The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-05-08

door. | followed, as a matter of course,
because l had a tight hold on the rope,
and hit about every partition stud
worth speaking of on that side of the
barn. Mrs. Perkins was at the window
and saw us come out of the door. She
subsequently remarked that we came
out skipping like two innocent children.
The skipping was entirely u~nintentional
ON my part. l felt as if I stood ON the
verge of eternity. Ny legs may have
skipped, but my mind was filled with
1 took that animal out to exercise
him. He exercised me before 1 got
through with it. He went around q few
times in a circle. Then he stopped sud
denly, spread out his fore legs and looked
at me. Then he leaned forward a little
and hoisted both hind legs and threw
about two coal hods of mud over a line
full of clothes Mrs. Perkins had just
hung out.
That excellent lady had taken a posi-
ton at the window, and whenever the
e%volutions of the awful beast permitted
l caught a glance at her features. She
appeared to be very much interested in
the proceedings, but the instant that
the mud few she disappeared from the
window and a moment later she appear
ed on the stoop with a long poker in her
hand and fire enough in her eye to heat
it redhot.
Just then Stiver's horse stood up on
his hind legs and tried to hug me with
the others. This scared me. A horse
never shows his strength to such adj
vantage as when he is coming down on
you like a frantic pile driver. l instant
ly lodged, and the cold sweat fairly
boiled out of me.
1t suddenly came over me that l had
once figured in a similar position years
ago. My grandfather owned a little
white horse that would get up from a
meal at Delmonico's to kick the presi-
dent of the United States. He sent me
to the lot n day and u%nhappily sug-
gested that l often went after that
horse and suffered all kinds of defeat
in getting him out of the pasture, but I
had never tried to ride him. Heaven
knows, l never thought of it. l had my
usual trouble with him that day. He
tried to jump over me and push me
down in a mudhole, and finally got up
on his hind legs and came waltzing
after me with facilities enough to con
vert me into hash, but | turned and just
made for that fence with all the agony
a prospect of instant death could crowd
into me. If our candidate for the presi-
dency had run one-half as we'll, there
would be 10 ~postmasters in Danbury to-
day instead of one.
l got him out finally, and then he
was quiet enough, and took him up
alongside the fence and got on him. He
stopped an instant, II brief instant,
and then tore off down the road at a
frightful speed. l laid down on him and
clasped my hands tightly around his
neck and thought of my home. When
would stop, but he didn't. He drove
straight at the door. 1t was a low door,
just high enough to permit him to GO
in at lightning speed, but there was no
room for me. / saw if | struck that sta
BILE the struggle would be a brief one
thought This all over in an instant, and
then spreading out my arms nj legs
emitted a scream, and the next moment
1 was bounding about in the filth of that
stable yard. All this passed through my
mind as Stiver's horse went up into the
air. 1t frightened Mrs. Perkins dread
fully.
why, you old fool!" she said. why
don't you get rid of him?"
How can II" said l, in desperation.
why, there are a thousand ways, .
said she.
This is just like a woman. How diff
ferent a statesman would have an
} swered.
But l could think of only two ways
to dispose of the beast-I could either
Swallow him where he stood and theI
sit down on him, or / could crawl in.
, side of him and kick him to death.
But | was saved either of these expe
dients by his coming toward me SO alb.