The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-09-13

head. And now he saw the wild
Ow's house on the hill, and what,
oh, will he do? Then his coat
fell out; he slipped it on, and then,
making a desperate squirt, he clutch
ed the back of the seat and scram-
bled in, and pulled the buffalo-robe
over his legs and stuffed the other
things beneath. Now the horse
happened to be one that he got from
Squire Moore, and he got it from
the widow, and the animal took it
into his head to stop at the gate,
which Bill had no power to prevent,
as he had no possession of the reins;
besides he was too busy buttoning
his coat up to his chin to think of
doing much else. The widow heard
the rattle of the wheels and looked
out, and seeing that it was Smiley,
and that he did not attempt to get
out, she went to the gate to see
what he wanted and there she stood,
with her white arms on top of the
gate and her face right toward him,
while the cold chills ran down his
shirtless back clear to his bare feet
beneath the buffalo-robe; and the
water from his hair and the dust
from his hat combined to make
some nice little streams of mud
that came trickling down his face.
She asked him to come in. ono,
he was in hurry he said. Still
he did not attempt to go. He did
not like to ask her to pick up the
reins for him, because he did not
know what excuse to make for not
dong so himself. Then he looked
down the road behind him, and saw
a white-faced horse coming, and at
once surmising that it was Gus
Sockrider coming, he resolved to
do or die and hurriedly told his Ell
rand. The widow would be de-
lighted to go, of course she would.
But wouldn't he come in. ono,
he was in hurry" he said; chad
to 60 to Mr.. Green's place.
"Oh," said the widow, ''you're
going to Green's, are you? Why,
l was just going there myself to
get one of the girls to help me
quilt more. Just wait a second I'M
til | get my bonnet aud shawl, and
I'll ride with you," And away she
skipped.
Thunder and lightning!" said
Bill, as he hastily clutched his
pants from between his feet, and
prepared to wiggle into them when
a light wagon, drawn by white
faced horse, driven by boy, came
along and stopped beside him. The
boy held up pair of boots in one
hand and pair of socks in the 9th
er, and just as the widow reached
the gate again, he said:
''Here's your boots and socks, Mr..
Smiley, that you left on the bridge
when you was in swimming"
''You're Mistaken" said Bill;
''they're not mine"
"Why," said the boy, CANT
you the man that had the race after
the horse just now?
"No, sir, | am not. You had
better go on about your business, "
Bill sighed at the loss of his Sun
day boots, and turning to the wild
ow, said:
"Just pick up the lines, will you,
please; this brute of horse is for
ever switching them out of my
hands" The widow complied and
then he pulled one end of the robe
down cautiously, and she got in.
''What a lovely evening"" said
she, ''and so warm. | don't think
we need the robe over us do we?"
You see she had on a nice new
dress and a new pair of CATERS, and
she wanted to show them.
"Oh, myw said Bill earnestly,
you'll find it chilly riding. Wouldn't
have you catch cold for the world"
She seemed pleased with his ten
der care for her health, and conten-
ted herself with sticking one of her
little feet out, with long silk neck
tie over the end of it.
"What is that Mr.. Smiley
necktie?"
eyes, said he. 81 bought it the
other day, and must have left it in
the buggy. Never mind it."
"But," said she, cit was so care
less" and STOPPING over, she pick
ed it up and made a motion to
stuff it in between them.
Bill felt her hand going down
and making dive after it, clutched
it in his and held it hard and fast.
Then they went on quite a dis
tand, he still holding her soft little
hand in his, and wondering what
he should do when he got to Green's
and she wondering why he didn't
say something nice to her, as well
as squeeze her hand, and why his
coat was buttoned up so tightly on
such a warm evening, and what
made his face and hat so dirty, I'M
til, as they were going down little
hill, one of the traces came I'M
hitched and they had to stop.
go, murder" said Bill, "What
next?''
"What is the matter, Mr.. Smi-