The Bemidji pioneer., 1902-04-24
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And His Passion Soured.

LIZ W dSSuiIt.S3 tilu SdIutu anu iftsks 4
ged. When / met him ait the table of
our stopping place, my first mensura-
ton placed him In the class DIT shift
less, frontier never-do-Wells. But his
speech opened the doors OF al rough
exterior, and revealed within a re-
fined mind and genial heart. But 4
soon discovered that he was d mono
maniac, and the nature Of his COM
plaint he made known in narrative
as follows:
Yes, I am moving out Of this sec
ton. Too many settlers are drifting
this disqualification is croWding me
out. Al family has lived within mile
Eof me for q year, but last week this
man bought q team and drove BY my
claim. That's too much 4 must go
further into the woods. can stand
lneighbors but hate the sight
Iof horse. You may think
that strange, but it will appear
more strange when 1 tell you how
Imadly I used to love them.
ST was born in a barn and Graded
/ in q saddle, and i loved horses to
greatness. + loved the hores OF our
folks and Of all the neighbors, and 4
had q burning thirst for more, w hen
4 was ten years old my folks sent me
to mill on gray mare that was the
family pet. traded her off that day
for d blind mule and colt. And
when my father welcomed me home
with yearling club, my childish
mind could not comprehend why my
trade displeased the old man. Had I
not got two animals in place OF one?
Tin later years our pastures were
full of played-out dray horses with
peaked bones and caving sides. a
spawned. heavey, spring-halted lot
that / had rounded up by my passion
for horsefesh. The whole lot WASH
worth the powder to blow them up,
butt imagined they We're fnll-blooded
racers, spelling with youth and life.
Why, often this passion for horse
trading would come on me at mid
night. I would get up and drive ten
miles and wake up q neiehbor TO
stump him for a trade. In meeting
once, the preacher asked all who felt
the spirit to rise up. bobbed up and
said: Parson, / feel something NOV
ing in my breast. Maybe it amt re-
ligion, but I feel queer. ! feel just
like trading two Of my best drivers
for one heavy draught horse, and #
any one doubts my word, let 'em come
to me right after meeting.
This went on till I fell in love with
the sweetest girl that ever came up the
/ pike. But she was Jealous, and said
that / thought more 81 my horses than
/ did Of her. To prove that she was
harnessed up wrong. Itraded of my
whole menagerie OF curiosities and
got good driving team and a carr
i rage. Then / had the whole road to
myself aud we matched we'll. The
wedding day came.
1t was to be q swell turnout, with
music and chopped feed. I harnessed
Iup nice and was Stepping high like a
PAGER. / was driving over to my
girls house, when / met Job Wildet.
/ smiled kindly at him and stopped.
Job bad tried hard 20 get my girl
away from me, but now on my we'd
| ding day could afford to forgive
him.
s Tom, says he, there is man
come to town with whole carload OF
bronehos. And one of them is a per-
feet match for that off one of yours.
But tie horses are going fast, and
that one will soon 60. You ought TO
take look at him.
/ Those few words fixed me. drove
to town and looked at the drove, and
then far into the country to find the
mate for my roam. I soon made d
trade, and then for the first time,
remembered my wedding which was to
have taken place at noon. 1t was
dark now, and that darkness has kept
between her and me ever since. Yes,
Job got the girl. =