The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-28
Following David Harum's Rule.
LFrom the Springfield, Mass, Repub-
Hcan.1


lican.l
Dave" Harum says: 1.-THE golden
rule in horse tradin' is to do unto 9TH
ers as others would do unto you, and
to do it first but there is sometimes a
later reckoning. Away back in the
forties Mr.. Crosby, of the Elm Vale
Farm, IN North AndOVer, had an eX-
tensive establishment there, with a
large number of fine horses, and in the
old days Ben Thurston, the father
of the famous Black Hawk breed. who
lived at Lowell, used to come down and
try speed with Mr.. Crosby, who at that
time owned Lady Essex and Lady
Lawrence, both fast horses In the win
ter the track was transferred to the ice
on Merrimac River, and many is the
race they had down as far as Haver-
hill and return. One of the side specu-
lations with Mr.. Crosby was a large
grocery store, which he had establish
ed on the Essex 'cOmpany's land south
of what is now Lawrence. Mr.. Crosby
was quite a horse fancier and enjoyed
a trade. Mr.. Bean, a prominent livery
man of North Andover, also did some
thing in the same line. Mr. Crosby and
Mr.. Bean had horse trade one day in
which Bean got terribly worsted, but
he kept his peace and for three years
regularly drove UP to Mr. Crosby's
store and purchased his groceries, new
er once mentioning the horse trade, IN
til Crosby imagined that possibly he
had traded off the horse without find
ing out his fnperfections, and so it
was apparently forgotten on both sides.
One day Mr.. Bean drove up with his
wife in a light wagon to Crosby's store
for his weekly groceries. AS he drove
up Crosby was sitting out on the plat
form in front of the store. Bean passed
into the store, and gave his order for
groceries. Crosby sat looking at Beans
horse and said; Bean. that horse of
yours will match one that I have down
on the farm; I'd like to buy him. Bean
said: mo, that's horse I bought two
fhTRR on nv wifi 7
don't propose to sell him. When 1 find
anything that suits my wife stop
right there
Crosby walked around the horse, and
the more he looked at him the more
he thought what an admirable match
it would be for his horse down at the
farm, so he kept bantering Bean for a
trade. No" said Bean, all 1 want is
a heavy horse for a big team that I've
got. If I could find just the right horse
for that 1 might be induced to swap"
We'll" said Crosby, I've got just
the thing; the big gray stallion that
Tilly drives in my store team is just
the thing you want" Bean allowed
that that was about what he wanted,
but he didn't know that his wife would
be willing to have him trade the horse.
His wife continued sitting in the wagon
during the time, so that there was no
opportunity for Crosby to exercise the
horse.
Finally Crosby stumped Bean to
name a price for the horse, and so
Bean told his wife if she would con-
sent to let him trade the horse he
would give her fine sorreI one he had,
and after time she reluctantly con
scented. well" said Bean to Crosby,
IF wife's willin', I'll swap for $50"
Crosby offered $25. NO" said Bean,
Il don't care about tradin', anyway,
but I'll trade for $50. I can get my
wife another horse jest as good, and
the big horse will suit me on my team"
Nothing had been said about the
soundness of either horse. Finally, af-
ter more chatting, Crosby offered to
split the difference, making it $3.50,
and Bean accepted the offer and the
writer set to work to change the
horses.
As the big gray horse was hitehed in
to Beans wagon, the groceries had
turned toward home. In fact, he turn
ed so quickly that Crosby began to
think he had been caught, and he told
the writer: Hitch that horse into the
store wagon, drive him round the barn
and see what the matter is" which
did. When 1 came back to the store,
Crosby said; well. what's the matter
with him 90 Well" 1 said the hind
forward part-don't appear to be any
backbone: the forward part goes ahead
and the hind part swings around"
Crosby says: Caught The old trade
is balanced now. Take the horse down
to the farm. if you can get him there,
and bring up another horse to use at
the store.
I hitched him to the light wagon and
started for the North Andover farm.
When crossed the Shawsheen River
found the horse was liable to fall, and
walking alongside of the horse, with
one hand on his hip. was able to keep
him up until got to the top of the hill.
There was three cornered lot at the
top of the hill which belonged to Cros-
by. I opened the bars and turned the
horse in. He lay down on the grass
and never got up. I went over to the
farm, picked up new horse for the
store, and got back to South Lawrence.
There was never word mentioned by
either party concerning the horse
trade, but Bean didn't come up to Lave