The Washington herald., 1907-05-26

2
fine saddle-mare. If hCf master ever
gets hold OF her, Jest look yonder, will
you?"
The horse had come to a stand; she
gave a sudden backward leap, raised her
self on her hind legs, came down on all
fours with a great clatter of hoofs. and
began a circular dance over the smooth
road. Round she went. stepping as dain-
thy as a maiden at a May-day dance,
while the rider chung to the rens, dug
his bare heels into the glossy sides Of his
steed, and yelled whoa as II his sal
walton lay in that word. Then, as If just
awakened to Il sense OF duty. the flly
ceased her antics. tossed her head with
a determined air, and broke into a brisk.
clean gallop that would have delighted
skilled rider, but seemed 10 bring only
fresh dismay 10 the soul % Joe CrOftOn's
boy. His arms Tapped disInally and hope
lessly up and down; a gust of wind seized
his ragged cap and tossed IL impishly on
one OF the topmost bOughs Of the Usage
orange hedge; his protesting whoa
voiced the hOpelessneSs Of one who re-
signs himself 20 the power OF a dire fate.
and he disappeared ingiorIously in a cloud
OF summer dust. Whereupon we returned
20 the prosaic work Of bean-shelling, with
the feeling Of those who have watched
the curtain go down on the last scene of
the comedy.
Il declare 10 goodness" sighed Aunt
Jane breathiessly, as she stopped TO re-
cover her pan. Il amt laughed so much
/ in I don't know when. II reminds me
O. the time Sam Amos rode in the tuna
ment." And she began laughing again
az somer collection in which 1 had no
part.
Now. that's right curious, amt st?
| When I set here talkin about fairs. that
boy comes by and makes me think o. how
/ Sam rode at the fair that year they had
the t'unament / don't know how long
it's been since l thought O. that ride,
and maybe / never would a thought OF II
again If that boy OF Joe Croftons hadn't
put me in mind OF IT,"
I dropped my butter-beans for a mo-
ment and assumed n listening attitude.
and without any further solicitation, and
i'm the natural course of events. the
story began
"You see the town folks was always
gittn' I'D somethln' new for the fair, and
that year I'm talkln' about Il was a
tu'nament All the Goshen folks that
went TO town the last County Court day
J before the fair come back with the news
that there was goin' TO be a tunament
the third day o. the fair. Everybody was
sayin'. What's that| and nobody could
answer 'em till Sam Crawford went 10
town one Saturday Jest before the fair.
and come back with the whole thing At
his tongues end. Sam heard that they
was practicin' for the tu'uament that
eyenin'. and as he passed the fair grounds
on his way home. he made a Pint OF g0in'
In and seem what they was about. He
said there was twelve young men, and
they was called knights and they had a
/ lot o. iron rings hung from the posts of
the amp'itheater, and they'd tear around
the ring like mad and try 20 stick a pole
through every ring and carry IL of with
/ ON, and the one that got the most rings
got the blue ribbon. sam said il took a
good eye and a steady arm and q good
seat 90 manage the thing. and he enjoyed
watchin' EN-. But says he why they
call the thing a t'u'nament is more'n
could make out. I stayed there q plumb
hour and I couldn't hear nor see any
thing that sounded or looked Ike d
tune
We'll. the third day o. the fair come.
and We was all on hand to see the tuna
ment. II went on Jest like sam said.
There was twelve knights, all dressed in
black velvet, with gold and silver span
giles. and they galloped around and tried
20 take of the rings on their long poles.
When they got through with that. the
/ knights. they rode up 70 the judges with
q wreath % flowers on the ends o. Their
poles-lanCes they called 'em-8nd every
knight called out the name o. the lady
that ne thought the most Of. and she
come up To the stand. and they put the
wreath on her head, and there was twelve
pretty gyirls with flowers on their heads.
and they was Queens OK Love and Beau
ty.' 1t was q might pretty sight. I tell
YOU. ana the band was playin' Old Ken
lucky Home and everybody was hollerin'
and THROWN mp their hats Then the
knights galloped around the ring once
and went out ar the big gate. and come
mp and pr0moHaded around the amp'lthea-
ter with the gyirls they had crowned. The
knight that got the blue ribbon took of
ten rings out o. the fifteen He rode "a
mighty fine horse. and Sam Amos. he
says, 7 believe iu my soul if I'd a been
on that horse 7 could "a taken off every
one o. them rings. sam was a mighty
good rider. and Milly used 10 say that the
only thing thatd make Sam enjoy -idin
m0re'n he did was for somebody 90 put
mp l0oHn' glasses so he could see himself
all along the road
We'll. the next thing on the programme
was the gentleman riders ring. The pre-
MUM was s. In gold for the best gentle
man rider We was waitiE' for that 10
commence. when Uncle Jim Matthews
come mp. and says he. Sam. there's only
one entry in this ring, and it's about to
fall through
you see they had made a rule that
year that there shouldn't be any pre-
miums given unless there was some com
petition. And Uncle Jim says. There's n
young fel.er from Simpson County out
there mighty anxious 20 ride He con-
up here on purpose 10 git that premium
Suppose you ride az inst him and show
him that simpson can't beat Warren,
Sam laughed like he was nightly pleased,
and says he / don't care a rap for the
pemium, Uncle Jim. but, jest to oblige
the man from Simpson. I'll ride. But.
says he I ought to "a known It this
mornin. SO | could "a put on my Sun
day clothes. And Uncle jim says. Never
mind that; you set your horse straight
and carry yourself jest so. and the judges
WIN 4 l''A dL tbAl LlbLlifS. now ABOUT
the horse? says Sam. Why. saws Uncle
Jim. there's a dozen or more goOd-Iookin'
saddle-horses out y0nder outside the big
gate, and YOU can have your pick So
Sam started Off. and the next thing him
and the man from Simpson was trottin'
around the ring. Is Goshen people kind
o. kept together when we set down In the
amp itheater Every time Sand 90 past
MS. w"'d all boiler 'hurrah" for him. The
simpson man appeared 10 have a lot o.
friends on the other side o. the ampithea-
ter and they'd h0ller for him. and the
town folks was divided up about even.
Both o. the men rode mighty well
They put their horses through all the
gaits. rackiH' and pacin' and lopir'. and
IL looked like Il was goin TO be a tie.
when all ut once the band struck I'D
Dixie. and Sans horse broke into a
90 ||#.H H.