The diamond drill., 1912-01-13
ENOUGH OF BUcKsKIN
NEW HARNESS NICK DEMPSEY
GoT WAS or LEATHER.
Thereby Hangs a Good Story Of tho
West--How the Weather Helped
Sam Muldrow 20 Win Almost
Hopeless Bet

"Nfck Dempsey was ror certainty
the most talented teamster that ever
swung the ribbons over a pair or
horses" said the cab driver who had
come in out of the west ia. take a
position on the box OF a metropolitan
taxi-whizzer. He always had the best
team that he could combine. and the
care he took of them was lesson to
the s. y. &. A. And his harness!
Wen. Nick laid himself out on them
and they looked like circus fxin's.
But pride goeth before fan and Nick
got his. bimeby. Somebody told him
that buckskin made the finest harness
In the world. and he didn't rest till
he got set OF buckskin harness. He
made II himself. TO be sure II was just
right, and IL was about the gayest
thing that ever got up to the foothills,
not excepting Sadie McGinniss' we'd
ding togs, and they was some.
Mick hadn't more than got his new
harness tried out till Sam Muldrow.
that drove a mule team, challenged
him for trip TO the railroad and back,
thirty miles each way. and no turn
pike, neither. Nick fairly snorted at
Sam. but Sam shook fifty-dollar bill
under his snorter and told him that
was what was what and Sam took II
at a gulp, he was that willing. We
got all our goods by team and they
was going back and forth every two
or three times week, but nobody
ever thought OF making speed record
till Sam put it up to Nick and his new
harness.
"They got away all right and the
whole road was out TO see them as
they trekked along Ii was the big
gest thing we'd ever pulled off and
betting was frequent all around. odds
on Nick about forty-seyen 10 one.
People said Sam was fool. but he
said he was trusting TO Providence
and the weather. II did look like rain,
and mules is hard 10 beat In the mud,
but II was mighty long shot for Sam
and the few hackers he had. They
pulled in at the railroad about even
and going easy. both OF them taking
care OF their critters for the haul
home next day with load.
They was TO leave next morning
at seven, and no jockeying on the
start. That night IL rained, cleared
off and turned colder, just right for
travelling. There wasn't anything at
| the railroad but a station agents
house and shed alongside of the
house, and the shed wasn't any shell
ter TO brag on. When Sam got TO It
at about six next morning he found
Nick there cussing forty ways for the
Sabbath and repeat. He was slam
ming that fancy buckskin harness all
over the ground and swearing every
time IL hit, and every time il hit Il
made noise like cracking a chicken
coop.
"The rain during the night had
blowed in on II, and when IL dried IL
was harder than a board and wouldn't
lit a hoss any more than an iron cage
would. Prompt az seven Sam pulled
out for home, leaving Nick In the shed
still cussing and banging his harness
Nick got back that night about four
hours after Sam had gone to bed, and
the strings and ropes and wires and
pieces OF galluses and strips of boot
legs and sections of buckskin that
made up his harness was sight { o
see. And Sam Muldrow was gentle
man. He let Nick keep s25 OF the
bet to buy new harness with, and
Nick didn't get no buckskin harness
with II, neither, mind that now"