Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-08-01

trousers pockets and my head at q
knowing angle, and had a conscious
ness that if ever a man looked as If he
knew oxen, was that man.
+ After a long and wise and silent
gaze / took my foot from the
fence, and my hands from my
pockets, and went and punched the OK
in the neck aud in the ribs. Then ]
stood off few yards, with my legs
wide apart, and said, IN q cultural
voice: "Work wellp" 20 =
At this Mr.. Rhodes spoke for the
first time. "Here I be actotterin' in
ter the grave" said he, m do ye
think I'd wanter sell OK as wouldn't
workp'' r. ag>.s-a~. s....,.-...
hastily gave up my attitude, and
relinquished all thoughts of appear
ing knowing. Who was that should
appear to doubt this old man who was
about leaving the worlde had some
idea Of begging his pardon for having
asked if the OK would work, but only
hastily inquired the price. 1t
was thirty dollars If 1 took him now,
or thirty-five dollars If Mr.. Rhodes had
to keep him another day. was SO
alarmed by the possibility that the
creature might 60 up in value five dol
lars q day that I closed the bar
gain instantly, thankful that I
had been so fortunate as
to come that day instead of the next.
Mr.. Rhodes said that his rule when he
sold oxen was always cash payments;
not that he had no doubts of me, but
his rule was cash payments. He add
ed that there want an OK in town that
would lead as we'll as this one. He
brought forth rope and rugged it
about JUDAS horns, telling me that l
might give him ten cents for the rope,
and if ever brought it back he would
return the ton cents, provided the rope
was in as good condition as it was now.
When he had received the money in
full, he put the end of the halter in my
hands. I started on my homeward
journey, and every rod of the distance
l thanked fortune that I had been so
lucky. There never was any thing so
mild and calm as this animal.
When reached Malden's house he
left his sermon-making, came out, and
walked round the OK, declared that he
had never seen finer creature.
Tomorrow I'll have. him pillow up
my garden spot" he said, land you
can take canter on the mare"
But Juba did not pillow up the garden
spot, nor any other spot.
He was brought forth and hitched
to the pillow. The hired man g1asped
the plow-handles, and Mr.. and Mrs.
Maiden, the baby, the "help,7 and
myself clustered near to see the first
furrow turned. Maiden said it was
absurd that people here in New Eng
land thought they must have a pair OF
oxen. He was almost eloquen. on the
benefit poor man might derive from
one OK. Having thus spoken, he told
the hired man to 60 ahead.
How mild Juba was! and how he
would not bulge an inch! He stood
there and cast rebuking liquid eyes on
us; and he chewed betweenxhiles,
when we were tired and let him alone
a moment.
After this attempt we tried him in g
cart; then we hitched him to drag.
He was all the time serene and i'm
movable. We tried him simply as g
companion, walking along with him
with a hand on his neck. He consented
to be companion.
Some time in the second hour we all
sat down to rest. Maiden wiped the
perspiration from his face, and re-
marked that he supposed Mr.. Rhodes
said the OK would work.
l thought moment, md then
answered: II don't think he did say
so. / put that question to him, and
he informed me that he was tottering
into the grave, and asked il thought
he would want to sell In OK that
wouldn't work.
OWhen the minister heard this, he
said: ''Thunder!'' his wife said
''Hush!' the hired man grinned;
made the general observation that il
was devilish.
After a silence, during which we al
] tried to become cool in mini and BODY
and Juba chewed, the hired man sale
that lit want customary il this coun-
try to work an OK alone, and p'r'aps
Juba would work in pairs" In the
hired mans estimation it wan 1T hard.
ly decent not to work them critters il
pairs, and no man anywe res, but old
81 Rhodes, would have he'd a single OF
to sell, less twas by accide emit" After
these words, of course the question fol
our future became: would Juba work
in pairsp"
Maiden said he wished he could buy
a mate for Juba, but with his small
salary that was out of the question
I