Year: 1878

spuns to speak to her. BY jingo. If |
was a single man, Id show you a trick
or two


SO saying, Ed. borrowed some bags
and started around the corner OF the
barn, where he had left Bill sweeping
and put his car to a knot hole and lis-
tened, knowing The bachelor had a
habit of talking to himself when any
thing worried him. -.


"Confound that young Sockrijer -
said Bill; "what business has he there,
Id like to know? Got new buggy,
has he! Well. so have ], and new
harness. too, and his horse cant get
sight of mine, and I declare I've half a
mind to-ycs, I will I'll go this very
night and ask her to 60 to the show
with inc. I'll show E1. Wilbur that |
ain't such calf as he thinks | am. ii l
did let old Watson get the best OF me
in thc first place.


Ed. could scarcely help laughing out
right; but he hastily hitched the bags
on his shoulder, and with a low chuckle
at his success, started home to tell the
news to Nelly; and about five o'clock
that evening they saw Bill 90 by with
his horse and buggy, on his 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 to talk up to her
until at a distance Of about mile from
the house, hc came to n bridge, he gave
a tremendous sneeze and blew his teeth
out of his mouth and clear over the
dashboard. and striking on the plank,
they relied over the side of,the bridge
and dropped into four feet of water.


Words cannot do justice to poor Dlll
or paint the expression of his face as he
sat there comp plctely dumblounded at
his piece Of ill>luck After a while he
stepped out Of his buggy, and getting
down on his hands and knees and looked
over into the water Yes, there they
wer,. at the bottom, with crowd OF lit
tie fishes rubbing their noses against
them, and Bill wished to goodnes that
his nose was as close for one second.
His beautiful teeth had cost him so
mnch and. the show coming on AMI no
time to get another set-and the widow
and young Sockrider.


Well. he must try and get them some"
how, and no time to be lost, for some
one might come along and ask him what
he wos fooling around there for. he
had no notion of spelling his clothes by
wadns inwith them on; and, besides, if
he did. he could not go to the widows
that night, so he took look up and down
the road, to see that no one was in sight,
and then quickly uud:cssed himself, lay
ing his clothes in the buggy to keep
them clean. Then he ran around the
bank and waded into the almost icy cold
water. but his teeth didn't chatter in bis
heal-he only wished they could. Quietly
he waded along so as not to stir the mud
up, and when he got to the right spot
he dropped under the water and came
out with his teeth in his mouth. But
bark What noise is that9 A wagon,
and a dog barking with all his might,

and his horse is starting.


"Whoa I! whoa Stop you brute, you'
STOP"


But sop he would not, but went oil at
a spanking pace, with the unfortunate
bachelor after him. Bill was certainly
ia capital running costume, but though
he strained every nirye he could not
touch the buggy or reach the lines that
were dragging on the ground. After a
while his plug hat shook off the seat
and the hind vince! went over it, making
it as fiat as a pancake. Bill snaichcd it
as he ran, and after jamming his fist into
il. stuck it, all dusty and dimpled on his
head. And now he saw the widows
house on the top ofthe hill, and what, oh
what will he do Then his coat fell out
and he slipped it on. and then making a a
desperate spurt he clutched the back Of
the saat and scrambled in, and pulling
the buffalo robe over his legs, stuffed
the ether things beneath. Now the horse
happened to be one he got from Squire
Moore, and he got it from the widow.
and the animal took it into his head to
stop TT hor gate, which Bill had no
power to prescnt, as hO was too busy
buttoning his coat up to his coin To
think Of much else.


The widow heard the rafting OF the
wheels and looked out, and seeing that 1t
was Smiley and that he didn t offer to get
out, she went out to see what he wanted,
and there she stood chatting, with her
white arms on the top Of tho gate, ana
her face towards him, while the chllis
ran down his shirtless back clear to his
bare fret beneath the buffalo robe, and