Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-02-08
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: HELEN BLAZES {
\ By Frederick Van Renssslser. 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THIS is a story of q mare that made
BY Frederick Van Renssslser.

II fI1lO 10 u DULY VI u 49, - WV
her reputation during the weeks
of almost incessant fighting before
Petersburg and BermS4A HuBdres'
She lost her life in o seHamsge ID
which she was nearly the whole thfng,
for she had a way Of tskfHs matters
into her own control and cnSRytng heP
rider into the thickest ~ Ma light,
whether he liked it or nor
She was such warrior AeTssH that
when she got worked up 10 the proper
pitch she paid no attenfSSc to ouSle
calls or orders, and alwaye started In to
thrash the enemy single haedsd. That
was one reason why she vns called
Helen Blazes. But there was r~other-
her temper.
The name was not spelled just that
way by the boys of the Third New York
cavalry, but Jeb Smith, the man who
rode her-and the only man who ever
could ride her-was minister before
the war broke out, so he changed the
original three words of her name into
two, thus quieting his conscience and
satisfying "the boys" at the same time.
She WINS picked up one night on
scouting expedition. Wink Tomkipe
brought her into camp the next morn
ing, and he was sight. You could hear
him swearing at Blazes when they were
mile away, and between bis curses
and the laughter of his companions,
and the plunging and kicking, biting
and striking of the mare as they APP
preached, it made a pretty sight for
tired cavalrymen.
There, by thunderi" said Wink.
"I've landed her here, cos | said |
would. The fellow that can ride her.
can have her, for all care" and he
pitched the lead rope to me.
Blazes was beauty. there was no de-
nying that, and old McNumara-our
captain-had his eye on her from the
moment he saw her.
Well, there's no use in describing all
that happened then. 1t took six OF us
to get a saddle and bride on her, and
three out of the six were laid up unfit
for duty for week after IT.; and after
that she threw, one after another
pretty near the whole company.
Nobody could ride her until Jeb Smi' b
came along. He had just been relieved
from guard and was tired, but when
his eyes lighted on the mere. be brighN
ened up.
That's beauty, boys" he said, for
he was a great lover Of horseflesh' II
he was parson. The mare was stand
ing idle at that moment, as docile as q
kitten, and nobody in the world would
have guessed what devil there was IN
her. Tompkins drawled outi
sect on her back, parson, and try
her"
Mind you, there was not one IN the
crowd who had not tried her, and VINO
could not show substantial bruiSe
for his temeriiy. But the parson never
caught on at all, ard we all stood back
while he handed his piece TO q COM
rade, and without n moments hesita'
tionfi walked straight up TO the mare
and began 10 rub her nose; and what's
more. she seemed TO like II.
You could have purchased the whole
company for a very small sum at that
moment, for we felt mighty cheap. We
didn't know whether il was jugglery'
or what II was, but the fact remained
that the mare did not treat him as she
had treated us.
"Say, parson," bawled Wish Temp
kins, "have you ever sesp the eFitteI
befcre?"
Certainly not" was tbs calm reply
"Why?" =,
"Wen. I'm blowed! Boys. there's
suthin' In religion after all.
While he was thus expressing him
self, Jeb leaped into the saddle. and in
moment more he was riding around the
place as easy as you please. Blaze'
singIe-footed, dog-trotied aud can
tered, and you'd have thought she wa,
Observation-Disclosures. for al
the ugliness she showed then.
"Who owns her?" asked the parson.
"You do, Jeb; you've earned her,
said old Mac; and he walked away with
q scowl on his face.
Well, Jeb was delighted, and he lis
tened with amazement when we TOLD
him what circus we'd been having. II
was plain that he did not believe all o.
1t, and presently he led her away to thu
stable, took the saddle Off and tied her
There was only pole between thu
horses, and Jeb hadn't got half way
back to where we were sitting. wher
there was the worst racket in that sta
BILE you ever heard. You'd have thought