Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-08-30
49,. By SEWELL FoRD
copyright. 1905. by
Charles Scribner's Sons

spur as inherited terror. he ndd Tear
someness enough of his own to send
him rearing and paving the air until
the whitfietrees raped his knees. Old
! JEFF did not rear. He stared and
snorted and trembled When he felt
! his mate spring forward in the traces
he went with him, ready to do any
thing in order to get away from that
heaving, swaying thing which was
coming toward them.
Whoa, We pesky foolsl Whoa, dod
rot YET" Uncle Enoch, Weakened from
the half doze which he had been taking
on the wagon seat. now began to saw
on the lines. His shouts seemed to
have aroused the heaving thing, for it
answered with a horrid, soul chilling
noise.
By this time Calico was leaping fran
tically, snorting at every jump and
forcing Old JEFF to keep pace. They
were at the top of a long grade, and
down the slope the loaded wagon rat
tied easily behind them. Uncle Enoch
did his best With feet well braced he
tugged at the lines and shouted, all to
no purpose. Never before had Calico
and Old JEFF met circus on the move.
Neither had they previously come into
such close quarters with an elephant.
One does not expect such things on the
Bangor road. At least they did not.
They proposed to get away from such
terrors in the shortest possible time.
Now, the public ways of Maine are
seldom macadamized. In places they
are laid out straight across and over
the granite backbone of the continent.
The Bangor road is thus constructed in
spots This slope was one of the spots
where the bare ledge, with here and
there six inch shelves and eroded gull
lies, offered a somewhat uneven sur
face to the wheels. A well built Stude-
baker will stand lot of this kind of
banging, but it is not wholly indie
structible. So it happened that half
way down the hill the left hind axle
snapped at the hub. Thereupon some
200 dozen ears Of early green corn
were strewn along the fiinty face of
the highway, while Uncle Enoch was
hurled, seat and all, accompanied by
four dozen eggs and ten pounds of
Aunt Henrietta's best butter, into the
ditch.
When the circus caravan overlook
him Uncle Enoch had captured the
runaways and was leading them back
to where the wrecked wagon lay by
the roadside More or less butter was
mixed with the sandy chin whiskers.
and an inartistic yellow smooch down
the front of his coat showed that the
eggs had followed him.
Rather lively pair of yours, eh, mis-
ter?" commented red faced man who
dropped off the pole wagon.
Eyes, ruther lively" assented Uncle
Enech, g specially when We don't want
'em to be- The off ones stiddy enough.
It's this cantankerous skewbald that
started the tantrum. Whoa now,
blame YER Calico's nose was in the
air again, and he was snorting excit-
edly
sLemme hold him till old Ajax goes
by" said the circus man.
THANK We. I'll swap him of fust
chance git, eff don't fetch back nuth-
in but boneyard skate" declared I'm
Gle Enoch.
AS Ajax numbered by the circus man
eyed with interest the dancing Calico.
He noted with approval the coat Of
fantastic design, the springy knees and
the fine tail that rippled its white
length almost to Calico's heels.
I'll do better'n that by you. mister
said he. 1--WE got a fourteen hundred
pound Vermont Morgan, sound as a
dollar, only eight years old and amt
afraid o. nothin'. I'll swap him even
for your skewbaId."
"Like to see him." said Uncle Enoch.
IF he's half what We say it's trade.
"Here he comes on the band wagon
team" Then to the driver: "Hey, Bill.
Pull upy,
In less than half an hour from the
time Calico had bolted at sight of the
circus cayaIcasle he was part and par
Gel of it and helping to pull one of
those mysterious sheeted wagons along
in the wake of the terrifying Ajax
''The old party don't give you very
good sendoff," said the boss hostler re
fiectively to Calico, sbut reckon you'll
get used to Ajax and the music chariot
before the seasons over. Leastways
you're bound to be an ornament to the
grand entry
Calieo's life with the Grand Occiden-
tai began abruptly and vigorously. The
driver Of the band wagon knew his
business. Even when half asleep he
could see loose traces. After Calico
had heard the long lash whistle about
his ears few times he concluded that
it was best to, do his share Of the pull
ing.
And what pulling it was! There
were six horses of them, Calico being
one of the swings, but on an uphill
grade that old chariot was the most re-
luctant thing he had ever known I'm
Gle Enoch's stoneboat, which Calico