St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-07-18

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could hear her roarin and stompin an
snortin like a drove Of wild steer
stampin of , canebreak. ] knowed j
a minnit what was up and what 1
meant. There had been = cloud burs
or water spout ~ we called em, com,
where's in the up country. and the rive
was then runnin mad as . March kAi
through the swamp lands. My hai
stood up, and funny sort Of hurti
come into my throat. glanced up r.
wards the sun, and then this little eal
culation run through my head quicke
than you could say scat with you
mouth open.
ut is past eight o'clock now. o.,
little Mary Is Jest about hxin on /
school. Will she clear the swamp be
fore the freshet runs down to the BIZ
road crossin?"
A Long and Terrible Heat.
A secont more, and the little graz
had wheeled in his tracks like a top an.
swapped ends for home. I give hin
l'all the slack in the reins. dug my spur
deep into his flanks, and went on on tn,
back trail like he was shot out Of i,
cannon. There was squally times then
ladies and gentlemen, and was terribl,
bad ratified, but leant down ON tina,
horses neck and talked to him-talkct
to him like he was folks.
'Untie them legs, young fellow,
says /, land use EN- now for all they an
worth. No monkey work, no jockeyir
and NO foolin now. It is . long and ter
rible heat ahead, but the stakes!-the
stakes are worth a hundred men and
horses like you and me! BY gollys we
must win this race and beat the freshet
to the big road crossin il it snaps every
nerve and strains every muscle and
breaks every bone in your body. Git
out Of the woods and go!"
As we shot down through the swamp
l took notice of the slous and branches
and lagoons fillin up with back water,
which the little gray cleared them at 4
single leap. one by one. and still my
spurs was plowin deep into his bleedin
sides. But he was game-dead game
game to the bone, and never floundered
nor 6ickered nor flinched. Seems to
me like he kept squattin and gettin
closter and closter to the ground
as he went plungin and tearin
along like storm ON wheels. Pres
emily we shot out from the swamp
and onto the sand ridge. and I knowed
that six miles of that awful race was
run. Right alone there. the river
made . little bend and We gained hall
mile by the straight road.
And do you s;cow-sometimesw when
I look back and think about It'll be
dog -goned il I don't believe that horse
could tell what was up and what had
to be done ns well AZ I could, if not
some better, cause was mighty nigh
crazy. was hollerin ut the horse and
plowin up his flanks with the steel row.
els OF my spurs, feelin like / would
choke to death, and sweatin great dropa
OF pcrspiration ms big as your fist.
Away he went down the ridge with
the speed OF the wind. his long slab
sides bloody Us q beef and smolkin like
a steam engine.
When We hove in sight Of home moth
er she was out in the garden pickin
for dinner. Takin of her fly
bonnet and raisin her hand 50, she
looked Mt me and the horse comm down
the road, and seems to me like she was
sayin to herself:. 'Sakes alive! u hs
drunk or crazy7"
Won by . ecratch.
Would you reckon that horse wanted
to stop at homer Nary time onct. He
run by the wood lot gate like q rifle shot
md went q splittin ON down the slope
towards the river. Mother she was
wavin her hands and gesturin and callin
% MS as we dashed by, but couldn't
say nothin. my face was set to the river
nd the little gray was headin for that
pint
: Well. we found our little Mary down |
here in the swamp-jcst across the
fridge. She was tacl<in along at her
'wn gait, pickin flowers and shootin the |
'utterfiies out Of the path - she went
stopped down, caught her by one arm, |
nd lifted her to my saddle bow, then
Wheeled the horse and made for the M |
and. When we got out on the brow |
t the hill past high water mark II
lowed up, and there We met mother
omin 1T full tilt, qusrrelin to herself
nd wantin to know what in the round |
reated world was the matter. set
ne little one in her arms and slid on |
t the horse to the ground; ,emarkin
hat there want anything in particler
ne matter exceptin that ASPIRING
reshet was comm down the river like |
Thousand o bricks. and didn't want
lose our little Mary in that way.
Then ! got weak and trembly in my
nees and set me down by the road to
est myself = little. Tarectly saw the
lver loomin up and sloppin over and
loshin out Of her banks. And in less
me than II takes me to tell It l NV
nat spring freshet rippin and roarin
trough the tops Of the alder bushes
nd playin hide and seek with the corn
lssels.
Mother lowed she told me %. and
ried. womanlilse, when the danger was
u over. and laughed . little round +
bout In spots. But. Of course, We WAS
oth monstrous glad. Little Mary w,s
pwerful sorry she didn't git to school
ut day, but lowed she was awful Rlad
er daddy want drunk and neither
raxy. RU1us 6AND1nn.
A1nDeabnlsy.
Inspector Of Prieons-In provSdine