Year: 1873

in their legitimate business, and as IL hap
penned all the other horses were either bu-
sy or sick. I reluctantly resigned myself
TO staying at home. Just then, however, our
friend, Mr.. Calvin Bruce, a man some
what given TO horses, came homo from De-
trot, and hearing of my necessity, he at
once placed at my disposal what he called
"a pair of colts" There was no trouble in
finding driver.


At that time, Dick Monroe and his sister
Diana were staying with us on visit. Dick,
at IL, considered that he knew all that was
to be known about horses, and would have
undertaken TO drive the chariot of the sun
with as much confidence as Phaeton HIM
SELF


Calvin described the colts us "gentle
enough, only pretty spunky," and averred
that "it was easy enough to manage them
If a fellow only let them have their own
way;" and then Calvin made the colts the
subject of parallel with the female sex,
which will not repeat, lest I should draw
down upon my head some of those phals
of wrath which are always ready to be un-
corked for the benefit of any one who says
q word on either side of the much vexed
and vexiDg question.


The captain demurred a little at letting
Diana and myself go off behind the colts
with no more experienced guardian than
Dick, at which distrust of his powers Mas
ter Dicks dignity was II good deal lfurt;
but then flattered myself that too could
drive little, and was very anxious to see
Mrs. St. Clair, and to be short, of course
we went. Diana and were ready for some
time before Dick made his appearance with
the horses. Diana at 16, was a tall, slim,
gray-eyed, black haired girl, very much of
a child in some things, and very much of
woman in others. Dick was also tall and
slim and handsome, and he and Diana were
the best of friends. Dick was more full of
himself and more self-conscious than his
sister. He was clever at his school-work,
stood at the head of his classes, and expect
ed in another year 10 go TO college. Such
being the case, of course Dick felt extreme
ly old, and capable of sustaining any respon-
81 billty whatever. think his FEELINGS were
rather hurt at the idea of riding three in
buggy, and he would not have been alto
gether sorry to leave Diana at home, but





tleman's hints, and he was fain to content
himself with the thought that we were in
the country, and out West, and that it did
not so much matter.


1t struck me that when Dick did finally
co he that he was in remarkable hurry to
start, and FASTENED us away without leav-
ing me time to say those few last words
which housekeepers are so apt to bestow
on their cabinet ministers when they set
out on a journey. Dick also demurred at
our driving around by the mill, and stop
ping TO speak TO the captain, with whom l
wished to leave a commission about some
d omestic matter. 1t was not far out of the
way, to be sure, but we had been delayed
already, and the afternoon was getting on
and, as the errand wasone Of no very great
importance, gave up the idea, and Dick
turned the horses heads toward the Galoo-
sa road. and drove swiftly out of the vii
lage.


AS we turned into the openings, through
which our path lay for some distance, we
passed one of the teamsters from the mill
going up to the village with load of boards.
This said teamster, commonly known as
Dutch Jake, wasan exceedingly slow man,
and was never known, under any circum-
stances, to adopt any plan of action on the
spur of the moment. AS we passed he
II odded by way of salutaton but, after the
swift colts bad left the team far behind, we
aw that he had stopped hisho.ses and was
! ooking after us, apparently pondering in
his mind some matter with which we were
connected.


We heard afterward that Jake had had "a
great mind" TO give us warning of the dam
ger that lurked that day in the September
woods but before his mind had become
quite "great" enough for expression, we
had passed out of sight.


81 wonder what he wanted of us?" said
Diana.


II don't know anything that he could
possibly have to say to u.s. said; "but
yet almost wish that l had gone back to
see."


"Oh, he only stopped 10 let his horses
rest" said Dick and yet glancing back,
though turn in the road had now hidden
Dutch Jake from sight; and then sudden
ly Master Dick became very animated on
the subject of the beauties of those OPEN
ings through which we were passing.


The Dad lay through rolling country,
among what, in Michigan, for lack of some
thing BETTER are called hills. 1t was the
last of September and there had been just
frost enough 10 turn the leaves. The oaks
in that part of the world put on fall dress
OF rich, deep crimson, shading into browns
and semi-purples, and flecked and spotted
with the dark, glossy, unchanged green of
summer. Here and there among the OILS
stood a brown beech, and now and then u
yellow and scarlet maple, that lit up the
| forest arcades like a pillar of flame. Each
turn of the road showed some new vista Of
the wood. The clear, dark-blue sky was
flooded with light and color, and the sun
shine danced aud flecked in the cool shad-
owy greens and browns of the grasses and
ferns that covered the ground. The air was
inexpressibly sweet with the spicy smell
of the oak leaves. 1t was one of those days,
rare in the North, which make one realize
that there may be state of being where
life, just for its own sake is worth the hav-
ng, and where the irrepresslbe conflict be-
tween man and nature may finally end in
peace.


We had been silent for some minutes,
when Diana suddenly exclaimed: "Wby,
there is the ugly dog p There he was, sure
enough. He must have followed us a long
distance, and now that he had come so far
from home, he seemed to think il safe to
make his appearance; and, running by the
side Of the buggy, looked up TO us, wag-
ging his half.a-tail, and barking his satis-
faction till the woods rang.


II never in my life saw anything so ugly