Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-06-01


could halter her in the pasture, and
stand up by the stone wall to enable inc
to climb on her back. She was round
as an apple, and clinging to her name
she stepped with gentleness, so should
not slide off. Could she go? When my
father held the reins, hitched to Concord
wagon or chase, she was in the lead. |
have ridden her to pillow corn. Temple
ton Is flush 80 miles from Boston, and
was the home of ARENAS Lee, who
always kept the best of road horses. For
pasiime as well as the money there
was in it, nv father melted" wild
pigeons and sold them at Faneul Hall
market. The net would be sprung in the
morning, the pigeons dressed during the
day, and Just as evening came on they
would be loaded on the wagon, and the
mares head turned oceanward. AT day
light the following morning only the
custom house would be between the
mare and Long Wharf" The load sold,
she went over to Cambridge, and after
breakfast began the home trip. Suffice
it to say, she fed in her own pasture and
drank of the water of "Otter" river that
night. This hundred-mile journey, per-
formed inside of a hours, was made sew
era times in a season, according to luck
had with the ''crop of pigeons" Grass
fed? The mare fed in the summer with
the yoke of oxen; a lane connected that
pasture with the barnyard, and she
came to the barn whether she worked or
not every day to get her two quarts of
oats.
As the years went on, and | grew
up" as boys will, my father sometimes
criticised me for driving too hard.
When | inquired Seeking for a prece-
dent to Justify myself if he did not
think the drives he gave old Doll on the
returns from Boston were rather hard
ones. he replied: "My son, | did not
drive her hard; she wanted to go home
to mother and the children, and let her
take her own gait" Doll was natural
roadster, a granddaughter of Bulrush
Morgan.
Some time about the year 1851 it te-
came necessary to procure, for prom
inent citizen whose liberty was in
jeopardy Con account of the false testi-
mony that was brought against him in
the court of common pleas being held
at the old court house in the city of
Worcester, Mass.), the presence of GER
tain witnesses. When court adjourned
on Saturday afternoon | was deputed to
seek these witnesses, who lived in the
town of Somerset, VT, and secure their
attendance at court on Tuesday morn
ing. Midnight found me (by railroad)
at the Island House, Bellows Falls.
Sunday morning | called at the livery
barn of Charles Towns, between whose
knees I, as an eight-year-old boy, had
often sat, believing was driving his
four horses as they speed down the hill
into Fitzwilliam village, and told him
of the necessity for my having a good
morse. III was WlhtC't tiS Ni'''S 49,
high, and bad got to plunge into the
mountains after | left Newfane.
Charley loaned me his fur overcoat and
gloves, hitched to the cutter black
mare, l4A hands, weight $50 pounds, re-
marking as the hitching-up process went
On George, this is one of your fathers
kind. When you leave the river road
lower the check line, so if she founders
in the snow she can have her head, and
if YOU are as attentive to the mare as
YOU used to be when | was teaching you
to drive stage horses, you will be back
tonight all right, and | will sit up for
YOU until 10 o'clock"
The mercury stood at about 10 degrees
above zero all day. The mare went
like bird. | rested her at Newfane
and rested myself by walking up to the
court house there and looking at the
portrait of the great lawyer, ). H.
Bradley, and pushed on. The mare
never faltered or tired, and having Sc
cureu Tie pTOllllStu ~ N"'
of the the parties sought | was back at
Newfane for supper. Towards night Il
grew colder; the wind swept the noun
tain heights; the snow whirled thick in
the keen air, but over the drifts went
the little mare, never making mistake
in her footing, and seemingly as cheer
full as In the morning. When we got to
Saxtons River and she realized she was
nearing home, with smooth road and
no more drifts, she expressed her Joy at
the journey nearly done by sharp
whinny, and with uplifted head struck
sharper trot. found Mr.. Towns
waiting for me at 80 O'Clock p. M
(I was half an hour ahead of the time
allotted.) had driven not an inch less
than 100 miles; my mission had been
successful; | "felt good" and up in the
Island House despite the Maine law
Charley and drank shot flip" with a
repeat. What of the mare? | called on