The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-12-09

on the evening when 1 nrSl proPouho0u
the idea to the young lady who had re-
Gently consented to become MIS-. oin-
clair Yeates, it seemed glltterlhs Win
possibilities.
was then climbing the steep ascent
of the captains toward my majority. L
had attained to the dignity OF mud ma
ior and had spent a good deal On pos
tape stamps and on railway fares to IN
terview Deople Of influence before found
mvself in the hotel at Skebawn opening
long envelopes addressed to MAJOR
Yeates. R. M
NV most immediate concern was 10
leave it at the earliest opportunity, Dut
in those nine weeks | had learheu'
among other painful things a httle' d
very little, Of the methods OF the par
tisan in the West of Ireland. F1ndlng d
house had been easy enough. | had hau
my choice of several, each with some
hundreds of acres of shooting, thorough
w poached, and a considerable Pollion
of the roof intact. | had selected QUE,
the one that had the largest extent OIL
roof in proportion to the shootlng' anu
had been assured by my landlord thal
in 2 fortnight or so it would De III lol
occupation.
..Thore's a few little odd things to be
DONE he SdlQ easily, d hNh F
here and there and a slap of plaster
am shortsighted; l am also or irish
extraction: both facts that make for
+o1oration-but even l thought he was
undertaking the case. SO did the con-
tractor.
These and kindred difficulties extended
in an unbroken chain through the sum-
NOR months. until a certain wet and
windy day in October, when, with my
haqeage. I drove over to establish my
self at Shreelane. 1t was a tall, ugly
house of three stories high. us Walls
faced with weather-beaten states, us
windows staring, narrow ana vacant l
stood on the steps, waiting for the door
to be opened, while the rain slulced upon
me from a broken eayesshoot hal hao'
among many other things, escaped the
notice Of my landlord.
The door opened and revealed the hall.
It struck me that l had, perhaps, over
estimated it's possibilities. Among them
had certainly not included a f1agged
fccr. sweating with damp, and a reek
u cabbage from the adjacent Kitchen
stairs. Z large, elderly woman, with
a red fnee and a zap worn helmet-Wise
"a Ter torchea1, swept ne = magnifcent
courtesy as I crossed the threshold.
r Cur tt.sCi h NtiCOLAt OH DNSN-'
and then every door III the house slam
med in obedience to the gust that drove
through it. With something that SQUAD
ed like Mend We for a back door
Mrs. Cadogan abandoned her opening
speech and made for the kitchen stairs.
am a martyr to colds in the head,
ard l felt enc coming on. l made a
lager in front of the dining room fire
with a tattered leather screen and the
dinner table. and gradually, with cigar
cites and strong tea. baffled the smell
of must and cats and feryently trusted
that the rain might avert a threatened
visit from my landlord. l was then but
superfcially acquainted with Mr.. Flor
ence Mccarthy Knox and his habits.
At about 4:3O, when the room had
warmed up, and my cold was yielding te
treatment, Mrs. Cadogan entered and
informed me that Mr.. FURRY vas II
the yard, and would be thankful if IL
go out to him. for he couldn't come in
l huddled on a macintosh and went GU
into the yard.
My landlord was there on horseback
and with him there was a man standing
at the head of a stout gray animal.
recognized with despair that 1 was abou
to be compelled to buy a horse.
Good afternoon, Major said Mr..
Knox in his slow, siEg-song brogue
its rather soon to be paying YOU
visit, but I thought you might be in
hurry to see the horse l was telling
you Of"
l thanked him and suggested that
was rather wet for horse dealing.
"Oh, it's nothing when you're used t
t. replied Mr.. Knox. His gloveles
hands were red and wet. the ain RAJ
down his nose, and his covert coat wa
soaked to a sodden brown. I though
that l did not want to become used TO it
My relations with horses have been @
a purely military character. l have en-
dured the Sandhurst riding school.
have g%alloped for an impetuouS genera.
| have been steward at regi,nentaI races
but none of these feats have al;ere
my opinion that the horse, as Il mean
Of locomotion, is obsolete. Nevertheless
the man who acceocs q resident magis
tracy in the southwest of ireland volun
tarily retires into the prehistoric age
To institute a stable became inevitable.
You ought to throw a leg over him,
said Mr.. Knox, "and you're welcome t
take him over a fence or two if yo
like. He's a nice, fiippant jumper"
Even to my unexacting eye the gra
horse did not seem to promise fippanc,
| explained that l wanted something /
drive, and not to ride.
well, that's a fine raking hors. i
harness. said Mr.. Knox. lookil e at N
with his serious gray eyes. Bring hi
up here, Michael
Michael abandoned his efforts to kic
the gray horses forelegs into a becon
ing position and led him up to me.
regarded him from under my umbrell
with a quite unreasonable disfavor. II
had the dreadful beauty of a horse in
toy shop, as chubby, as wooden and {
conscientiously dappled, but it was III
reasonable to urge this as an obiectio,
1leldlng to circumstance, l threw m
legs over the brute, and after pacir
graVely round the quadrangle that form
e3 the yard l decided that as he ha
neither fallen down nor kicked me G
it was worth paying 925 for him, if onl
to get IN out Of the rain.
Mr.. Knox accompanied me into IL