Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-12-12
INCIDENTS.
DRIVING IN THE COUNTRY HAS
SOME SERIOUS DRAWBACKS.


A Young Man Who Spent Summer In
Rural Part of the Country Gives AL
Account of His Experiences with Sew
eral Livery Stable Horses.
"There are drawbacks about this vaca-
ton business" remarked highly tanned
young man thoughtfully as he wiped hi
glasses and seemed to be meditating OF
some unpleasant episode.
"Such as WHAT" asked his friend.
"Well, you take country horses. There
are times when the study of equine char
acter is really painful. I've been up in
the state spending my vacation near
| certain girl think good deal Of, and
| the day after l arrived on the scene
| suggested n drive.
She liked the idea, so hunted up
horse. 1t was pretty hard to get one in
the village that day, but finally found
a man who had team he occasionally
| hired out, and arranged for one of the
animals and buggy for fifty cents an
hour He wasn't exactly horse show
beast-sort of dull peppery color. high
| cheek bones and a wispy tail. Still the
owner said he was safe When drove
up for my fair companion she didn't
| seem enthusiastic.
"'It isn't a livery horse, is it? she in
quired.
"'No, couldn't get one at any price,
I said
"'Where did you get itY
| s''Oh, up town.
ats one of John P. Hopkins horses,
up at the end of the village, isn't it,
| "I believe the gentleman's name was
| Hopkins admitted.
".Well, it's horrid horse she said
| emphatically. He has two, and one
| runs away and the other sits down on
| every hill. won't CO.
| .Icalmed her fears, told her the owner
had assured me the horse was safe, and
| finally we started was outwardly joy.
Gus, but within | was in fever of anx-
! iety as to which horse this one was, We
| were not long in doubt, and, moreover,
the phenomenon of the wispy tail was
also explained. At the top of the first
| hill that pepper colored beast went down
| on his launches, and it seemed as if he
slid to the bottom. We did not have a
pleasant drive. Whenever there was the
slightest variation from the level my
| companion insisted on getting ont and
| walking. We only went two miles, but
| it took about four hours.
1.-The next time | proposed drive
made sure of horse at the livery stable.
He seemed like a kindly beast, and was
| rather good looking. His weakness
seemed to be corners. l don't know YET
how we got around the first corner. He
took it on the qui vive, so to speak. II
seemed as if that horse had been brought
up on merry -go-'round. We drove ont
in the country and came to a sawmill
Just as we reached it the wretched boil
er inside of the place let off steam, and
| that horse gave a snort and started of
| like cyclone. l hung on; sawed and
whoaed, but at the end of the first quar-
ter the pace had increased and my hat
hat flew off.
"'Shall we jump, Charley? asked the
| voice beside me quietly.
Certainly not, said sternly; i have
him under perfect control This turned
out to be true, but l think two mile
hill and sand bank had more to do with
| it than did. Coming back. we pluclsed
my hat from raspberry bush, and
passed the sawmill Indian file. led,
the horse followed and certain young
Ivd,,,,l,f H.
pleasant ride, but somehow we weren't
in the mood for it.
"The next time went to the other
livery stable. The man had only four
horses, but he recommended one Of them
as safe traveller. He was a good
enough looking horse, but he had sores
on his neck and joints.
He isn't exactly pretty I said. not
liking to hurt the mans feelings.
Whats that got to do with his trav-
elm
Well, nothing, suppose, admit
ted, but to take a lady out for drive
those-those-boils don't look we'll
Mean them three soresY
Eyes
'Pshaw, don't bother bout them
and with that the. owner of the beast
went over to his only buggy and scooped
some of the axle grease out of wheel
and plastered the stuff on the animals
raw places. Sure enough it concealed
them; so took the horse. He travelled
well and we had a beautiful time. till Of
sudden, six miles from home, one Of
the wheels run dry l got out to ex-
anime, and blessed if it wasn't the one
that Teller had scraped the grease of
My companion climbed out. l boosted
the end Of the buggy on a stump and
pried off the wheel. Then we scraped
as much of the grease as we could off the
horse, put it back where it belonged and
managed to get home. tell yon don't
believe in horses. New York Tribune