Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-07-02
LAS WONDERFUL COLT.

who went in search of him.
LAS WONDERFUL COLT.
The Story Of tho Trials Of an Old Here
Told by . Maine Man.
'I remember the first time that saw
Elias Perkins" said the man from Maine
to the New York Tribune. "He was
sitting on fenoe-rail, whiting . stick.
The next time saw him he was
perched on the same rail, and the stick
In his left hand seemed to be the same
one as before. saw him many times
that summer, and he always sat on the
fence, and he always whitfield.
He was one of those pieces of hickory
that one meets in my State. He was
oveS sixty years old, but during the
wAn1sr he could swing an axe with any
man In the woods. He never worked in
the summer. He had picked up a deal
OF knowledge somewhere, and his brain
was like an iron box, for he never for
got anything which he once got into his
head. He would discuss 'algebree, trigo-
nometree and the classics as he ex-
pressed it, with equal willingness, but
no would add, 4 prefer the old poets;
they get down to business without
many flour1shes' l have heard him
quote Homer by the hundred lines with
out break, his long arm making un-
calmly gestures, and his whitened head
bowling with solemn dignity at the end
OF each verse. In geometry he would
rattle away at any thing, winding up
with an impressive quad erat demon
strandum.'
'"Ldas, every body called him, and he
was often called upon 10 act as the final
referee In cases of dispute, for it was ad-
mitted In that part Of the country that
'Lias knew every thing. But 'Lias was
destined TO show his weakness late in
life, and the result of 1t was more Sc
we're than years Of ohopping at pines in
the coolest Maine weather.
sit was the second summer of my &C.
quaintanoe with him that found him
one day, as usual, on the fence, but his
knife was not ct work as usual on piece
Of wood. He was pegging away in an
absent-minded fashion at the rail ITSELF
81 went into the village day before
yesterday, said Elias, looking up with
. weary look In his faded blue eyes,
and 1 bought colt. I'm going to raise
him. and have the finest horse in this
township
"'Well, Elias said, what are you
going to do with him? What do you
need of horse2'
"I just want to raise him. he an,
swered. But he's q tough one to
handle, ! think that's why 1 want to
raise him.
1.-TWO days afterward, when saw him
again, both his knife and whiting
stick were gone.
elbows the colt, Elias2' asked.
He got up In the hills yesterday,
and I was out looking for him all night.
He's back now The old man showed
signs Of fatigue.
perhaps there never was colt more
vicious than Elias. / heard of the ami
mails oapers every day, and it kept
Elias continually busy looking after his
new pet But one day found him back
in his old position, looking like himself
"'Where's the colt to-day?' asked.
"'He's lost, said Elias, with sattsfac-
ton, and he quoted some verses to show
his submission to fate.
I'm three days Elias had gone back tc
his old friends, the knife and the stick
But on the morning of the fourth day
when he got up he found his colt stand
ing at the door of his little house
Hencetovth troubles came thick and fast
upon the old backwoodsman. His bach
began to bend over, and nothing could
induce him to talk of the old poets! Tho
old man went to pieces rapidly, but ht
would not give up the colt. This con
dition of affairs continued until is wa.
difficult for Elias to drag himself around
One night the vicious colt, while Jump
ing fence, caught one Of its legs ant
broke it. Some one took rife and
ended the brute's suffering. When
heard of this the next day 1 called OF
Elias. He was lying on his bed, will
his eyes closed, but there was snprem,
look of rest on the yellow face, and
smile Of content about the thin lines q
the corner of the mouth.
Elias, said, it was too bad abou
the colt
:. Yes said the old man, with
smile. z think / vas teaching him
little deceaoy. 1t was toe bad to be dis
appointed
"Elias got out again in few weeks
but he was never able to go back to tn
woods. He never ceased to tell, how
eyer, how he was conquering his col
when the animal was killed, And a
time went on the virtues Of the brut
seemed to grow on Elias, for such = pa
tent, docile, intelligent and wonderful
colt as the one described by Elias tw
years afterward, as he sat on the oil,
fence one evening, man never befot
heard praised