The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1901-05-02
HOW THE souiRLs COLT WAS
won.


tor tho old nsn 10 resist; snd the thfe
yospg people drrs ttsir ehsiu . liitl
elossr 10 biz ~. sitter the rreliminsr
nrsins be begsr:
I suess. ihls tine, Ill tell you sbon
the bis yee tbs, sqnirs Ipslesoed hs,
ss.y bach 10 The rhiriie,. spd the psr
ies John Arm.lfoDs. . yoang feiic'
-bom | nsed 10 kpo~. took 10 IT, rhi
squire ws one Of the nost Prospsron
farmers 10 bis part OF the state Aa obsiit
s,e old f,llos be wss, toe. With vsys o
bis ovo -pleety Of them.
For two or three yesrs they bad cel'
br.ied. over .. Ridley Cater. kidd oI
6-id-dsy. at which prizs we're given fo'
trials OF sirsngth or sperd. or both loot
races, wrestling matches and rope.pplls
People iurnsi out TO beat all.
sqain Iogleuood proiesssd 10 enter
tain . great o rtempt for this hind OF sih
lsiic,. snd Que year be sstotisbed every
body by cf,fipg priz, OF bic OVID. aud
for . fsce that vas certainly something
nsw The prizs WIS worth ell the others
pnt together. II was D handsome three
year old rosn colt.
The colt. the squirs proclaimed, should
60 to tbs. young man or old man or any
Kind OF man so the squire pat II who
shonld the quickest cot. rake and bind
end shock securely one msssured scre OF
oats. the work to be done 10 . thoroughly
workmsnlike mspper
You can imssine there WAS excitement
enough when the notice sppssred II
stirred ap bali the comfy. Valusble
colts like the roam didn't giow on every
bash in those days; and then there was
The rivalry The squires farm, where the
tri,l vas 10 take place, was litlle more
than half q mile irom the Cen,sr Youpg
men and old men snd boys -yes. aud plen
~ OF young girls and womer, too gather
ed st every opportunity TO discuss the
stirring ereDt sn hsz,ri opilio on the
outcome.
There were several tvoiite candidates
Il the field, ba, probably Deck Hunter,
young fellow from Beetle Vale, and the
squire's ten J1dson, had the greatest fol
10 sing Deck short for DeItsr-bsd
been counting the squirs's daughter for
year or go. and some people ssid the
sbrewd old man had little fear that the
colt would go out OF the family. TIE
two young men slresdy had record OF
having crsdled al acre 10 less than sn hour
and half. and great tales we're told OF
their prowess ct rsking and binding.
There weren't any steel binders in those
days. or any other binders except human
srms and hands, and the respers we're Of
course the old grain cradles propelled by
msn power entirely. II Ben. here, thinks
/. wss fun TO ewing one OF those old sweep
stakes cradles through field OF heavy
grain, oil ! have TO ssy is, Jet him try II
some hot August day
Well, the day Of the race came at last.
ren contestants had handed 10 their names
snd ten one.acre plots had been measured
of with great exactness in the squire's big
thirty acre feld. The rule laid down by
ths squire was that every msn who started
should fnish bis pot. II it took oil day. or
m ore. II was . splendid field OF grain.
rank and heavy. but standing up we'll, and
wonderfully even on the grooDd; there
wss practically 20 choice OF plots.
And the ten youug men who lined up at
ten o'clock shsrp we're strsppius fellows.
wiry and muscular. There we're Deck
aud Jud, confident and perhaps . little
condescendine; Rag Westherly, from Red
Oak Corusrs; Dandy Burnside, from Joe
key Holow. q big. good hearted fellow.
bat q little VAIN in regard to dress; tall
Joe Cannon, from Turtle Greek. and sever
d lesser lights. Among these lsst was
John Armstrong, from S,uth Valley, de ,
cidediy the least known OF ell,
E.ch bad bis isvorite cradle; there we're I
hardly any two alike, but each was the /
bss, OF I,s kind that i!s owner could possi I
biz procure. There were 'moolS, grape
vines 'Dutchbends' and 'strsights.' Each 9
styls had its own sdvocstss, who we're al .
ways ready TO nsintsin loudly and With 9
great emphasis thst thst psftieulsr style
vas ty oil odds the best. and that . Lad o
,ould do more and better work with that Q
style thsn With any other on earth. II 4
seems 10 be 9 kind OF disease thst sfii 'cted t
nearly sll crsdlers. But a.l OF them we're 1
Trim. clssn locking cradles all except )
J ohn Armstrong;. Els was rough look &
Ins stf.ir, plsioly homemsce. 1,
The youpe isllos himself represented Q Q
slass tbst happily il growing smsller. and. y
10 fact 10 the ola.lime sense OF the word
bss prsoiicslly disappeared. He was .
boaud boy His psrsnt hsd died when u
be vas ten years old, and he snd bis 8
9 yesr old,r. bad been bound O
,ui, John to old Josish Brett. Of South u
Valley, snd his brother 10 farmer 10 % o
vi nring town.
Although John Jared better thsn most o
,orod boys ve read sbon', be isred hard
> sUoueb, for Brett vas driving kind OF q
nan. sbd sltboush strictly honest, s q
,iose ~ the bark OF bsech tree. John u
,. to hsve bis board, snd 90 his twenty o
ifsi tintdsy obe hundred dollsrs, ssnit p
4 clothes snd hii freedom. Ttst sss The
lid iioL-eisd rule.
Apd Jo.ish Was msD sbo wss 10 the a
,sbit Of esttins bis nose.'s sotih. Focr d
o tbs suumer snd five In the winter vss 81
be boar ter li.ipe. aud tbs old nsn's u
avs utre Eoi t. be broken. Any indics II
A.. .f.ft al - tksk