Year: 1874




so as not to stir up the mud, and when
he got the right spot he dropped under the
water and came up with his teeth in his
hand and replaced them in his mouth.
But bark What noise is that? A wag-
on, and little dog barking with all his
might, and his horse is starting! "Whoai
Whoa Stop, you brute, you, stop ~
But stop he would not, but went of at a
spanking pace with the unfortunate bach
elor after him and the little dog yelping
after the bachelor. Bill was certainly in
capital running costume, but though he
strained every nerve he could not touch
the lines that were dragging on the
ground.


After awhile his plug hat shook off the
seat and the hind wheel went over it,
making it as fiat as pancanke. Bill
snatchsd it as he ran, and after jamming
his fist into it, stuck it, all dusty and dim
pied, on his head. And now he saw the
Widows house on the hill, and what, oh
what will he do! Then his coat fell out,
he slipped it on, and then making q des-
perate squirt he clutched the back of the
seat and scrambled in, and pulling the
buffalo robe over his legs, stuffed the
other things beneath. Now, the horse
happened to be one that he got from
Squire Moore, and he got it from the
widow, and he took it into his head to
stop at her gate, which Bill had no power
to prevent, as he had not possession of
the roins, besides he was too busy but
toning his coat up to his chin to think of
doing much else. The widow heard the
rattle of the wheels and looked out and
seeing that it was Smiley and that he
didn't offer to get out, she went to the
gate to see what he wanted, and there
she stood chatting with her white arms
on the gate, and her face right toward
him, while the cold chills ran down his
shirtless back clear to his bare feet be-
meath the buffalo robe, and the water
from his hair and the dust from his hat
had combined to make some nice little
/ streams OF mud that came trickling down
his face. She asked him to come in. No
he was in hurry, he said. Still he did
not offer to go. He did not like to ask
her to pick up his rens for him, because
he did not know what excuse to make
for not doing it himself. Then he looked
down the road behind him and saw
white-faced horse coming, and at once
surmised that it was that of Gus. Sock
rider, he resolved to do or die, and hur-
riedly told his errand The widow would
be delighted to go, of course she would.
But wouldn't he come in. No he was in
a hurry, he said had to go on to Mr..
Green's place.


"Oh," said the widow, "you are GO
ing to Green's are you? Why, l was GO
ing there myself 20 get one OF the girls
to help me quilt more. Just wait sec
ond while get my bonnet and shawl,
and I'll ride with YOU" And away she
skipped.


"Thunder and lightning |" said Bill,
"what scrape !" and he hastily clutch
ed his pants from between his feet, and
was preparing to wriggle into them, when
light wagon, drawn by the white faced
horse, driven by boy, came along and
stopped beside him. The boy held up
pair of boots in one hand and a pair Of
socks in the other, and just as the widow
reached the gate again, he said


Here's your boots and socks, Mr..
Smiley, that you left on the bridge when
you was in swimming."


You're Mistaken" said Bill, "they
are not mine."


Why" said the boy, "ain't you the
man that had the race after the horse
just now?"


"No sir, am not You had better
go about your business" Bill sighed at
the loss of his good Sunday boots, and
turning to the widow said:


"Just pick up the lines, will you,
please this brute of horse is forever
switching them out of my hands" The
widow complied, and then he pulled one
corner of the robe cautiously down, and
she got in.


"What lovely evening"" said she,
"and so warm don't think we need the
robe over us, do we?"


(You see she had on a nice dress and n
pair of new CATERS, and she wanted to
show them.)


"Oh, my!" said Bill, earnestly, "you
will find it chilly riding, and / wouldn't
have you catch cold for the world"


She seemed pleased at his tender care
for her health, and contented herself with
sticking one of her little feet out with
long silk ncck-tie over the end of it.


"What is that, Mr.. Smiley, neck
tie?"


"Yes," said he, A." i bought it the other
day, and must have left it in the bug
gy. Never mind it."


"But," she said, "it was SO careless !"
and STOPPING over she picked it it up and
made a motion to stuff it in between
them.


Bill felt her hand going down and
making dive after it, clutched II in his
and held it hard and fast.


Then they went on quite a distance,
he still holding her soft, little hand in
his and wondering what he should do
when they got to Green's, and she won
dering why he did not say something
nice to her as well as squeeze her hand,
and why his coat was buttoned up so
tightly on such a warm evening, and
what made his face and hat SO dirty, un-
- IL Aa..I