The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1911-09-21
A WIDOWS
L HORSE
BY NJ QUAD
Copyright. isu. BY Associated Lit
Press
By "A QUAD

auction going on. The last Of the
bunch 70 be put up was an old gray
mare. She was skin and bone and
then some more. The aurtioneer did
not Islander her character when be
called her an old skate
There was a general laugh Of con-
tempt over the old mare. and then
some one bid s.. Out Of pure sym
PATTY the widow bid a dollar more.
and the nag was hers. She was guyed
by the crowd. but the prize was hitch
ed behind the wagon and reached the
farm In due time without having once
fallen BY the wayside. There were
two hired men 70 grin and chuckle and
talk about crow banquets. but the wo-
man silenced them with:
Get along. you idiotsl Turn that
horse out to grass and take good care
OF her. II she dies her hide will be
worth all I paid for her whole body"
This was early In the spring. When
the old mare began to an up she began
to improve. In q month her ribs could
no longer be counted from the high
way. and she began to gambol a bit. 1t
was when another horse was turned
into the lot with her OF a Sunday that
the surprise came. One Of the men
came up to the house and said to Mrs
Saunderson:
Say. you come down to the fence
and see that old mareI"
Dead. Is sheY
Dead. Why. she's the iveliest old
nag you e set eyes on! Come
down."
The two horses were having a play.
Il was a ten acre meadow. and they
were circling It. The farm horse was
on the gallop and the old mare on
the trot. and Jet he could not leave
her behind
she got that gait before a sulky for
sure" said the man.
Looks Ike Il to me-" replied the
widow. After this you feed her a
few oats every day and use the curry
comb. and don't either one Of you boys
say a word outside"
The Akron county fair. always held
late In September. ranked next to the
state fair. Some said the horse racing
was even better. because the track
was better. When the opening Of the
was announced the Widow
saundersOn said TO n OF her men: /
Joe. here's the money to enter Lady
Gray. You can claim 10 be the owner.
You go over to ~JohnsOnville and Dor
or buy q sulky and get It here on
the sly. The old MARI Il going Into
the free for all. and you are going to
her"
And a few days later she said to the
Dther man:
Tim. here Il a hundred dollars.
You go 10 town and loaf around for
two or three days Bet the money on
horse. Get the best odds you can
When day and date came they boot
ID the widows hired man and bis
They had bet 8 to before.
they bet IS to /. The widow had
HOO In the bank. She drew every
Of 1t out. and Tim placed II on
be mare.
That was a race that Is talked OF
A green driver. an old suIky and
farm horse. As soon as the mare
,Ot on to the track her actions betray-
d the fact that II was a familiar
rene to Der. and her driver had the
TO let her take her own way in
fead Of hauling her about When the
Iunch got away at last he simply held
is horse steady and prayed with all
Is might She had gone some" on .
he highway. but sne seemed to be 6y-
lg now. She picked up horse after
orse until she had the lead. and she
anne IN winner BY such q distance
the other horses were booted Oh
be track Not q skip. not q break
Isl a fast and steady pace, and q
who was so scared that be had
be helped down from his seat
The roll Of money gathered In BY the
1doW SaundersoD on her wagers and
the sale Of the mare after the race
as exactly the size Of a fifteen cent
Imato can. With the bundle In q pill
.wsllp she called on the minister Of
r ehurch a few days later and said:
-Pars0n. ! know you have figured |
ings up. How much TO paint the
houseY'
"A hundred and dfty dollars" be re- (
led
And how much for pew cushions"
"A hundred"
And for the red carpets in the )
IIesY" 3
Fifty viii DO IT,"
And can't We get an organ for 3