The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1895-09-05
Az INNOCENT PARSON.
HIS ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE A RAM
FIGHT IN RING VERNAcULAR.

TUT IN hlN9 YEfS4COlak.
The bride yentnred Suggestion which
Caught on-The Preacher Didn't FULLY
Succeed In Appearing Unsophisticated.
/ The Little Rams Ring Tactics.
A preacher told this story at we'd
ding supper on the South Side the other
evening:
Il was riding along country road
uear Bloomington, be said, when I
noticed u group of sheep in pasture
There was a large open space in the
midst of the flock, and at either end Of
the space stood a ram. In the center,
but standing little at one side, was
third ram. The two rams had evidently
had a falling out about something, or
else they had come to settle in friend.
ly contest which was the better ram.
Ram No. seemed to be acting as
Judge, umpire-what do you call it,
Referee? Yes that's it, the third ram
was the referee. | don't know under
what rules the meeting took place 1t
may have been Queensberry or Rosebery.
You see | am not up To these technical
matters.
when all the preliminaries had been
arranged and beth contestants had been
! cautioned apparently that there was to
be no 'fouling'--I think | have seen
that word III the newspapers occasional
", and therefore l suppose it is a cor
| rect word to use III this connection
each backed off to the farthest limits of
the circle, which, by the way, was not
a squared circle. The referee stepped
out Of the way, and the rams dashed to-
| came together, there WAS terrific crash,
and the force of the conclusion threw
| them as far apart as the length of this
table "
All the guests looked the full length
of the table fgom the passion flowers at
one end to tie brides cake i'll the far
perspective. and then at the preacher in
the middle distance, but nobody said
anything.
Then, continued the preacher
they took their places, apparently none
the worse for the encounter Again, evil
IDENTITY at preconcerted signal from the
referee, they dashed together. This time
the shock was even more terrific than
the first, and | noticed that us one of
them went back to his-ah, what do
they call it, corner he was little un-
steady on his legs.
.'Groggyi - ventured the bride.
4 believe that is the technical term, -
replied the preacher, although, as
have intimated, | am not at all familiar
with sporting phraseology. When time
was called for the third round--ahem-
that is, | mean TO say when the rams
had recovered strength for third col
lision = there was another rush, a
crash, and one of the rams, the one you
so APPLY described AS 'groggy with an
acknowledgment to the bride) fell to
his knees His adversary did not seem
linclined to follow up his advantage, but
possibly he may have been restrained by
the rules of the meeting. At any rate,
after contemplating his fallen foe grave
lly for moment he walked back to his
place. The other ram, after resting
briefly, struggled to his feet. The third
ram-the one l have called the referee
| looked at him rather inquiringly, az
1T seemed to me, but the warrior show
led no sign Of recognition. He ambled
to his side of the ring and faced about
A murmur of some sort seemed to go
through the flock The odds We're ap-
,parently to l in favor of the other
/ laDf to - In
general opinion that the ram with the
weak knees had been outclassed, as the
other one was decidedly the heavier of
the two
However, the smaller ram seemed
to have wonderful recuperative powers.
When the proper interval had elapsed,
he came up smiling, rs it We're. l even
Thought l could see a twinkle in his eye
for | was quite close to the fence, and
this thing took place only little dis
lance away. As the referee stepped back
from the center of the ring, where he
kept his position between the meetings,
the other two rams drove ut each other
| 'pellmell. At the very instant when
their hard horns would have met how
ever, the smaller ram suddenly changed
/ his course to the right and the other
went through the ranks liks catapult
Just as he turned about, evidently
boiling ever with indignation at the
trick which had been played on him,
the other one, with the added force given
by longer run from one side of the cir
Gle to point several feet outside of it,
| where the larger ram s momentum had
carried him, shot at him like cannon
ball, striking him full in the face and
driving him several feet away, where
he lay limp and helpless. The third
ram, who was promptly on the spot, as
i suppose every competent referee should
! be, nodded his head several times-in-
deed it looked to me as if he WAS count
ing-and then the fallen ram failing TO
rise the whole flock marched away to-
ward knoll in another part of the
meadow with the victorious ram at the
head Presently the defeated ram got
bn his feet and made his way to "a Sc
bluded spot down by a little run, where
saw him reclining in the shade of
large willow tree rs rode away
/ What an interesting study natural
history is, " said the bride grandmoth-
er as she adjusted her glasses.
/ - 1t is indeed, said the groom s ia
Their, coughing behind his napkin. Chi
cago Trihuna.