St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-29
WHEAT MOVEMENT
ABACKWOODS HORSE TRADE.

strong-minded individual who is COM
monty known as Judge" McDougald.
He is not a lawyer, nor did he ever pre-
side in any court of justice, or even at a
county horse trot. Newcomers always
stare when they first hear him addressed
as judge. but they soon find out that the
title is tied as fast to him as is DR..
Green's Or Elder JOrdan'S. Sooner or
later they always ask how it happened.
and the following story is repeated if
any Of the neighbors happen to be
about. The process of his rise to judge
ship was, indeed, rather unusual and
peculiar, having less to do with sheep
skin than with the hide of chestnut
sorrel filly. The way OF it was this:
When McDOugald-then plain Elihu
without any titlC-when McDougald
took inventory of stock at the end of
certain hard winter. the roundup con-
tanned just one article that his neigh
bOrs would have accepted as present
"a neat and tidy sOrrel mare, three
years old. They were not likely to get
her as present. however, or in any
other way except by the payment of
handsome price, for Mac had a deep
realization that his possessing a mare
like this was an anomaly only to be reck
Oned on as we reckon on comets and
dollars rolling up hill. He was firmly
determined TO make the most of this
opportunity, not to get took in" in
trade. as his wife declared he was sure
to, and to hold on to the mare through
thick ana thin until he should receive.
cash in hand, the price he had placed
upon her.
Well. she was good deal above the
average, cut from an altogether differ
emf piece. She was pretty gaunt from
living OH cornstalks all winter, and NOR
tai man couldn't keep her coat smooth
in Macs old shed. but if you knew any
thing about horses you could see in
minute that she was prize. She was
tall, rather leggy vet, but bound to be-
come a beauty. Her head was as pretty
as picture. and she was-full Of spirit
and style. In city market she might
have brought almost any price, even to
one of four figures. for she was Just the
kind fancy dealers like for their fash
lOnable customers, but in our back
woods Macs chances for selling were
limited, and he felt that he fully appre-
ciatpd her value when he fixed her price
at S175.
IA hundred and seventy-fve-nOt
| cent underw ne was wont to declare as
he brought her out fer the inspection of
neighbOrs. 1t was frequent remark
| and frequent Occurr nee. We were
having an early spring that year, bat
| too wet to work vet, and as Mac lived
| on the main road we used to stop in
| often. Several of Us were sort of keep
| ing track OF things. not knowing what
might happen. l myself had Sl25 in the
bank that l didn't invest for just that
| reason.
Among others in a similar situation
| was Sam Aver, the richest man In the
| neignbOrhood. Sam was an English
| man, and true son of his nation in
| being thorough hOrSeman. He was
attracted to good piece of hOrSet1eSh as
| steel filings are to a magnetic needle,
| and if he once coveted an animal, he
was bound sooner or later to make it his
own. He had his own peculiar methods
of dealing, which were SO aggravating
and annoying to the other party that the
| victim was apt to become glad to close
up the transaction at almost any price.
| Ana so Aver generally made good
| trade. once know book agent who
sold cart loads of useless books on the
same principle. He was such an ex-
tremely disagreeabIe man to have
around that everybody bought TO get rid
of him.
Sam Aver had been coming frequent
| ly to see the mare and was always dick
ering with Mack to effect a trade. But
he was not willing to pay the price asked
and Mack dOggedly refused to lower
it. He was no match for Aver in the
way of argument, but he met every plea
with his persistent "hunderd an seven
! ty-tive, not a cent UNDER" feeling that
I, in strict adherence to that principle was
| his only safety.
1t was one of the last days of March
that the matter came to crisis. Aver
had strolled into McDouga!d's and the
two had rambled down to the barn. The
EngliShmaD had been advancing some
of his old arguments and Mack had be-
come slightly irritated.
mot a penny under" he repeated
sharply as he clung to the mares halter
and vainly endeavored to direct her
| course over the soft Soggy ground, sink
ing to his ankles every step "A hun
derd an seyenty-fve dollars to Gabril
| himself"
"WelI, We can't sell to 'er." said Sam
Aver composedly, jingling the change
in his trousers pocket. And as
humans can't pay no such price, Pill
| give We 'undred and fifty dollars for
that mare and that's all | will give. It'll
take the hother twenty-five to fill 'er
up"
| "Well, when We get chance to fill up
| that mare for hundred and fifty dol
| lars, yell jest let me know, won't YEP"
| Mac with whitening sarcasm. Yell
jest write me letter, will YEP"
| Il s'pose We couldn't 'ear by word o.
| mouthr' suggested Aver without
| change of expression, but Mac was
! ZgZagging his way back to the stable
with the restless tilly. and soon disap-
peared.
Mr.. Samuel Aver. however, cared
nothing for such rebutfs. He calmly
loitered along toward the house. stopped
to peer into the curn-crib and pig pen,
| and presently presented himself before
| the superior half of the establishments.
Mrs. McDougald was visible only
through mist, darkly. said mist ema-
mating from pot of burning grease
where she was frying dOughnuts. She
received her guest cavalierly, and to
his statement of the case and his COM
plimentary insinuatIOn that he didn't
like to 90 further before consulting her.
''fur the bargain wouldn't be bindin',
and wimmin was Railways more diff
cutter to please than men," she tossed
her head and replied snappishly that
I'VE don't put up with everything. We
don't put up with a hundred an fifty
dollars for that mare"
NOW, looky 'ere." said Aver, includ.
ing the approaching husband among
| the victims ''VOu unS seem to think