Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1907-07-19


-Oh, say, grandpa said Dickie,
and his head was buried so deeply in
a big old trunk in the barn that only |
a pair of sprawly legs and two long |
feet hanging on to nail in the floor |
by the toes, and dusty trouser seat |
could be seen.
'HOh, say, grandpa, here's two of
the dandiest pairs of cows horns with
little brass balls on them. Only three
of them look as if they had been
broken off Can have EN-, grandpa?
l asked first
Cant / have one pair, grandpa?'
begged voice from another corner,
then a red-faced boy appeared.
Let me see them said grandpa.
why, they are old Bucks and Brides
horns. No, guess I'll keep them
little while longer. Upon my word,
I'd forgotten about them.
But, boys, / can tell you real
good story about them" he added.
When? when grandpa? Now; will
your" And Dickie swept off clean
place on bench with the sleeve of
his coat.
We'll, suppose we wait until after
supper. That'll be good time and
| can think about it little
So in the early evenlng-the time
for storytelling grandpa sat down
before the fireplaee, with boy on
each side of him. Each lad had a
stick and a jackknife, whiting.
We'll, to begin at the beginning"
said grandpa, when | was a little
| boy we didn't have as many horses
| in our part of the country as there
| are now. But we used oxen, which
are just as strong and sometimes as
| swift as horses. Though usually they
are slow. l guess you have not seen
| them very often. They are fastened
together by wooden yoke and driven
by rein sometimes. but oftener con-
trolled by a person merely speaking
and cracking whip.
Father gave me a pair of young
ones, black and white, and said I was
to train them. / was much pleased
and made up my mind that they would
be the best team in the country |
named them Buck and Bride. I was
always gentle and never abused them.
and soon they grew to love ME and
would do anything l told them to.
"One day l took them to be shod.
An OK, you know, has split hoof,
like a COW, and so each foot must
have two shoes. That makes eight
shoes to an OK, doesn't it? | must
tell you how they shoe oxen, as il
Is very different from shoeing horse
The OK is first led into frame about
three feet wide, which is built oil
strong timber, with a floor in it. Two
heavy poles push up on each side OF
the ox's shoulders. holding him firm;
then two more just back of his horns
to which ropes are attached, and
these hold his head and shoulders per
fectly still Two broad leather bands
fastened loosely to poles as high a:
: the ox's back, are next passed under
his body, and hook on the other sid.
to another pole. These poles arr
= turned around, shortening the bands
g until the OK Is raised of his feet. Thu
feet are then roped back, hoof up
wards to other poles, and tied tight!
81 lnCS NGAAOt DlONC. hC Ut6ChSluAhi
|. is then able to nail the shoes OF
quickly, without being bothered by tn
animals struggles.
Buck and Bride could go so mucl
j, better after they had been shod, a
a they did not slip in going over tn
rough roads. Ice and melting snoS
made 1t very slippery, and one had t
: drive with great care.
4 "One day, along in April, fathe
was chopping with very sharp a.
and 1t slipped and cut cash in hi
: leg. The blood spurted high and W
. both knew that he had cut an arter.
Together we managed to bind It u
: above the wound and stop the bloc
S flowing, but father was dreadful
weak.
You must get me down to d
Mead's right away" he said. So
l managed to partly carry him to tn
\ sleigh and wrap a blanket aroun
him. He held the stick with whic
we had twisted the bandages aroun
I his leg, and drove. We started pre-
! ty fast. but ] had good control of til
oxen, 50 | didn't care But just {
turning point in the road ] heard
| vniSe ana Iookad hack Fafhar wa