Year: 1874

one else seems to have the spunk to speak
up to her. BY jingo! if l were a single
man I'd show you a trick or two"


So saying. Ed. Borrowed some bags and
started around II e corner Of the barn, where
he had left Bill. sweeping, and put his ear
to knot hole and listened, knowing the
bachelor had habit of talking to himself
when anything worried him.


"Coufound that young Bagrideri" said
Bill "what business has he there, I'd like
to know9 Got a new buggy, has he
Well, so have /, and a new harness, toe!
and his horse can't get in sight Of mine and
declare I've half mind to--yes, will!
I'll go this very night and ask her to go to
the show with me. III show Ed. Wilbur
| that amt such calf as he thinks | am,
if did let old Watson get the start of me
in the first placep'


Ed. could scarce help laughing outright,
but he hastily hitched the bags on his
shoulder, and with low chucke at his sue
cess, started home to tell the news to Nelly;
and about five o'clock that evening they
saw Billy go by with his horse and buggy
on bis way to the widows. He logged
along quietly, thinking of the old singing
school days-and what pretty girl Susan
was then, and wondering inwardly if he
would have more courage now to talk up to
her. until, at distance OF about a mile
from her house, he came to bridge--over
a large creek-and it SO happened that just
as he reached the middle of the bridge, he
gave tremendous sneeze, and blew bis
teeth out of his mouth, and clear over the
dashboard, and striking on the planks,
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 expression Of his face as he sat
there-competel dumbfounded at his
startling piece of i'll luck. After while
he stepped out of his buggy, and getting
down on his hands and knees, looked over
into the water, eyes, there they were, at
the bottom, with crowd of little fishes
rubbing their noses against them, and Bill
wished to goodness that his nose was as
close for 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





and ask him what he was fooling around
there for. He had no notion of spelling his
good clothes by wadips in with them on
and besides, if be that he could not go
to the widow that night, so he took a look
up and down the road to see that no one
was in sight, and then quickly undresse1
himself, laying his clothes in the buggy to
keep them clean. Then he ran around to
the bank and waded into the almost icy
cold water, but bis teeth did not chatter in
his head-he only wished they could
Quietly he waded along so as not to stir up
the mud, and when he got TO the right spot
he dropped under water and came up with
bis teeth in his hand, and replaced them in
bis mouth But bark! What noise is that :?
A wagon, and little dog barking with all
his might, and bis horse is starting. "Whoa !!
Whoa! Stop you brute you, stop! But
stop he would not, but went off at a spank
ing pace with the unfortunate bachelor after
him, and the little dog yelping after the
bachelor Bill was certainly in capital run
ming costume, but though he strained every
nerve he could not touch the buggy or reach
the lines that were dragging on the ground


After awhile bis plug bat shook off the
seat, and the hind wheel went over it, max
ing it as fat as pancake. Bill snatched
it as he ran, and after ,amming bis fist into
it, stuck it, all dirty and dimped, on his
head And now be saw the widows house
on tn. hill, and what, oh what will be do!
then bis coat fell out, he slapped it on, and
then making desperate squirt he clutched
the back of the sci t and scrambled in, and
pulling the buffalo robe over his legs, stuffed
the other things beneath. Now the horse
happened to be the one he got from Squire
Moore, and he got it from the widow, and
be took it into his head to stop at her gate,
which Bill had no power to prevent, as he
bad not possession of the reins, besides he
was too busy buttoning bis coat up to his
chin to think of doing much else. The wild
ow heard the rattle Of the wheels and look
ed 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 top of the gate, and her face right to-
ward him, wbetbe cold chills ran down bis
shiress back clear to his bare feet beneath
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 Iim to come in. No, he was in a
hurry. be said. Still he did not offer to go.
He did not like to ask her to pick up the
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 a white-faced horse coming, and at
once surmsed that it was Gus. Sockrider
he resolved to do or die. and hurriedy told
his errand The widow would be delighted
to go, of course she would. But wouldn't
he come in. No, he was in hurry, he
said; had to 90 on to Mr.. Green's place.


"Oh," said the widow; you're 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 second while
| , ~, hor,at ond shawl and III ride with