St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-08-01
The Game They Played.


We got the horses back into the lot.
and rubbed off the saddle marks and
sneaked of to bed without raisin any
disturbment around the place, and the
next mornin everything was as smooth
and lovely as q summer day. man.
aged somehow to toll the preacher of
down to the lot before breakfast and got
up a private Capitalization with him in
regards to old Timber Jim. In the fina;
windup I told him il he would borrow
horse from my father and leave his old
plug in our lot would try and put some
wcatherboardin on him and round him
up q little agin he come back that way.
The preacher he took the halt like lit
tie man and had talk with father ac-
cordin Mt the breakfast table.
climber Jim il all right and sound a
a dollar" says he. "but right at this
particlar time he Is somewhatly under
the weather from hard and constant
ridin'. This boy of yours. Brother
Sanders, is o natral-born horse master,
and l would love to put Timber Jim in
his hands for q few weeks, or ut any
rates till 1 pass along this way ON my
return back from the hill country"
Well, bein rs they was both brothers
| in the same church it was all right with
my father. You know how that II.
When the preacher went on that morn
in he was ridin the best saddle horse
on the place. and up on three legs and
chawin his corn and fodder between
maps.
The crops was laid by then and all
the stock was idle. SO had good
chance to take some Of the kinks out
of Timber Jim's hide. Igive him two or
three days to rest up in. and then ]
straddled him one mornin and put out
up the road to see Hump Weaver. !
had a tolerable good fiddle which I
wanted to swap to Hamp for his open
face. silver-case watch and some boot.
Anyhow that was the story which ]
give out to him when got there, but
to you, was playin for even with Linn
Der Jim as my winnin card. / set my fig
gers too high on the watch and fiddle
trade and was fxin on to start back
home when Hamp up and says to me,
says he:
"Rufe, where in the thunderations did
you run up with that old boneyard?"
responded back that had picked up
the horse from preacher that was
passin through the settlement, and
then went ON to remark in q ecatterin
way that there was some good blood
in him and right smart speed IL ]
could but only bring it out where II
would show.
lamp he laughed flt to kill himself
and lowed he wouldn't be caught dead
and ridin such razor-back. "Aint you
skeered, Rufe, they will arrest you for
cruelty to animals?'
1.-THE next thing you know the bux.
yards will come down and close their
mortgage, and you will have to tote
your saddle home" Hamp went on to
say.
It Was "Pat Up Or Shut Up"
Well. Hamp he kept on pokin fun At
me and Timber Jim 10 till presently
got sick and tired Of il and told him
was ridin the fastest horse in the settle
ment. He took another laughin spell
then, and laughed till the water backed
up in his eyes. But when he got through
and quit bantered him for race and
proffered to bet him my fiddle agin his
watch, even Steven, that the old horse
could beat his roam mare in . runnin
race-one mile dash. Hamp thought
was jokin at first, but when laid my
fiddle down and told him to put up or
shut up he covered II with his watch
and went of after the roam mare.
We then rode of down the road to q
level stretch and got ready for the race.
IIamp wanted to give me 200 yards the
start Jest in orderment to sec how long
it would take his mare to make the
lap and pass us by. But told him no,
il lost my fiddle was plum willin to
lose It on fair, square race, and il It %
happened that mought wear his watch
home that evenin I wanted to win it in
the same way.
When we galloped up to the startin
place both of the horses was movin
along neck and neck. But when they
got the word to go the mare made .
squirt and shot out ahead exactly like
my little bay had done when me and
Jerry run our midnight, moonlight
race. It was some time befors Timber
Jim could pull himself up together in
runnin shape, but after that every time
be punched his feet he would cover
three or four lengths, and he punched
EN- tremendous quick and fast. Blamed
If he couldn't SO and come quicker and
do more runnin and make less fnaa
about it than any horse have ever saw.
Now, then, to cut the story shor::,
when the race had been run to finish
Hamp Viewers roam marc ~as the
worst beat horse in all that country ex-
ceptin my little bag. put In and tried
my level blamdest to sit my father in
the notion to trade for Timber Jim
and let me handle him az tradin
stock. But he didn't know nothing
about the strong pints Of . raeehorse.
and when the preacher come back Ma
own nag was ready and waitin for him.
But in the main time, when / went
home from Hamp Viewers that night,
I had my fiddle under my arm dhd .
bully silver watch IN my lower vest
pocket. And KNOWN ali the linl6, q
II do now, II Timber Jim WAS in my lot
to-day and both Of NJ could call back
some 20 years would Be able - start
me up . bank account be1oge 1ext
Christmas
r Y6G cant sometimso a1wayu taae The
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