Connecticut western news., 1888-03-28
RED AND WHITE.
BY E. A. CUSTER.

'sHow's Northwestern this morning, Uncle Zeke7' asked Dick Spriggs across the restaurant table.
 ''Slumped off six points, blame itw scowling viciously over his paper at the steak brought by the waiter.
 Ezekiel Spriggs laid down his paper, and picking up his fork, stuck it into the meat As he withdrew it and saw the rich, red juice ooze out, his face frightened. spriggs was somewhat of an epicure.
 ''six points pretty big drop" said Dick, possessing himself of the paper and alternating between it and his breakfast; Chow dye come out7'
 But spriggs was busily engaged in tearing off huge pieces of steak and chewing them with much tho same ex- pression that chicken exhibits when taking drink of water. Business was business, but breakfast was breakfast just then, and while Dick chattered aud read extracts, Spriggs turned his eyes to the ceiling at every bite and gave himself up to soulful enjoyment of what was before him. Dick skinned lightly over the news, took 2 cursory glance at the editorials and paused at the lower corner of the page, then he read aloud: Possibly the reason why, when red headed girl appears on the street, white horse soon makes its appearance, will have to be sought for in history. Away back in the early Greek and Egyptian days, red-haired girls were justly prized above all-"
 "Whadz thatl" interrupted Spriggs. Spriggs was bachelor and though rich was not especially addicted to the fair sex.
 Dick leaned thoughtfully back in his chair. ''It's dodgasted funny thing, Uncle Zeke, but it's fact, never Iknew it to fail; straight as string, too."
 "Well, what is ita'
 "Why, don't you see, the saying is that where ever you see a red headed girl there is always a white horse in sight. 1 believe it now-didn't at first. Why only last Sunday night I went to church with Miss Austin-you ought to see her, Uncle Zeke--" Dick paused with piecs of steak halfway to his mouth and gazel yearninyly at the blank wall ''Well, as l was saying, went to church; coming out saw di- rectly in front of us a girl with hair just about as red as you fiud it. Oae of the rules of the g mo is that you must always go somewhere th,t is &C., cessible to the horse after seeing the red hair, so made an excuse about short cut and dragged Mabel out the side door. l thought had the white horse sequence dead this time, but just as we came out the door, sure enough the in evitable white horse came trotting round the corner. There wasn't another four. legged animal in sight and I didn't see any the whole way home. I've tried ii
 
 spriggs grunted an inaudible response and rose from the table. By noon hs had forgotten all about it but the sigh of red-haired girl brought the subject to his mind. In spite of its evident ab. surdity there was something odd aai uncanny about the notion and Sprigg almost unconsciously began to scar the passers-by. Turning the corner h came plump against another maid witt fiery hair and sure enough there, hitchet to post, was a rather scrawny but al unmistakable white horse. This wa the beginning of his downfall for ther and then he determined to see exactl, what was in the saying. Now Sprigg was nothing if not methodical. A lon, life of single blessedness and bushes training had made him so, and he en tered into the investigation in somewha the same manner as he would some grea business question.
 The major part of the next day wa spent in keeping tally of the horses tha passed his office window; and the fol lowing day in an extended hunt of red headed girls without regard to their SC called accompaniments. The resul was that while one horse in every fiftee was white, only one female in thirty -on had red hair. A series of afternoon sit tings at his club window brought ou the remarkable fact that for every scve women that passed, two horses were i sight. This was to be the basis of tn test. Spriygs reasone ed that the chanc against the sequence wcrc about two one, for according to his vations in the ordinary days run, there weI twice as many red haired girls as whit horses. This of course did not allo for unu sual occurrences or for nigl travel, when there were fewer horses o the street. At the erd the first week the result wal failures, one; verifcations, fort. eight Spriggs did not quite believe , the thing ys4 but tho next week VI