Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1890-07-03


face a. he sat-compietcly dunn
founded at this startling piece Of Ill
luck. After awhile he stepped oui
of his buggy and getting down on
/ his knees, locked over into the wa,
! ter. = HeS, there they are" at the
! bottom, with 4 crowd Of little fishes
rubbing their noses against them,
AMI Bill wishing to goodness that
/ his muse was rs close for one second.
! His beautiful teeth had cost him SC
! much, and the show coming on and
no time 10 get another set, and the
widow and Young Sackrider. Well,
he must try to get them somehow,
/ Hnd no time to lose, for some one
I might come along and ask him what
he was tooling around there For.
/ lie had no notion Of spelling his
good clothes by wading in with them
III, and besides if he did that lie
coulI not 90 to the widows that
/ night, 50 he took look up and down
! the road 20 see that nobody was in
sight, AMI he quickly undresSed him
self, leaving his clothes in the buggy
10 keep them clean. Then he ran
! around the bank and Waded into the
almost icc-cold water, but his
( teeth did not chatter in his head-he
only wished they could. Quietly he
wadCd along 50 is not to stir up the
mud, and when he got to the right
place, he dropped under the water
and came up with his teeth in his
! hand, and replaced them in his
mouth. But bark! What noise is
/ that: \ wagon and little dog
barking with all his might, and his
! horse starting. Whoa. Whoa!
! Stop, you brute, stop" But stop,
! lIr would not, and went off at q
spanking pace, with the unfortunate
! bachelor after him, and the little dog
yciping after the hachel0G Bill was
certainly in cycclIant ranAing cos
tune, and though he strained every
nerve, lie could not touch the buggy
or reach the lines. which were
dragging on the ground.
After awhile his plug hat shook
or The seat and the hind wheel Of
the buggy went over il, smashing it
l. fiat a. 4 pancake. Bill Snatched
il up Il, he ran. after jamming his
fist in it, Stucl, it AL dusty and
dinlpicd on his head. And now he
saw the widows house on the hill,
auH what, oh, what will he do
Then his coat fell out, he slipped iton,
aud then making 4 desperate squirt,
nc cIutChcd the back III the scat and
scrambled in and pulled the buffalo
ruhc over hi. knees and Stuttd the
other thing beneath. Now, the
horse happcucu 70 be one he got
from Squire Moore, and he had got
it :'ron the window, and he took
into his head IN stop at her gate,
which l:iIl had no power to prevent,
a. ho hadn't possession of the r,ins;
besides he was TOO busy hittnning
his coat up 10 he chin to think of
HmNtnii.%. ci@". L1'llo--wkIHw 'l"'r'i
the rattle Of the wheels and looked
out, seeing that it was Smiley, and
that he didn't offer to get out, she
went out to the gate to see what he
wanted, and there she stood chat
ting, with her white arms on top of
the gate, and her face right toward
him, while the cold chills ran l0wn
his Shirtless back clear to his bare
feet beneath the buffalo rohc, and
the water from his hair, and the
dust from his hat had combined ~
make some nice little streams Of
mud that came trickling down his
face. She asked him to come IN.
No, he was in hurry he said. Still
he did not offer to 90. He did not
like 10 ask her to pick up the rcins
for him. because he did not know
what excuse 10 make for not doing
il himself. Then, he looked behind
him and saw Whitctaccd horse
coming, and ut once SurmiScd that
it WIS Jack SurkridCr'S. He re-
solved to Ito or die, and hurrirdly
told his GRAND. The widow would
be delighted to 90; Of course she
would. But wouldn't he como in:
No, nc WAS in Il hurry, he said, and
had 10 90 on to Mr.. Green's place.
"Oh," said tho widow, "ynu'rc
going to Green's place, arc you
Why, was just going there myself
tn yet ono of tho girls to help me to
quilt some moro. Just wait Il min
utN while | get my bonnet amt
shawl, and I'll ride with yoU,' and
away she skipped.
'.rhuudcr and lightning, what 4
<crapr." said Bill, and he hastily
r!utchcd his pants from between his
feet, when I wagon, with L white
faced horse driven by Il boy, came
along and stopped beside him. The
boy held w 4 pair Of boots in one
hand amd Il pair of socks in the
other. Just rs the widow reached the
gate, and said;
"Ncrr'S your boots and socks,
Mr.. Smiley, that you left on the
bridge when YOU was in swimming"
You're mistaken; they're not
:ninc," said Bill.
Why. amt you the man who had
the race after the horse just now ~
said the boy.
= 40, sir, I am NOT. You had
better 60 about your business" Bill
sighed at the loss of his sunday
boots. and turning tn the widow.
said:
= Just pick up the lines, will you,
please? This brute of L horse Is
forever switching them out of my
hands" The widow complied, and
then he pulled down one corner of
the robe and she got in.
"What 4 lovely evening, and so
warm that I don't think we need
the rohe over Us, do we?" said she.
lNou see she had OH q nice dress
and Z pair of new CATERS, and she
wanted to show them
"Oh, my, you'll find it chilly
riding, and i wouldn't have YOU to
catch cold for the world,' said Bill,
earnestly.
She seemed pleased at his tender