Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-07-29
A MOURNER'S HORSE

come Of it. The schoolmaster is town bred
"a thin, clean shaver man, whose black
habit and tall hat, though considerably
bronzed, refused to harmonic with the
scenery amid which they move. His speech
is formal and slightly dogmatic, On the
subject of free education he talked with
angry positiveness, as one acquainted with
the facts. His cold eyes sparkled behind
his spectacles, and, tucking his umbrella
tightly under his armpt, he licked of his
arguments, tapping his right forefnger on
the palm Of his left hand.
Thus occupied, we were passing the wall
Of a farmhouse on the edge of the downs
when an ugly sheepdog, a grizzled, tail
less brute, came leaping over it and flew at
our legs.
| had wheeled around and my ash sap
ling was lifted for a blow when the school
master arrested me with peal of horrible,
discordant laughter. He was crouching,
with hand on either thigh and his spec
tacles almost on a level with the dogs
jaws His hat had shifted to the back Of
his head, and the look Of derision on his
face was something devilish. At intervals
Of about three seconds he flung a yell Of
unnatural mirth straight in the dogs face
Down went the brute's tail. and be skunk
around and back over the wall. rubbing
his belly on the coping in his sbieet dis
comfture.
The schoolmaster strziShteoed himself
and resumed his souiber reSpectAh.lify 81
once. | stared hack On the empty road
without speaking The uaA1's i-npish out
burst. 20 tel tie truth. had startled ne
nos E-zls s1u rs success, q COURSE
bot s-zsi1uW 4 Ah5 been too vel done,
s11 ! Wandered Z he would take ID ms
E-EEuHuf A-En-
lnzaEd hs chnnkled d-yly Ettsr 8 mo
mem End began
''ThHT's better weapon than gun
'6idiruls''
BE nodded
You used II uncommonly well, said I
''Oh, it's easy. The test Of any creature
nm or doU-iE. Can he parry IL never
mel one that could You see. every living
being has some secret shame. man on DOG,
we al pretend 10 be what we are not II
IL al very vel 70 say like 70 the crack
ling Of thorns under pot, but the point
IL that we re al IN The pot and liable TO be
cooked"
&c walked on q dozen steps and resumed
IN tone altogsther lighter
IN tell you a tale oD this point that
may sruuse you AZ my expense lam Lon
don bred, a. you kn0w-s cockney In the
grain 10 this day. though when ! came
down here TO teach school ] was barely
twenty and now I'm ffty-siL Twas dur
ing the summer holidays thar / first set
foot In the neigh borhood. a week before
school opened again came early to look
for lodgings and ind out a little about the
people and settle down q bit before be-
ginning work
1.-THE vfcar-fha late r-~c,vrr-avSs.5
me TO the farmhouse we had Just passed.
1t was occupied in those days by an old
farmer called Retallack. a widower and
childless. His sister, Miss Jane Ann, kept
house for him, and these were the only
two souls on the premises till came and
was boarded 10y them for thirteen shillings
week. For that price they let me have
bedroom, fair sized sitting room and as
much rs I could cat
"A month after arrived Farmer Retail
lack w.s put to bed with bad attack of
collie This Nt- ga wednesday, and on
Saturday morGing Miss Jane Ann came to
my door with message that the old man
would like TO see me. So | went to his
room and found him propped up in the bed
with pillows and looking very yellow in
the gills, though clearly convalescent
oonOOluasteg. said he, I've summat
OF favor 70 beg y ye. You give the chill
dren half holiday, Saturdays-heyi
Well, dye think ye could drive the brown
hoss into Tergarrick this afternoon Fact
is, my old friend, Abe Walters, that kept
The Packhorse, is lyin dead, an they bury
en- at half after today I'd be main glad
TO attend the feast an tell Missus Walters
how much deceased II be missed, but |
might - well try 70 fy. Now il you could
ina .lef... II 4
on my back with collie, but that you've
come to show respect + my place-there1l
be lashins O. vittles an. drink; no Wal
tiers was ever inferred under a kilderkin,
exceptin their second child that died in
teethin-an he took a nine gallon cask, be-
sides port an sherry wine to an uncertain
amount. / had that from the mother
Now the fact was, had never driven a
horse in my life and hardly knew, as they
say, horses head from his tail till he be-
gan to move. But this Is just the sort Of
ignorance no young man will confess to.
So I answered that | was engaged that
evening. We were Just organizing night
classes for the young men Of the parish
and the vicar was to open the first, with a
short address, at half past g.
you'll be back in loads o. time the
farmer assured me.
TO tell you the TRUTH said |, I'm not
accustomed to drive much
HE declared that it was impossible to
come to grief ON the way, the brown horse
being quiet as a lamb and knowing every
stone Of the road by heart. And the end
was that / consented The brown horse
was harnessed by the farm boy and led
around with the gig while Miss Jane Ann
and were finishing our midday meal
And I drove of alone in a black suit and
with my heart in my mouth.
THE brown horse. as the farmer had
promised, was quiet as a lamb He went
forward at a steady jog. and even had the
good sense to quarter on his own account
for the one or two vehicles we met on the
broad road. Pretty soon began 10 exper-
iment gingerly with the reins, and by the
time we reach Tergarrick streets was hand
ling them with quite an air while observ-
ing the face Of every one I met 10 make