The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-08

| oil a man or middle stature upon nolse
| of common size.
~ hat was now handed to such as
wished to enter the list and they threw
into it % cents each. This sum was the
victors prize.
| The devoted gander was now produced
and Mr.. Prator, having first tied his feet
together with a strong cord. proceeded TO
the neck-greasing Abhorrent as it may
be to all who respect the tenderer rela-
lions of life, Mrs. Prator had actually
prepared a gourd of goose-grease for this
very purpose. For myself, when | saw
Ned dip his hands into the grease and
commence stroking down the feathers
| from breast to head, my thoughts took
melancholy turn They dwet in sadness
upon the many conjpgal felicities which
had probably been Shared between the
greasess and the greasee. | could see him
as he stood by her side, through many
chilly day and cheerless night, when she
was warming into life the offspring of
their mutual loves, and repealed with chlV-
alrous spirit every evasion of the conse-
Grated spot which she had selected for
her incubation. l could see him moving
with patriarchal dignity by the side of his
loved one, at the head of a smiling. pratt
Ting group-the rich reward of their mu-
tual care-to the luxuries of the meadow
or to. the recreations of the pool. And
now, alas. an extract from the smoking
sacrifice of his bosom friend was desc
Grated to the unholy purpose of making
his neck "a fit object for cruelty to
reach her quick, unerring fingers at.
Ye friends of the sacred tie, judge what
were my feelings when, in the midst OF
these reflections, the voice of James Pra-
tor Numbered on mine ear, Darn his old
lodging SOUL Brother Ned, grease his
neck till a fly can't light on it,
Ned. having fulfilled his brother Jim
request as we'll as he could. attached the
victim of his cruelty to the rope directly
over the path On each side of the gan
der was stationed man, whose office
1t was to lash forward any horse which
might linger there for a moment; for, By
the rules of the ring, all pulling was TO
be done at brisk canter.
The word was now given for the COM
petitors to mount and take their places
in the ring. Eight appeared: tall Zubley
Yin. mounted upon Sally Spitfire; Arch
Odum, mounted on Bull and Ingons ION
ions) Nathan Perdew, on Hellcat; James
Dickson, on Niger; David Williams, on
Gridiron; fat John Fulger, on SLOUGH;
Gorham Bostwick, on Gimlet, and Turner
Hammond, on Possum.
Come. gentlemen" said Commandant
Prator, fall in. All of you git behind one
another, sort o in a row.
Gridiorn was grave morse; but SuS-
picious eye which he cast to the right and
left, wherever he moved, showed that The
was wide awake" and that nobody bet
ter not go fooling with him. as his
owner sometimes used to say. He took
q sober but rather intense view of things;
insomuch that in his CONCENTRATIONS. he
passed over the track three times before
he could be prevailed upon to stop in it.
He stopped at last, however: and when
he was made to understand that this was
all that was required of him for the pres
ent, he surrendered his suspicious at once,
with a countenance which seemed plainly
to say. "Oh, If this is all you want, I've
no objection to it,
1t was long before Miss Spitfire could
be prevailed upon TO do the like.
Get another horse, Zube,' said one;
SAL will never do for a gander-pullin'
81 WON'T said lube. IF she won't do,
I'll make her do. | want a nag that goes
off with a spring; so that, when l get
hold she'll cut the neck in two like
steel trap"
At length Sally was rather flung than
coaxed into the track, directly ahead of
Gridiron.
Now, gentlemen" said the master of
the ceremonies mo mans to make a
grab till alls been once round; and when
the first man are got round then the
whole twist and tucking of you grab
away you come undertook here,
Jim Fulger! you better not stand too
close to that gander, I tell youD-one
after another. Now blaze away!' dhe
command for an onset of every kind with
people of this order)
Off they went, Miss Sally delighted; for
she now thought the whole parade would
end in nothing more nor less than her
faVorite amusement. a race. But Grid
irons visage pronounced this the most
nonsensical business that ever horse
of sense was engaged in since the world
began.
For the first three rounds Zubley was
wholly occupied in restraining Sally to
her place; but he lost nothing by this. for
the gander had escaped unhurt. On COM
pleting his third round, lube reached
forth his long arm, grabbed the gander by
the neck with a firmness which seemed
likely to defy goose-grease, and at the
same instant he involuntorily gave Sally
sudden check. She raised her head
which before had been kept nearly touch
ing her leaders hooks, and for the first
time saw the gander in the act of de-
scending upon her. at the same moment
she received two pealng lashes from the
whippers. The way she now broke for
Springfield is nothing for nobody AS
lube dashed down the road, the whole
circus raised a whoop after him. This
started about 20 dogs, hounds, ours and
pointers-in full chase of him (for no one
moved without his dog in those days.
The dogs alarmed some beled cattle
which were grazing on Zube's path, just
as he reached them; these Joined him
with tails up and a tremendous rafting
Just beyond these went three tobacco
rollers, at distance of 90 and 100 yards
apart, each of whom gave lube terrific
whoop, scream, or yell as he passed
He went in and out of Hawks Gully
like a trap-ball, and was In Springfield
sin less than no time" Here he was en-
couraged onward by new recruit of
dogs; but they gave up the chase as hope
less before they cleared the village. Just
beyond Springfield what should Sally. on
counter but flock of geese-the tribe
to which she owed all her mfsfortunes.
She stopped suddenly. and Zube vent
over her head with the last acquired vel
ocity. He was up in. moment and the
activity with which he pursued Sally sat-
isied every spectator that he was unhurt
Gridiron, who had witnessed Miss Sally S
treatment with establishment and indig-
nation, resolved not to pass between the
posts until the whole matter should be
explained to his satisfaction. He there
| fore stopped short, and, by very intelligi-
BILE looks, demanded of the whippers
whether, IL he passed between them, he
was to be treated as Miss Spitfire had
been? The whippers gave him no salts
| faction. and his rider signified. by reiter-
ated -thumps of the heel, that he should
go through whether he would or not. OF
| these. however. Gridiron seemed to know
nothing. In the midst of the conference
Gridron's eye lit upon the oscillatine
gander, and every moments survey OF
i I, in him a GROWING fNtpreSf n {