Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-07-23
AN OBJ TRANSACTION.


an amphibious sort of creature, fish
ing most of the time, dredging for oys-
tiers in the season, and in the winter
making scanty livelihood by shooting
duck on the great South bay. A slow,
half-witted individual, with goodly
quantity of sly cunning, that stood him
in good stead in lieu of intelligence.
On dry land he was i'll at ease, and dis
liked going afoot, wherefore he had
somehow become the owner of the
most unique equipage on the South
Shore-a comical travesty of the fash
ions of the workers" It was a buck
board constructed out of long, un-
planed deal board hung between four
high and ancient wheels, so spindly and
queer looking that it was a marvel
where they could have been procured.
The extraordinary vehicle was drawn
by quite the ugliest and biggest donkey
ever seen; from his size he might we'll
have been taken for a mule, but his
length of ears and powerful bray left
no doubt that he was a veritable and
unadultered ass. This animals hide
was as great curiosity as was every
other detail of this wonderful turnout
His skin was covered with short, coarse
OAdCh hdlEs Dub ever anu duOu, Ike o
patch of gorse on a common, would be
clunp of thick, reddish foliage-an
odd word, maybe, in such connection,
but in truth the masses of hair
looked more like clumps of bushes
than anything else. AS Jehu of
this establishment AL himself was
not out of keeping. His own hair,
which was long and plentiful and
bleached to a yellow wilderness by the
sun, escaped through the interstices of
an old straw hat in shaggy profusion,
while his nut-brown face, blue eyes and
white teeth gave picturesque touch to
the whole, making subject which an
artist would have loved to paint. One
summer, however, when his finances
were low, AL sold his donkey to fami-
ly of children and perforce went afoot
A few weeks afterward, as the family
were sitting on the veranda in the even
ing, voice was heard from the road
singing with tipsy hilarity. 1t proved
to be Al trudging along and chanting in
a sort of refrain: 81 wish 1 had that
donkey now, do, do, do; wish
had that donkey now, do"-and so on,
until his voice died away in the distance.
In the meanwhile ''Turnips,'' as the
children had christened their new &C
QUESTION, showed that if the master
lacked intellect he had more than his
share of mute intelligence. He could
open door as easily as a man, and
nothing escaped that nose of his. After
his arrival the coachman noticed that
the oats disappeared with wonderful
rapidity from the bin in which they
were kept, and he soon discovered that
Turnips had found out the trick of the
wooden bolt and had access to the COW
eted dainty at pleasure. The garden
gate too was soon investigated and con-
quered, and the donkey passed delight
full morning among the tender growing
plants.
"Begorra, and I'll fix yezr' said the
irate gardener, as he fetched rope and
tied up the gate with series of skillful
knots. Turnips watched the proceed
ings from afar with serious mein, and
when the man was satisfied. that his
early corn was safe, and had gone away,
the animal came up to the gate, found
he could no longer lift the latch with
his nose, and stood there gravely con-
sidering the situation. After few
minutes evident deliberation he with
drew a few PAGES, and then began a
sudden and violent rush and brought
| his body sideways against the some
what riclzety fence, which succumbed
| to the assault Then stepping solemnly
| over the ruins the victorious beast once
more resumed possession of the corn
| field.
At the close of the season, as Mr.. A.
and his family were about returning to
| New York, AL Foster, the fisherman,
presented himself before the door.
Its about the donkey, sir,'' he said
| with an insinuating smile on his hand,
some. foolish face. "I'll keep him for
you if you like for the winter and won't
charge you nothing" Glad to get rid
of troublesome charge, Mr.. A. con-
sented. Turnips welcomed his old master
with joyful bray and the two went off
together well pleased. The following
summer the family returned to their old
| quarters and on the first day the chill.
dren came back from the village in
great excitement. 'tPapa, what do you
Think" they all exclaimed as soon as
as they were within ear-shot, s.Al has
sold our donkey" They had found him
| at the blacksmith's, in paddock
How came Turnips here?" they asked
the village vulcan. Naturally enough, >
said the smith, ''seein' as I paid fol
him." "But he's ours" said the indig
nant little ones wall, I guess not
meow any way" answered the imper
turbable Long Islander, well knowing
that possession was nine-tenths of the
laws.
Let the matter CO., said Papa, the
lazy, 1.-The brute was perfect nuisance
Anyway but the children were mex
orable in their sense of justice, and the
next day when out on the bay in theil
fathers boat they espied AIS ole
patched sail in the distance they started
in pursuit. AIS conscience was evi
IDENTIFY guilty, for as soon as he saw
their intentions, he put about anC
started off in an opposite direction
And now commenced a most exciting
chase-Al was by far the best sailor
TnnTanuov h er1-o1Yr1 -