The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-03-30
THE SICK HORSE WON.

Say" said a long-haired man wear
ing one boot ard one shoe as he ap-
preached the wagon while we were
camped on the edge Of Sidney. Neh..
''you fellers ain't got no runnin' stock
with you. reekon?"
Mo-
II lowed they didn't look that way.
But. then. you can't tell nothin' By
looks. Hosses." and here he made a
long pause and appeared to be count
ing the spokes in the wheel; .'hosses is
peculiar critters
..How's tlat?''
IVY. bout month ago Just such
lookin' crowd as you be come along
with couple of old hosses an COW
cred wagon. You know. Bill Simmons
has got runnin' hoss. Well. Bill hap-
pcned to mosey round where they was
eamped. an he looks at their poorest
boss an kinder grins inwarlly an
keeps down laugh BY tryin' mighty
hard. an says he: Stranger. that air
hoss o. your'n looks s II be might have
some speed in him.? 'Ya-es. says the
man. sorter sleepy and careless like;
he runs some Y ever put him on
the trackg asks Bill. Sometimes.
though he's gettin' p city DID, says
the man. Would YOU mind havin' =
little race with an old horse o. mine?'
goes on Bill. I'm 'greeable. says the
man. So they wen over to the track.
an all the rest Of US went long. o.
course. Bills hoss come on so he
,..,,ldaft borti,. knlI h;~. ho..I - -
riouth open. The strange boss looked
kinder sneakin' an stood round with
one fora leg bent an its head down
eatin' grass. / knowed BiIl's hoss was
goin' To beat. an most everybody else
did. We bet all we could. though
there want nobody to bet with 'cept
the strangers partner. an he didn't
seem overly N above anxious. though
he did take few bets an kinder polo
gized by sayin' their old boss could
ran once. though it was hard to tell
what he would do that day. I'm darned
IL he wasn't right. too"
How was he right?''
''W'y. il was hard to tell what he
would do that day. Old Captain Bings-
/ ley started 'em. an Bills boss led right
/ of The stranger pounded way on the
ribs o. his'n. but he couldn't git no
motiononto him. Bill came in way
ahead. an I'm liar If we didn't see
the strange hoss nippin' at the grass
long the track as he come down the
f home-stretch-
well. the stranger looked gloomy.
an set ON his hoss an let him eat
/ tween the heats-it as to be the best
two in three. But his partner. who
was doing the bettin. acted sight
I diff rent. He got hoppin' mad. an
'aid he'd bet anyhow If he did lose.
/ We heered the MAI what rode the hoss
/ tellin' him not TO do it. cos Bills hoss
were better than they thought. but he
said he dilI't give a durn. he'd bet
anyhow. So we all bet with him. givin'
him big odds, 50 his money would go
/ furder an we all could have a whack at
/ it. Bnt he 'peared To have an uneom-
mon pile of il. an KEEP pullin' it out
an takin, er'ry bet offered. I'll be
I snaked if he didn't have more n
the whole crowd. After awhile they
+ got ready TO start again. The
stranger hadn't been off his hoss at
/ all. but had set there chewin' teri,acker
an lookin' sick. got ten dollars more
/ to bet on our hoss.' says the man. but
nobody had another cent Jes' then
| they started; same old story-Bill' : hoss
takin' long jumps an the other kinder
bobbin' up'n' down an aetiu's il il
hurt him. I'll bet you my watch agin
( yer ten dollars. saysI. Shove her up.
says he | turned round an done so
/ an looked back jes' in time to see the
| stranger kinder lean over and whoop
at his hoss bout the time they was hall
! way round the track. an TIL be gol
burned If | ever seed any thing like il
| in my oorn days. Runi Great Jump
in Jupiterl Run amt no name for il.
That hoss jes' bumped down his back
| and reached out an doubled up, an
reached out an doubled up, Bill said
afterwards that he didn't know nothin
bout when he passed him an s'posed
all the time he was ahead till he met
the other comm back jes' fore he
went under the wire! Fact. / tell
YOU, They rested awhile an then run
the other heat. This time the strange
hoss jes' went off in what 'peared to
be an easy gallop. an KEEP bout rod
ahead o Bill all the way. throwin' dus;
in his face an 'casionally kickin' back
at him kinder funny like. But. you
bet. we didn't see nothin' funny bout
it We was the sickest crowd YOU evel
seen. Ev'ry cent gone an a eirca:
comm in bout a week. An one oi
'em had my watch swellin' round with
il stickin' in his booi-legi Sicki Well
stranger. we was too sick to stick ont
our tonguesI Them fel.ers hooked
righ, up an pulled out o town with
that cussed runnin' hoss droopin' dowr
his head an nippin' at the fire-weec
long the side o. the road They didn't
git none too soon. neither; we was jes
yoin' over to lynch 'em. That's why
came over to ask you fellers bout thi.
business. The boys said they would gi
he rope ready while came over, an
II you said you had hass that wan
no runner. but still you would run it
Wy we lowed we'd string you up ovei
on that big tree with the crooked limb
1t pears that the best time fer suci
lind o. exercises is fore the race an
not after you go way with your wagon
l,ox stuffed out with our money till it
ike to split.-F II. Cdrrnth, ia Caicag
JsHrRdL
-Tutor-'.Tommy. what is the chic
characteristic of The hippopotamus2 p