money. But the mail
rider said he didn't mind that. He
wouIdn t mind swapping his new sad
die for my old one and the rubber coat
aud Icggins. Long before we reached
the ford we thought we would like to
swap the guide. even at the risk of
drowning. The ford was passed, in
due time, with no inconvenience save
that OF wet feet. for the stream was
breast high to the horses; but being
broad and swift and full of sunken
rocks and slippery stones, and the
crossing tortuous, it is not ford to be
commended. There is a curious de-
lusion that a rider has in crossing a
swift, broad stream. 1t is that he is
rapidly drifting up stream, while in
fact the tendency of the horse is to go
with the current. - Cherries Dudley
Warner, in AUgust Atlantic.