Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-06-27


reflection. ''lt happened the night o. Aleck
Simpsons birthday party. Aleck had kind
o. give out that his party was to be one of
the finest affairs they'd seen in that neigh.
borhood. and so made preparations accord
ingly. I'd got the promise of Emily Peters
company. Emily was smart little critter
goin' on seventeen, and the purtiest gal in
the county. All the boys were wild over
her. Her cheeks minded you of straw
berries and cream and she had a way of
fashin' her big brown eyes at a Teller that
used ter set my heart a thumpin' like
woodpecker hammerin' on a holler limb.
81 hitched the sorrel colt up to pap's new
top buggy, and I jist calculated me an
Emily ID lay 'em all in the shade. I knowed
the other fellers 'ud be jealous of me for a
month to come. But we had a little spat on the
way and by the time we got to the party felt
more like layin' down in the haymow than
goin' in 'mongst the crowd. could a stood
it though if Emily hadn't got up a filtration
with Fred Gibbs, a spindle shanked leather
head that I despised top o. the earth, and
give me to understand that she was goin'
home with him.
'sThat jist made me red hot I went out
doors and sot to work to think up some
plan of revenge. By and by the thought
struck me that could get even with Fred
and Emily and have great joke on 'em at
the same time by stealin' the bars often
Fred's front buggy-wheels SOS the buggy
ID tumble down with e m on the road home,
and 1 went right straight to tend to it.
After I'd throwed the bars over into the
cow-lot went off and laughed till was
sick, a. thinkin' how Fred and Emily ID
be piled out on the prary and have to walk
home.
s'Soon as could straighten my face up I
went in and cut SIGH splurge anon g the
girls that I reckon must a made Emiiy
jealous; anyways, she left Fred and kind
o. made up to me. By the time we was
ready to go home we was as sweet on one
another as though nothin' had happened.
'sThe first half mile of our road was
smooth as a floor, but didn't hurry none
told Emily the sorrel colt was young and
| 1t wouldn't do to drive him too fast, and
she Flowed was right.
| "We got along splendid till we came to 9
| little creek we had to ford. AS the wheels
went down the bank there was a jolt and
then wobble, and out we went into the
| creek, ker-chunk. Jeminyl You could
! a. heerd the screech Emily give as she
souseo into that icy water clean over int
| the next county. I felt like hollerin' my
| self, only my mouth was so full of mud ani
gravel couldn't. Quick IS could helped
Emily out. By that time we could hear thu
sorrel colt a-tearin' down the lane half
mile away, jist lickety-brindle; so there wa!
| nothin' left to do but walk back to Simp
sons. 1t was along towards the latter eent
OF October, and our clothes froze stiff
Emily's mouth must "a froze shet, too,
reckon, fer she's never spoke to me to thi
day. OF course 1 felt awful, but fer al
that couldn't help chucklln' every time
thought of the trouble that Fred and hi
girl 'ud git"
''Did Fred's buggy wheels come of in tn
creek, too?'' asked Bronson, after waitin;
in vain for the old man to finish his story.
ssNoap. Didn't come of at all. Ye see
Fred's buggy stood right side o. mine tina
night; it was darker N sack o. black cats
and I was in a dreadful hurry, and-well
the fact o. the matter is, l fixed the wrong
buggy" G. F. CARTER.