The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1890-11-08
LAS WONDERFUL COLT.

LAS WONDERFUL COLT.
The Story of the Trials of mn Old Hero
Told by n Maino Man.
: II remember the first time that l saw
Elias Perkins, "said the man from Maine
to tho New York Tribune. ''He was
sitting on a fcnce-rail, whiting q stick.
Tho noxt tirac l saw him he was
perchcd on tho same rail, and the stick
In his loft hand seemed to be the same
one as before. saw him many times
that summer, and he always sat on the
fence, and hc always whitfield.
''He was II of those pieces of hickory
that one mcets in my State. lie was
yer sixty years old, but during the
winter he could swing IN axe with any
man in the woods. lilo never worked in
the urnmcr lie had picked up a deal
IF knowledge somewhere, and his brain
was like an iron box, for he mover for
got anything which he once got into his
head. Ilo would discuss 'algc1orcc, trigo-
nomctrec and tho classics,' rs he ex-
pressed it, with equal willingness, but,
no would add, 4 prefer the old poets;
they get down to business without
many tloHrishos.' l haTo heard him
quote Homer by the hundred lines with.
out = break, his long arm making un
gainly gestures, and Liz whitcncd head
bowling with . solemn dignity at tho end
Of each verse. In gcomot.'y he would
rattle away at any thing. winding uE
with M s,,,>,.,.f,r i,,,,1 eunt 1o-nr.
strandum.'
"Lias, every body c:.llcd him, and he
was often called u;ro:i to oct as the final
reicrco in cases of DISPUTE, FOR 1t was ad'
mitteG in chat Cart of tho country that
'Lias know every thing. But 'Lias was
destined to show his weakness late il
life, and thc ru.;l:it OF Is was more Sc
vcrc than years Of chopp:ny at pines ir
the coolest Maine weather.
sit was the second summer of my &C
l%uaintancc with him that l found hin
Il day, as usual, Oh tho fence, but his
knife was rot 1t work as Usual ON q piece
of wood. lie was W'rying away in ar
abscnt-rlindcd fashion at the rail itself
"'I went into the village day before
yesterday said Llias, looking up witt
a weary lock il his faded blue eyes
and l boGs,:,taco TIA going TO raise
him, and lave the finest horse in thit
township
"'lVcll, Elias I said, what arc you
going to DO with him? What do yor
need of Il horse?'
"'I just want to raise him. he an
swerod. 'Eut hes q tough: n Il
handle. l think that's why l want t.
raise him.
"Two days afterward. when l "a him
again, both his l1niic and whiting
stick wcrc zone.
"'IIow's tho colt. Elias" ] asked. =:
"'IIc cot up in til" Kills yesterday
and I was ont loosin; for him all night.
He's back now The old man showed
signs Of fatigue.
perhaps there never was a colt more
vicious than I:ias'. / heard of tho ami
mails c"po.s every day, and it kept
Elias continually busJ looking after his
new pet Eut day found him back
in his old position, looking like himself
"'Nhcra's the colt to-day??' l asked.
"'IIc's lost. said Elias, with satisfac-
ton, and he quoted SOHO verses to show
his submission to faic.
''In thrco day; Elias had gone back tt
MS old friends, the knife aad tho stick
But on the morning of the fourth day
when he got uphc found his colt stand
.ng at tho door Of his littlo house
tHenceforth troubles came thick and fas1
Upon tho old backwoodsman. His bach
began to bend over, and nothing could
induce him to talk of tho old poets! The
Did man wcht to pieces rapidly, but hi
would not givaup tho colt. This con
lition OF affairs continued until it wa
liticult for ELIAS to drag himself around
Ono night Tie vicious col:, while jump
ing a fence, caught IL OF its legs and
broke it. Some one took q ri1o and
ended the bruto's suffering. When
heard of this tho next day c called or
Elias. lie was lying on his bed, with
his eyes closed, but There was a supreme
look of rest on tao yellow face, and
smilo Of content 1boIt the thin lines a.
tLc corner of Tao mouth.
"'Elias,' l said, 1T was too bad about
tho colt
eyes said tho old man, with
snilo. Il think 1 was teaching him {
.ittlo dcc.ncy. 1t was too bad to be dis
appointed
"Elias got ont again III a few weeks
out he was cvo ;.ble to go back to the
woods. lie lever ceased to tell, how
svcr, how lie was coaqucring his col
whom Tie animal was killed. And a.
time went on TAG virtues Of tho brute
seemed to grow on i;lias, for such q pa
tient, doc;le, intelligent and wonderful,
COLT as the ONO described by Elias two
gears aftcrwarl, IS re sat on tho ole
fence emo evening, man never before
heard praised"
a Coascience-Str"cken Man.
A sad-eycd nan walked into q store
in Beloit tho other day, says tho James
viilo (,-.nttr end. Dlnu1,jnC down a Sill