Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1888-03-30
RED AND WHITE.
BY f. A CUSTER.

CLOVIS Northwestern this morning,
Uncle zeke" asked Dick Spriggs
across the restaurant table.
''slumpcd off six points, blame itW
scowliny yiciou,ly over his paper at the
steak brought by the waiter.
Ezekiel Spriggs laid down his paper,
aId picking up his fork, stuck it into
the meat. As he withdrew it and saw
the rich, red juice ooz9 out, his face
frightened. spriggs was somewhat Of
an epiculc.
Six points a pretty big drop said
Dick, possessing himself Of the paper
and alternating between it and his
breakfast; chow dye come out"
But Spriggs was basily engaged in
tearing off huge pieces of steak and
chewing them with much the same ex-
preston that chicken exhibits when
taking driak of water Business was
business, but breakfast was breakfast
just then, and while Dick chartered and
read extracts, Spri3gi 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 6 cur3ory glance at
the editorials and paused at the lower
corner Of the page, then he read aloud:
Possibly the reason why, when a red
headed girl appears on the street, a white
horse soon makes its appearance viii have tc
be sought for in history. Away back in the
early Greek and Egyptian days, rei-hairel
girls aTere justly priced above all
"Whadz that? interrupted S2riggs.
Spriggs was bachelor and though rich
was not especially addicted to the fair
sex.
Dick leaned thoughtfuIly back in his
chair. 'Its dodgasted funny thing,
Uncle zoke, but It's fact, never knew
it to fail; straight as a string, too
"Well, what is it2'
why don't you see, the saying i
that where ever you see red headed
girl there is always a white horse in
sight. l believe it now-didn't at first.
Why only last Sunday night l went to
church with Miss Au5tia-you ought to
see her, Unclc Zeke---" Dick paused
with piece of steak ha f-way to Iii,
mouth and gael yearain ;ly at the
blank wall. "Wcl, as was saying, /
went to church; coming out l saw di-
rectly in front Of US a girl with hair
just about as red as you fld it. o c
of the rules of the g M is that you
must Away go somewhere tn i ac-
ccsslble to the horse after seeing the red
hair, SO | made an excuse about a short
cut and dragged NJ ,bel out the side
door. thought l had the white horse
sequence dead this time, lut Just as we
came out the door, sure enough the in
evitable white horse came trotting rou id
the corner. There wasn't another four
legged animal in sight AMI | lidlt see
any the whole way hone. I've tried it
every chance and never know it to fai'. ,
Spriggs gruntcd an inau liblc response
and rose from the table. By noon he
had forgotten all about it but the sicht
of red haired girl brought the subject
to his mind. In spite of its evident ab-
surdity there was something odd aad
uncanny about the notion and Spriggs
almost unconsciously began to scan
the passers-by. Turning the corner he
came plump sainst another maid with
fiery hair and sure enough there, hitched
to post was a rather scrawny but an
unmistakable white horse This was
tn beginning Of his downfall for there
md then lie determined to sec exactly
" hat was in The sayla.. Now Spri ggs
was nothing if not mcthodical. A long
lie of single blessedncss and business
training hal ma le him 50, and he en-
tered into the Investigation in somewhat
the sam manner as he woulI some great
business question.
The major part Of the next day was
spent in keeping tally Of the horses that
pissed his eff window; and the fol
lowing day in an extended hunt of red ;
headed girs without regard to their So
called accomp niments The result
was that while orc horse in every fifteen
was white, only one female in thirty -one
had red hair. A series of afternoon sit
tings at his club window brought out
the remarkable fact that for every seven
women that passed, two horses were in
sight. This was to be the basis of the
test. Spriggs reasoned that the chance
against the sequence were about two to
one, for according to his observations,
in the ordinary days run, there were
twice as many red haired girls as white
horses. This of course did not allow
for unu sual occurrences or for night
travel, when there were fewer horses on
the street. At the end of
the first week the result was:
failures, one; verifcations, forty
eight. spriggs did not quite believe in
- IL l.