Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-14


tone. II want little law this mornin'; I'll
talk to you when 1 come to SETTLE
A snort from the senior. whose eyes fell at
once from the ceiling to his clients face. and
good-natured "Bet You will,' from Ruggles
were the result of this sally.
Joel Pike did not smile. He sat with his feet
on the fender. his whip on the floor by his SIDE
one elbow on his knee and both hands stretched
out to the stove. He was looking straight ahead
under the brim Of a much worn hat of stiff
black felt.
When the senior had had his laugh he sat and
looked at his client for some minutes with
amused intentness. if he were a half-pleasing
half-annoying puzzle. What he saw was a slen-
der man, who might have been of almost any
age from fifty upward. His features were
small. but of classic regularity. his lips and
nostrils thin. u slight mustache OF light brown,
little tuft OF beard upon the chin and just a
hint of whisker under each ear. Elsewhere his
skin had that peculiar smoothness which char
acterlzes the face of n man of middle age who
does not use the razor. His eyes were of
steely blue and the brows above them long. but
thin and gray. His hair fell to his neck behind
the ears and when he raised his hat showed
that 1t was cut square across just above
the eyebrows in what would now be known as a
bang" He wore a brown cloth overcoat of q
style which had been old-fashioned in my boy
hood. 1t had cape, fastened at the collar
with frog, and had double row of great
brass buttons up and down the front. Around
MS neck was strl1ly, from winch uepeDQeu an
enormous pair of what were then termed
fringed mittens," which must have come
nearly to the elbow. Inside of these he wore q
pair of dressed buckskin. His hands were
small, with long fingers and narrow. filbert-
shaped nails. On the whole he reminded one
strongly of the portraits of Aaron Burr. There
was that about him which gave the idea of
man intellectually at variance with his sur
roundings. The quietness and evenness of his
tones, the absence of all expletives from his
conversation and of all excitement from
his manner served to deepen this i'm
preston. Well dressed he would have
been pronounced handsome man; in any garb
an observer would look twice at his face. He
was reputed to be one of the richest and I'M
questionably the stingiest and meanes. man in
all the country round. Slight as he was he was
said to possess unusual physical strength. 1t
was said that no one had been found able to
work with him, stroke for stroke dav in and
day OUT for month. Despite the numerous
controversies in which he had been engaged. few
men had been brave enough to try conclusions
with him physically, and once had been enough
to satisfy each of them. The stories told of his
eccentr:city were numerous, some probably
true. and some quite incredible. People seemed
to think that nothing could be too bad to saw of
one who made no pretense of caring what was
said of him. Yet. with all the antipathy existing
against him, no one ever seriously questioned
his veracity
After moment the senior rose, threw off his
shawl. laid his hat on the top of his desk and
saantered to the window. His stopping shout
ders and the pose of his shapely head. whose
black hair was just beginning to show signs of
gray, told the secret of his intellectual
power and an immense capacity for continuous
mental effort. That he was orator. full OF
humOr and pathOs. was only an incident, like
his thorough legal equipment and a memory
that never lost the impression of a fact.
Ruggles resumed the conversation with the
client having no heed 10 tho rahu9 ba bol
ceived.
That's fine yoke of cattle you have out
there. Mr.. Pike
Every one else addressed him by his given
name. bat Ruggles was young and not with
out touch Of policy in his nature, as we have
seen.
''More'n one has made that remark afore,
Mister Ruggles," the old man answered quickly,
looking around with evident satisfaction.
Good blood. too. should say?''
Pure, cherry-red Devons; don't have no
others. Eff you'll find a white hair on one Of
them I'll give We the yoke
What makes you so fond of Devons?''
Easy kept, step lively and know enough to
vote"
We'll broke, I suppose?''
Broke! kin start them steers down the
street, let EN- go eZ fur eZ they kin hear me-
stop EN-, turn EN- round, an back EN- up to
any door in the village without goin' nigh en-
Know any boss team thatll do as much?
NO. certainly not: but should think you'd
keep horse, for all that-just to do your run
ming around with. you know"
Never owned but one boss and never expect
to own another"
''Why not?''
mo use for EN-"
''But they move so much quicker than oxen"
Never see much gain in it, for farmer,
that isl
Oxen are so internal slowr'
That's great mistake. Such cattle as these
move nigh about as fast as bosses at farm work
an the same with of emil do more Take it
now in hauiin' logs or wood-that's about all
farmers do in winter-I keep three pairs of em
an generally have another yoke comm on.
Now. take EN- all an 60 to the woods-three
sleds an only one driver. you see-but as much
as any boss team'l haul on each Sled an start
EN- back. A man can drive three yoke of
cattle just as well as one. Now. it'll take
little longer for the oxen to make trip but
when it's over I've hauled three loads an the
other fellow one."
But yon must admit that horses beat them on
the road"
well, yes, eff we're goin' far enough. and not
too far an don't have too big load.
Ell ones only goin' a mile or two,
a brisk stepper'H get there while man
would be hitchin' up a horse. And take it day
in an day out with load behind EN-, the oxen
are apt to come out ahead"
They say Won used to drive a whole train of
thcm souioth tHu NC Ou Tue IWenty-fOur
hours day.
Yes" said the old man, with an absent
smile, turning toward his interrogation and
throwing back his great coat, that's one of the
queer things I've heard that people tell about
me. The fact IL had lot of lumber to haul
TO the harbor, twelve miles, you know Lum-
Der was up just then, but not warranted to stay
up. There was enough ont to keep four boss
teams haulin' all summer. That meant four
men to run EN-. l found could take ten cor
twelve OK teams an do it in less time with two
men. That's ALL"
''And you didn't work em all day and all
night, too!' asked the other. banteringly.
Ever see anything of mine that looked as if
it was short of hay an corn?"
Don't believe l lever did-now that you speak
of it, :
Now that I speak of it? 'spose We never
thought of it afore. Well, let me tell you YOU
never a horse or an OK, no, nor a man
either. with good cover on his ribs that didn't
have plenty of sleep and have it at night, too"
$50 you didn't drive all night?
Not exactly-you see it was this way.
hired a man to help me load ard drive. We'd
load the wagons in the morning, drive to the
harbor, get them unloaded by dusk and be
home before midnight. l drove the head team
| and the hired man the hind one. We generally
slept great part of the way home''
That was pretty long hours, wasn't it?'
Not bit. Men and cattle had plenty Of
time 70 rest an neither got poor at it..
do Inc a Of 4