Sharp County record., 1890-01-16

went to bed early, and stray horse
slipping through after nine o'clock,
along that dusty road, would not be apt
to bo heard or seen. SO he stopped ask
ing questions, and kept the trotter
speeding to Warsaw. At the bank, Dr.
Douglass, stout, gray and kind, gave all
the information he had-remembered
the mare perfectly; she had been raised
on neigh boring farm, and bought and
broken at two years old by his hired
man, John Sedgwick; he had bought her
when John went West, and sold her to
Mr.. Ransom. He thought the possibility
that she mad gone all that way home
was very shadowy, and was most COM
passionately kind in giving parting dl-
rectionS.
Unhitching the black horse, in mus
ing mood, the parsons eye fell on man
with a lantern and an oil-can, who was
stopping to talk with hardware mer-
chant opposite. A sudden thought oc-
Cured to him, and he acCosted the man
with his inevitable question. Instantly
a light came into the mans face.
Eyes, sir" he replied. st was about
midnight two nights ago. | am night
watchman, and | saw her walking pretty
fast along the street, and | tried to pass
her on the sidewalk, to see if l knew
her But as soon as she saw was try
ing to head her, she broke into arun, and
went out of sight down that street."
Eastward still; the lost clue was caught
up again.
Then solid fifteen miles through the
hot afternoon without favorable word,
and South Salem was reached. No one
in the village had seen the missing
horse, but all could direct to the Doug
lass farm. Soon, however, man drlv-
ing in from that direction told how he
had seen her the night before, and how
she had staid around the little school
house all the evening, trying to eat the
short dry grass, but was gone in the
morning. That looked rather blue, but
the minister still drove on, resolved to
inquire at the farm itself. He found
the house fully a quarter of a mile from
the road, with three gates to open be-
fore it could be reached Evidently the
patient animal, after waiting in vain for
admittance, had gone off discouraged.
But whittier? AS the parson was walk
ing his horse thOughtfully along, and
studying the situation, man drove out
of neighboring field with hOrse-rake,
and he at once acCosted him:
81 think | know where she is" he an
Swered. Il was over at my sisters this
and there was such a mare
hanging around there all the forenoon.
She came up to the pump and seemed
pretty dry We gave her pail of wa
ter, but she just slipped off before we
could catch her. But she didn't 60 away;
she staid in sight, eating by the road
side, and was there when l came away"
The two miles were soon passed, and,
on arrival at the place designated, the
answer was: They opened the gate, at
size wea6 in, s--Ss
in The barn there, now"
The farmer next door looked half
pleased and half disappointed when the
parson ratified off the well-learned
description, and answered;
"Yes, she's here. raised that mare
from colt was away to-day, and she
hung around the place, they tell me, all
the omorning, till | came home and
opened the gate. Then she came right
in. My boy here knew her, though he
was little fellow when she went away.
NV house and barn used to be back on
that place yonder. It's all fenced up
from the road now, and she couldn't get
there. But my boy put a bride on her
and rode her over there, and she whin-
MED, and seemed as pleased as child to
get home. lie was in hope nobody would
come to claim her"
But the minister's boy rushed into the
stall and put his arms around Nells
smooth neck between laughing and cry
ing. And after good supper, with no
charge for any thing, the old owner and
the new cordially parted, and the pro-
cession started homeward, the minister
with the black horse in the buggy lead
ing the way, and Charlie enthroned on
the recovered Nell cantering behind.
The minister's idea is that the tramps
were really working to catch the mare
till she became alarmed and indignant
at their persistence, dashed away, and
once fairly adrift, could think of no
such restful haven as the farm where
she had passed youths happy days. The
more she was watched and chased, the
more determined she was to get
there. The two men talking by the
Windsor corner she took for an ambus-
cade of enemies, and studied out the
other road, three miles farther around,
but bearing eastward, kept through the
night, till she arrived hungry, thirsty
and weary, but successful, at the now
fenced-up farm. Then she knew her old
master and followed him in, to be once
more at home.-J. c. Feruald, in Coun.
try Gentleman.
Long Hours for Working Women.
1t must be admitted that many Of
pnStDD'c u.prly inr-wpmpn hayp littln