Year: 1878

he reached the middle of the bridge. he
gave tremendous snee2e, and blew the
teeth out of his mouth and clear over
the dashboard, and striking on the
plank they rolled over the side Of the
bridge and dropped into four feet of
water.


Words cannot do justice to poor Bill
or paint the expreSsi on on his face us he
sat completely dumiounded 1T
his startling piece Of i'll luck After i
while he stepped out of his buggy, and
getting down ON his hands and knees,
looked over into the water Yes, they
were mt the bottom, with crowd of
little fishes rubbing their noses against
them, and Bill wished to goodness that
his nose was rs close for one second.
His beautiful teeth that had cost him so
much, and the show coming ON, and no
time to get another set-and the widow
and young Sockrider. Well, he must
try and get them somehow-and no
time to loose for some one might
come along and ask him what he was
fooling around there for. He had no
notion of spelling his good clothes by
wading i'll with them on, and besides. if
he did he could not 60 to the widows
that night. SO he took look up and
down the road to see that no one was III
sight, and then quickly undressed him
self, laying his clothes in the buggy To
keep them clean. Then he ran down
the bank and waded into the ice-cod
water, but his teeth did not chatter IN
his head-he only wished they could.
Quickly he wadcd along SO as not to stir
up the mud. and when he got To the
right spot he dropped under the water
and came up with his teeth III his hand,
and replaced them III his mouth. But
hark What noise is that? A wagon,
and little dog barking with all his
might, and his horse starting. "Whoa
whoa Stop, you brute you, stop. -
But stop he would not, but went off ut
spanking pace, with the unfortunate
bachelor after him with 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 buggy or reach the
lines that were dragging along on the
ground.


After awhile his plug hat shook off
the seat and the hind wheel went over
snatchpd it as he ran, and after jam
ming his fist into it, stuck it all dusty
and dimpled, on his head. And nov
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 II desperate 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 hap
pened to be one that he got from
Squire Morse, and he got it from the
widow, and he took it into his head to
to stop at the gate, which Bill had no
power to prevent, us he had moi posses
sion Of the reins, besides lie was too
busy buttoning 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 70 get
out, she went to the gate to see what
he wanted, and there she stood with
her white arms on the top of the gate,
and her face right toward him, while
the cold chills run down his back clear
to his bare feet beneath the buffalo
robe, and the water from his hair and
the dust from his bat 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 Il hurry" he said. Still he
did not 50. lie didn't like to ask her to
pick up the reins 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 it was Gus Sockrldc. He re-
solved to do ordic, and hurriedly told
his errand. The widow would pe de-
lighted to go, of course she would.
But wouldn't he come in? No he was
in a hurry. he said; had to 80 to Mr..
Green's place.


10, said the widow your going to
Green's are YOU? Why, | was just
going there myself to get one of the
girls to help me quilt more Just wait
n second while | get my bonnet and
shawl and Ill ride with YOU and
away she skipped.


"Thuneer and lightning y said Bill,
what a scrape y And he hastily
clutched his pants from between his
feet, and was prepared to wriggle into
them, when i light wagon, drawn b. 4
whitc-faced horse, driven by hoy.
came along and stopped beside him.
The boy he'd pair Of boots in one
hand an pair OF socks in the other,
and Just as the widow reached the gate
again, he said


Here your boots and socks, Mr.
Smiley, that YOU left on the bridge