Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-23

think I'M a horse that's been dead 40
e. wears and then they'll set around
remembering this and that about that morse
until they've made resurrection OF him. you'd
think he was regular Grattan Bars, the way
thav talk telling one thing and another, when
a man knows if that horse hadn't We had
breeching to keep his end off the ground he
could hardly have walked from here to Boon
vile.
A horse race is a handsome thing TO watch
il a man has his money on sure proposltlon'
Mp pa was always a great hand at morse
IA e. But when he took to boat and my
m, ther he didn't have no more time Tor IL.
So he got interested in another sport.
did you ever hear of racing caterpillars?
No! Well, it used to be great thing on the
canal. MY pa used to have lot OF them
insects on hand every Fall. and the way he
could get them to run would make man have
his eyes examined
then in a napkin ring on table, one facing
one way and one the other. Outside the nap
kin ring was drawed a circle in chalk feet
across Then a man liftrI the ring and the
handlers was allowed enc sap to get their cater
pillars started. The one that got outside the
chalk circle the first was the one that won the
race.
remember my pa tried out lot Of breeds,
ard he got hold of some pretty fast steppers.
BIT there wasn't one of them could equal Red
PCril To see him you wouldn't believe he
aid run. He was all red and kind of stubby,
aid he had sort of wart behind that you'd
think would get in his way. There wasn't any
thing fancy in his looks. He'd just set still
studying the ground and make you think he
IS dreaming about last years oats; but when
yIa set him in the starting ring he'd hitch
himself up behind like a man lifting on his
tlluses. and then he'd light out for glory.
TIA come acrost Red Peril down in Western
VILE Mas relatives resided there, and it
being Sunday we'd all gone to church We was
riding back in a hired rig with dandy trotter.
and pa was pushing her right along and ma
vas talking sermon and clothes, and me and
my sister was setting on the back seat playing
poke your nose, when all of a sudden pa hollers
"Whoa!" and set the horse right down on the
breeding. Ma let out holIer and come to
rest on the dashboard with her head under the
horse.
MY gracious iandl" she says. whats hap
pened?"
Pa was on the other side of the road right
Ting up something in his yeller handkerchief
Ma began to get riled.
What you doing. PAP" she says. What you
got tbere?"
Pa was putting his handkerchief back into
his inside pocket. Then he come back over the
wheel and got him a chew
"Leeza," he says, IT got the fastest cater
pillar in seven counties. It's an act of Provi-
dence seen him, the way he jumped the ruts."
Its an act of God amt laying dead under
the back end of that horse" says ma. 1--WE
gone and Spoilt my Sunday hat"
Never mind" says pa; Red Peril will earn
you new one" Just like that he named him.
He was the fastest caterpillar in seven counties.
When we got back onto the boat while ma
was turning up the supper, pa set him down to
the table under the lamp and pulled out the
handkerchief.
you two devils stand there and there" he
says to me and my sister, land if you let him
get by I'll leather the soap out of YOU"
So we stood there and he undid the handker-
chief. and out walked one Of them red, long
haired caterpillars. He walked right to the
middle of the table, and then he took short
tuln and put his nose in his tail and went to
sleep.
Who'd think that insect could make such a
break foa freedom as seen him maker" says
pa. and got out empty Brandretl bax
anc filled 1t up with some towel and On: the