The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-12-14
XII.

Back at Milton an hour before, when
the shades Of dusk were falling n a
slender moon hung timidly on the edge
of the horizon, a horse drawing a
, spring wagon ambled deliberately into
town and came to a reluctant halt be-
side the railroad station, having made
a wide detour through the larger part
of h county on the way TO that me-
tropolis.
The sun had been hot, the road much
of it rought, and the jolts over stones
and bumps had not added to the COM
fort Of the thick set man, already
bruised and weary from his travels.
Joe's conversation had not ceased. He
had given his guest a wide range OF
! topics, discoursing learnedly on the
buckwheat crop and the blight that
might be expected to assaif the cherry
trees. He pointed out certain portions
Of land infested with raitlesnakes, and
told b~loodcurdling stories of expert
ences with stray bears and wildcats in
a maple grove through which they
passed till the passenger looked fur
lively behind him and urged the driver
to hurry a little faster.
Joe, seeing his gulfibility, only made
his stories of country life the bigger,
for the thick set man. though bold as
a lion In his own city haunts, was a
| coward In the unknown world Of the
country.
When the traveller looking at his
watch urged Joe to make haste and
asked how many miles further Milton
was, Joe managed ii that the horse
should stumble on a particularly stony
bit Of road. Then getting down grave
ly from the wagon he examined the
horses feet each in turn, shaking his
head sadly over the left fore foot.
"Jes' z 'sposed," he meditated
dreamily. stone bruise! Lame horse!
nnnbt ha1taun \ nrr0ht IN On on Sorry
but it'll be the ruination of the horse.
You amt in a hurry i hope"
The passenger In great excitement
promised to double the fare IL the
young man would get another horse
and hurry him forward, and after great
professions OF doubt Joe gave in and
said he woul try the horse, but 1t
wouldn't do to work him bard. They
would nave to let him TAX his time.
He couldn't on n account cave the
horse behind anywhere and get a fresh
one because il belonged to his best
fiend and he promised to bring. 1t back
safe and sound. They would jdst take
their time n go slow and see IL the.
horse could stand 1t. He wouldn't
think of trying II IL 1t weren't for the
extra money which he needed.
So the impatient traveller was drag
ged Tuning along weary hour after
weary hour through the m~onotonous
glory of a spring. afternoon Of which
he saw nothing but the dust of the roa
! as he tried to count the endless miles.
Every mile or two Joe would descend
from the wagon seat II fuss around
the horses leg. the horse nothing 10th
at such unprecedented attention doing
cozily by the road side during the
process. And so was the traveller
brought to his destination 10 minutes
after the last train that stopped at Mil
ton that night had passed the station.
The telegraph office was not closed
however, and without waiting to haggle,
the passenger paid his $40 for the long
est journey he ever took, and disap-
peared into the station, while Joe, whip
ping up his petted animal, and whist
ling cheerily:
where did you get that girl"
went rafting down the short cut from
Milton home at a, surprising pace for
a lame horse. He was eating his sup
per at home In a little more than an
hour, I'M the horse seemed TO have
miraculously recovered from his stone
bruise. Joe was wondering how his
girl would look In a hat with purple