Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-08-01
THE %CHAPLAIN'S HORSE.
Turned n Neat Trick i'm o
Horse Trade.

i reached camp at Chickamauga on
Saturday, had service on Sunday, and
on Monday proceeded to buy a horse.
Being a sailor by education and
natural prediction, I knew but little
about horses, so I turned over the
conduct of negotiations to an old
trooper of the Seventh United States
cavalry who had enlisted with us. He
bought the horse, says Cyrus Town
send Brady, in the Sunday School
Times.
He took me to see him, and he was
present when the purchase was con-
summated. He stood by the seller,
and calmly pointed out defect after
defect in the animal, which the other
man repudiated vehemently, at the
same time calling attention to per-
lection after perfection in his steed.
l never saw such divergent views
about q single animal. Finally,
alarmed at the zeal of my advocate,
1 remarked decisively that if the
horse had all the faults he said it
had I didn't want it at any price,
whereupon the seller with alarming
promptness came down in his figures
to a reasonable basis, and before I
could utter a protest the horse was
my own. As I had unequivocally COM
mitted the negotiation to the ex-
trooper, / felt that I was in honor
bound to abide by his decision. We
led the horse away, I confess, with
a very rueful, Disguised feeling on my
part. When we were a short distance
off tie trooper remarked, chuckling
with glee:
"That was a fine play of yours,
chaplain. I didn't know you were so
keen in a horse trade, sir. That just
settled the deal. That was mighty
cute, I tell you. You had the fellow
scared. A little more on your part
and we'd "a got him for nothin'."
"Keen? Cute?' I exclaimed in sur
prise. 81 was perfectly honest in
what I said; I didn't want a broken
down old hack such as you described.
Why, look at that and that and
thati"
/ pointed to various blemishes
which he had indicated during the
trade. He stared at me in amaze
AAASL1b " u11o IACh 1d4A1y
shouted with laughter, ~apologizing
the while, until it gradually dawned
upon me that it was simply a case of
balancing lies and assertions, and
that I had been guilty of aiding and
abetting the deal, and that he had
taken an honest refusal for an adroit
move. / always felt that I got that
horse under false pretenses, but,
however that nay be. he was un-
doubtedly the best horse in the regi-
ment. Every other officer who owned
a horse, I admit. was ready to make
the claim, but I knew my own Dor
the palm. TIE anticipate a little, hav-
ing no means of keeping him when
1 returned home and was mustered
out, I sold him to a United States
cavalry officer.
| was in the Union League one day
and a friend of mine met me with the
query:
Hello, archdeacon, when did you
return from the Philippines"
81 have never been there" I an
swered.
"Oh. comet" he replied, jokingly.
you can't tell me that, you know. I
received a letter from a friend of
mine a week or so ago from Manila
stating that Archdeacon Brady was
the gamest thing in the regiment.
that he was always in the front o.
the battle line, hat he was never
tired and never complained. and that
the writer and the men of his troop
positively adored him"
I was mystified, of course, until I
learned that it was Clifford, my
horse. The cavalry officer had re-
named him for me, and I have al
ways been thankful to the gallant
animal that he gave me so good a
reputation. / wish I had him now.