The Democratic advocate., 1905-06-03

the front and keep him there if have to
shut my eyes and hold my breath all the
way. wish it was tomorrow.
"Next Wednesday at , o clock, cal and
now we want to 90 around on tip-toe and
not let-your mother get hint of it. Lord.
but wouldn't she curry comb me down if
She knew of it! She wouldn't think Of
them two coats Of paint on the meetin
honse, but only of the wickedness of comm
out ahead in hoss race
When Wednesday morning came at last
Farmer Harper limped as he went to the
barn to do the chores, and he limped worse
when he came in with the milk pail
II think I'll let Lucy take Jim and
drive into town this afternoon and get a
bottle of that Lightnin Liniment,' he
finally observed "You know how it
helped me last time p
Il guess the hot flannel an the rubbin
did more good than the liniment, replied
the wife; ''but she can 90 after it if you
want her to. It'll be two more shillings
paid ont for carelessness, but it don do
no good to talk to YOU
When dinner had been eaten, father ind
daughter went TO the barn to hitch the
PAGER to the cutter, and as soon as they
were concealed from the house he said :
"Now, gal I've been rubbin' Jim S
legs and lookin out for his feed, and he 5
teelin' like new fiddle. Let him take his
own gait into town, and when YOU get there
drive ri ght to the river and walk him W
and down. The felers who know what
Jim can do may try to skeer you off, but
don, you be skeered by nobody nor moth
in. -
''No, daddy
'.It'll be a race of mile straight away
Don rush things for the first half; then
give pull on the lines. cluck or two, and
let him hump. You'll think you are fly
in, but keep Il steady phil and Il cool
head. -
"Ill remember everything you tell me,
daddy
Zone thing more, he said, As he tucked
the buffalo robe around her and gave her
kiss. cover there is a meein house
that's mighty nigh worried the life ont OF
me. 1t needs two coats of paint.
And hundred dollar, will do it,.
Good bye, daddy.
He watched her for mile down the
snowy road, and then went into the house
to sit down, and stand up, and walk around,
and act so queerly. that his wife finally
noticed it and said
"MOses, if yoll was Il few years younger
I'd think you was comm down with
measles or chicken-pex. You act like Il
strange cat. Got headache or any
pains 2
"Noap. I'm jest wonderin' if Lucy
will get along all right with jim. lie
hasn' had much drivin' lately.
Az the PAGER Jim left the barnyard he
struck a gait and never broke it until he
entered the town, six miles away, and Lucy
drove him down to the river, as directed.
A dozen or more horses were being exer-
cised, and more coming, and her advent
was greeted with anything but words OF
welcome The PAGER was known far and
wide, but the contestants were banking on
the fact that Farmer Harper belonged to
the church and wouldn't dare speed his
horse for purse. Most of them knew
that he had a daughter Lucy, but that she
would appear with the lines in her hand
never entered into their calculations. They
coud't keep the girl out, but they put theil
heads together in conspiracy, and, as the
field of 30 finally moved up the river to the
starting point, there were many mods anc
smiles and winks passing about. Some OF
the men were not satisfied with that, bu
passed remarks calculated to rattle the girl
who already felt as if she were going to the
dental chair to have half dozen teetl
pulled She heard and saw, but she Sc
her laws and choked back her feelings, anC
mineuvered to get fair start. She wa
crowded from all directions, as was on the
programme. and, when the word 600 ,
was piyen. score of horses were before
her.
During the first half mile the girl grad
ually picked up one after another of the
leaders, until. as she was ready for that
'spull on the lines and cluck or two, there
were only four or five in her path. These
closed together to keep her in pocket,
and the scheme succeeded for lew hun
dred feet Then came an opening between
two Of the cutters wide enough for dog
to enter, and she set the PAGER at it, shut
her teeth hard and thoug hit of daddy and
the meetin house Like bullet from a
gun the horse shot into the opening
crowded to the right-to the left-rlpped
an iron step off on one side and splintered
a dashboard on the other, and then he was
in the lead and humping himself The
defeated and chagrined horsemen yelled
and whipped and tried to break him, but,
swinging from right to left like pendulum
and tearing ahead all the time like a West
eru cyclone. Jim never missed step, and
came in winner by five lengths.
Farmer Harper had nailed the loose
boards on the hog pen, fixed the latch on
the hen house door, and had chored around
until he could find nothing more to do.
Then he went down and leaned over the
gate and watched the road TO Honesdale.
His good wife called to him from the side
door that he was catching his death of
cold. but he was deaf TO her words.
ssThat's Lucy and Jim!' he finally said
with a gasp, as he caught sight of the rig
a mile away. "Mebbe it's wicked to hoss
race and win hundred dollars, but there
stands that metin' house without any
paint --
Coming at u gait of seven or eight miles
an hour, with his head up and steam
blowing from his nostrils, the PAGER was
soon within 40 rods of the waiting and i'm
patient man. The flesh and blood could
stand it no longer, and Farmer Harper
waved his cap around his head and cried
out
"How is it, gal-how is it?''
"Why, daddy, dear, it's 81 ust this way, .
replied Lucy, as the PAGER dashed up and
came to halt, and she put new hun
dred dollar bill into her fathers hand.
"And Jim w-won!' he gasped.
GAS easy as pie:
Il I 4