Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1892-11-17
Scaggs's Mare Polly.
From Harper's Magazine. |

They wer. talking about horses, and
more particularly about Nancy Hanks
w nderful record of 0514 Every, ne
SCENT to he more or less Impressed with
the mary, lousness of this record except
old Mr.. Sc,ggs, a retired farmer.
''Sne's fast, yes" he said. sBut l
once owned mare up on the farm could
beat her, That mare was lightnin' on
legs. Polly was her name-named her
alter Mrs. Scaggs's mother and finer
woman you never met. She could bake
all around any other woman in the
county, an when it came to me bein'
sick, she'd nurse me tender lier than as if
| wasn't a son-in-law at all, but her own
boy. My, how she could trotr'
"Your mother-in-law asked one OF
the circle.
"No; the hoss," snapped Scaggs, with
fire in his eye. "I'm talkin' about he
boss. l bought her when she was eight
years old from old Mrs. Tumpkins. She
wasn't much on looks, Mrs. Tompkins
wasn't. but she was business all through.
When her husband died she took chang
Of The grocery, an added a millinery de-
par ment to it, md by Joe! inside of a
year she was able to close up the grocery
nd do nolhin' but make hats. Jhomp-
htlS uSCu " HUH NV up " tflC uCtlVerV
wagon, you know, but of course
"YOu don't mean to say that any mar
was ever mean enough to hitch his wife
up to grocery wagon and make her
haul the packages about town?' queried
the inqui>itive member of the party.
'Aint said Thin o. the kind" re-
torted Scaggs. "Don't you get too fun
ny. I'm talkin' about the boss. was
goin' on to tell We how when old Mrs
Il, mpkins got to making two-dollar hats
for the women folks md sellin' 'em to
'em for ten, she gave up the ocery bus
ine-s, rid SO didn't have any use for the
boss old Tompkins had used for drivin'
his delivery wagon. 1t happened 1
wanted a boss bout that time, md so
called on old Mrs. Tompkins to talk it
over. She was only eight years old at
the time and hadn't much style about
her, though she was calculated to be
EASTERN anything else in town. asst old
Mrs. Fompkins what she'd take, md she
says $24.
"lh.t's pretty high for an eight-year-
DID," SAYS [. I'll give We dollar md a
half a year for the boss. That's $l2'"
Make it two and she's yours says
old Mrs. Tompkins.
Throw in hat for my wife, SAYS
l., md it goes
6 Done says she.
IS bridled her, paid the money, md
led her home. Few days later some %
the boys. KNOWN as had sportin' blood,
came an asst me to let Polly trot on a
mile track for the record. NV wife
didn't want me to at first, because she
was little off her feed, md didn't ap-
prove of raciu' anyhow. but when the
boys offered purse Of $40 if she could
beat 10, she let up. So l said all right,
nd we set date"
'Well, what was the result?' asked
the inquistive youth.
1.-Two four for the mile" said Scaggs.
| "Two four?" cried the whole circle at
once.
"Yep," said Scaggs. ''But it was the
track as helped her. There was som, :
thin in the track as had ought to be give
some o. the credit, for the old mare
couldn't beat more'n four minutes at the
County Fair grounds
"Whst was the speciality of the track
Scaggs?" asked one of the party.
"Waal,' - said Scaggs, slowly, ssas far
| as could make out, mile on our track
warn't more'n half mile on any
other.''