Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-09-29
BUYING A HORSE.
The Trials and Failures of Two
Unprotected Females.

Scarcely twenty-four hours had
elapsed since Corona's intention to adj,
horse to her domestic circle had beer
mentioned aloud, before she found her
self in the heart of new world. |
might be succinctly called the hors
world. The delights of the firesidc
the enticemcnts of the June sky, the
fascination of the ocean, tho delicate
shift and play of summer life, recedcd
from her consciousness like plates in ;
magic lantern. Her brsin cells became
stcncilcd with the language and liter
aturc of the turf. Anxious TO proceed
upon her rash venture with some
degree Of intelligence she had made
herself the possessor of book called
1.-The Horse and his Habits" When
anybody called, rs somebody did al
the rate of six or seven day, with a
horse TO sell, she consulted this useful
volume. She received tho impression
that horse was The most delicate
creature, and subject to the richest
stock of bodily infrmites of any
specimen of organized life known to
our present civilization. An infant or
a woman was nothing TO it. Beyond
this one idea, which rapidly assumed
thc dangerous proportions of the
"iixed' in Corona's mental life ut this
period, it can not be said that she
brought away much available knowl-
edge from ''The Horse and his
Habits" She pcIuscd the book sturdi-
". Tom did not come. OF course
Tom did not come--hc was in Idaho;
{ was something about bcarskins--so
'hc chung to the intelligent volume
bravcly, rs the sole defence between
herself and the delicate sense of honor
well known to belong to the jockey,
considered as u class. Who has ever
,olved tho riddle? What is there about
norsrs which sh luld be so injurious to
h. human cons fence? Why should u
rOrae make MIN Il commercial rascal,
'athcr than glui', or cracked wheat, or
dry goods, or :, ap?
One horse IN particular pleased
Corona very III lch. The owner had
'omc every day with il, and STAYED.
lie had stayed very much. He had
fastened his hon Sc TO the clothes post,
beginning on NJ )nday when the lines
Ncrc up. and outstayed all the other
oidS. Corona, with feminine respect
Ter the pcrtinaoious in pursuit, adj
mircd the perseverance of this man and
hated to hurt his feelings by refusing
to take his horse
Her friend May had come over to
stay few days in order to help Corona
through this trying period. The two
ladies drove together from morning to
night, experimenting with the different
applicants, in the lazy, delightful coun-
try fashion that makes horse-hunting
as n high art pleasure unknown to
towns. Through murmuring lanes,
where the bees fastidocsly tasted the
barberry blossoms, over the brilliant
beaches, and deep into the secuted
woods, Mary and Corona ode and rode
They rode the old horses, young horses,
sound horses, sick horses, horses that
went and horses that wouldn't 90, and
horses that went more than was ex-
pectcd of them; horses that ran away
with them and horses that sat down
with them; horses that limped, horses
that stumbled, horses that coughed,
horses that took the bits between their
seeth and horses that wouldn't 90 up
hill without lump of sugar. There
vas one, but only one, who kicked the
fashcr down when he met the first
GUNNER boardcr, in an imported shade
bat, constructed i'm the form of meet
ing-housc and ornamented with muslin
sunflowers.
For some reason sufficient to the
reader of "Thc Horse and his HABITS. ="
none of these animals seemed suitable
for the needs of her family, and she re-
turned with weakening heart to the
horse tied to the clothes post since
Monday morning. His owner was
quite sure that he would fill the bill.
"Thc billP" asked Corona. "Fill
what billP We haven't come to the
bill yet"
Pardon, num-" said the man, red
dening little.
Corona looked at him vaguely She
was still deficient in "horsc talk
She explained that she wanted a good
family horse.
She was assured that this was a per.
feet specimen of that kind of thing.
Sound!
Sound as sense! Hadn't an out about
him.
Corona did not know what an out
was. She thought it might be some
new kind of disease. So she consulted
1.-THE Horse and his Habits before
replying.
at isn't in my book" she whispered
to Mary. 1T may be one of those new
aggravations developed by the cpizoot
ic. But as long as the horse hasn'
got it, don't sec that it matters. Dc
youpn
"Why-no-no! l shouldn't think i
did" said Mary conscientiously.
They went out again and rc-exam
incd the horse. He was very hand
some horse.
Was he kindp
Kind as q terrier pup.
Afraid of the cars?
Carsp lie wasn't afraid OF the las
trumpet.
How many miles an hour?
Ten weekdays, and 12i IL you wante,
the doctor. Easy.
"But we never do need the doctor,
objected Corona thoughtfully,
Was he easy-bittedp
You could drive him with hairpiI
and piece of scwin' silk.
His pricep
Two hundred and fifty dollars