Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-09-08
How Jimmie
Kept His Horse
By F. A. Mitchell

Jimmie, there's nothing to eat in
| the house. You've got to sell Ginger"
NAV, can't do it. That horse and
me is like brothers.
"But we can't starve, and the horse
is all there is left
Jim and his mother lived in a
new town on the bank Of the Missis-
sippi river. The population was varie
gated, eXcitable and believed in the
future Of the town, which was called
Jones City after its founder. Jim was
fifteen years old and born with a
prediSpOSitiOn to hOrsefesh. Some one
had given him a colt, which he had
traded for a mare, and after a number
Of other trades Ginger, the apple of
JimS eye. was acquired.
Jim left his mother and went out
to the river bank, exceedingly sor-
rOWful. The mighty stream rolled fif
ty feet below. Jim was so disconso-
late that he thought of ending his
troubles by jumping into the water.
But it couldn't end them, because he
could swim like a duck and was sure
that when it came to drowning he
would paddle ashore.
Anyway he was opposed to the jump
without taking Ginger with him. Gin
ger would back. But he might blind
fold the horse and he would go over
without knowing It. The more the
boy thought Of the matter the stronger
grew in him desire to take that leap
on Ginger'S back-not now for sui
al J>,,+
be daring feat. If he announced his
intention Of doing so what a crowd
would collect to see the leap! Every
one in Jones City would turn out.
There were 5000 persons in the
town. Now, suppose every man, wo-
man and child could be made to pay
so cents to see the show. That would
be $1,000. Ginger wouldn't bring more
than $3.50 at most.
What an idea!
Having got into Jims head, he
| couldn't get it out It buzzed and siz-
zled, but it stuck. Jim thought he
would try to see what he could do with
Ginger blindfolded. He tied a hand
kerchief around the horses eyes,
mounted him and tried to make him
go. The experiment for awhile fail
| ed, but so great was the animals con-
fdence in his master that he soon be-
came reconciled to walking in the dark
while Jim guided him. Then he would
consent to trOt slowly. And so by de-
! grees Jim got him to move quite rapid
ly under the handkerchief.
| By this time the idea had doomed in
the boys brain. The bluff from which
he thought Of jumping was perpendic-
ular and the water beneath it forty
feet deep. Jim considered the danger
to be that the horse in his struggle
| might injure his rider. He didn't think
much Of any other danger. It was en-
| tirely q matter Of nerve.
| One day jim appeared in a pool room
and showed paper under the nose Of
| the proprietor. 1t contained a state
| ment that Jim Hawkins proposed for
| $1,000 to jump on his horse Ginger off
| the bank into the river in front of the
town. The proprietor looked at jim
| as if making q mental estimate for his
coffin, then, taking up a pen, signed for
! $25. Jim left the place with subscrip-
tons for over 5000, and before night
| the whole amount had been subscribed.
1t was stipulated that the money was
| to be placed in the hands Of Mr.. Jones,
to be paid to Jim's mother, for it was
not considered probable that Jim would
| come out of the stunt alive.
The only person in Jones City who
did not know Of the approaching enter
| tainment was Jim's mother, and he had
persuaded her to visit her sister on
the day it was to take place. The ap-
proach to the jumping point was roped
| off to keep back the crowd on either
side, and every one had been caution
ed to do no shouting till after the leap,
lest it should cause the horse to balk.
At o'clock in the afternoon Jim,
wearing his birthday suit and a pair
Of spurs, mounted Ginger bareback,
the only equipment being bride. Jim
was a trife pale, but his mouth indi-
Gated resolution. The handkerchief
was tied carefully over the horses
eyes, and Jim rode him back and
forth for awhile as a preparatory
measure. Finally he took a position
about hundred yards from the bank
A number of persons crowded around
him to bid him goodby, and when they
were put back behind the ropes Jim
at the signal Of a pistol shot, gave
Ginger the word.
By the time they reached the edge
Of the bank the horse was Looping, and
at the right moment Jim lifted hin
with the bride and gave him the spurs
He cleared the bank, and down, down
down went rider and horse, Jim cling
: ing to the horses name, Ginger paw
ing the air.
; Every man, woman and child rush
ed to the bank. There was a whirl Of
waters where they struck, and afte1
what seemed an interminable time jim
came up, swimming Justify. The horse
soon after appeared some twenty fee
a