The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-06-23
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 armpit, he licked off his
arguments, tapping his right forefnger on
the palm of his left hand.
Thus occupied. we were passing the wall
of farmhouse on the edge of the downs
when an ugly sheepdog, a grizzled tail.
less brute. came leaping over it and few at
our legs.
/ had wheeled around and my ash sap
ling was lifted for 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 derison on his
face was something devilish At intervals
of about three seconds he flung yell of
unnatural mirth straight in the dogs face.
Down went the brute's tail, and he skunk
around and back over the wall, rubbing
his belly on the coping in his abject dis
comfture
The schoolmaster Strengthened himself
and resumed his somber responsibility at
once. | stared back on the empty road
without speaking. The mans impish out
burst, to tell the truth. had startled me
not little. | saw it's success, of course,
but somehow it had been too well done,
and | wondered if he would take up his
argument again.
Instead he chuckled dryly after mo
ment and began;
THAT'S better weapon than a gum"
"Ridicule?"
He nodded
you used it uncommonly WE'LL" said |.
"Oh, it's easy. The test of any creature
man or dog-is, Can he parry it? never
met one that could. You see, every living
being has some secret shame man OF dog,
we all pretend to be what we are not. 1t
is all very we'll to say like to the crack
ling of thorns under pot but the point
is that we're all in the pot and liable to be
cooked"
He walked on a dozen steps and resumed
in tone altogether lighter
I'm tell You a tale on this point that
may amuse you at my expense. am Lon
grain to this day, though when | came
down here to teach school was barely
twenty and now Pm ffty-six. Twas dur
ing the summer holidays that | first set
foot in the neighborhood, a week before
school opened again. | came early to look
. for lodgings and find out a little about the
people and settle down a bit before be-
ginning work
1.-THE wharf.-the late vicar-commended
me to the farmhouse we had just passed.
1t was occupied in those days by an old
farmer called Retallack, 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 by them for thirteen shillings
a week. For that price they let me have
a bedroom, fair sized sitting room and as
much as could eat.
"A mouth after arrived Farmer Retail
lack was put to bed with bad attack of
collie This was on a Wednesday, and on
Saturday morning Miss Jane Ann came to
my door with a 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
'Schoolmaster,' said he, I've summat
dren a half holiday, Saturdays-hey?
Well, dye think We could drive the brown
boss 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 8 today. I'd be main glad
to attend the feast an tell Missus Walters
how much deceased III be missed, but |
might so we'll try to fly. Now if you could
attend an just pass the word that Pm laid
on my back with collie, but that you've
come to show respect i my place-there'll
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 nine gallon cask be-
sides port an sherry wine to an uncertain
amount had that from the mother
Nov 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 l 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 9.
you'll be back in loads o. time the
farmer assured me.
10 tell you the TRUTH said l, 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 l consented. The brown horse
was harnessed by the farm boy and led
around with the gig while Miss Jane Ann
and l were finishing our midday meal
And / drove off alone in black suit and
with nv heart in my month