THAT ERE OFF HORSE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1343, 25 August 1877, Page 21

THAT ERE OFF HORSE.

A hornyThanded old farmer entered the offices of one- of the -big-.railcoad-.com-panie3 the other day, and inquired for the man who settled for hosaes which; was killed by locomotives of a bloated} corporation. They referred him to the bompany's counsel, whom, having founc , lie thus addressed : "Mister, I was driving ho'merdna evening; last week. Audvlieli. T came td the crossing of your soulless ; monopoly--^ it \ra3 pretty dark, and-^-zip"! along' bame your train, no bells rjung, no whisfcles tooted^contrary to the statutes in such; case3 l made and provided, janji agin the Grirangeiv decisions, and — whoop! ■away yrent my off hoss a scooting over ; the telegraph wires. When [ had dug myself out'n a swamp some distance ofi^ and pacified the other critter, I found that* thar 'off '-hoss' was as daad as leniy Smith, nothing valuable about him bub his shoes, which msut have brough ) say eight cents for joldjroii. Well;!- ."•] "' ' . Vv'ell* . youT want payr for" that "ore off. j hqss?" said->the lawyer;; with a-acarcsly.^ repressed- sneer. . " Xlcinder -should, you see," replied the farmer, frankly^ .^'.and I don't care about, going to law about it, though posjibly I'd get a verdict j for ; jurio3 out ia our town is mostly made up | of farmers, 'and they kinder help" eaoh other, aa a, matter of principle, in these caS6s'of stock-killed by f^%oacU'." ." Au'd | thia-ere— off- horae, l '~"»aid[ -the' counsel, '

mockingly, "was a Hambletonian colt out of an- Abdallah mare, * 'with' -'seventeen Messenger crosses, .wasn't he ? Oh ! I've heard of. that off horse before.",.,.^! l' guess there's a mistakes6na.ewfier'e, J s'oijny^ *'* 'said t^e* old 'farmer, "with' an' ajr of'sdrp' p'Hse'y/ 1 *' my 'htfes ' was'^t"^'^!'^'^^ Butt's roan pacing-hoss, 'Pride of Lem^n l^ out'n a wall-eyed?, no-accpunii'mar&'of imy^ own, and, now that ho's .deadj-:l"niay;flay,.; .that hew^sst^euty^ninenext grasaj-.Trot??. Why, J^red firby's horsesj, thai; he.3ras' i fined n for furious' driving of,"was'joicl T)exter' alongside of him ! < §i 6IOO6 s !''* Bles3 yotir^ soul, dbyou think I ? m' a- darn fool, or any sroneelse \ .. .Itjis .true J was made an offerj. 'for l^im tl^e last time I, was in .town, and,' from 'a ' man" ' looidrig kinder 'feimplb}' l and-: you know how, it ;is yourself ;with ho'ss trading, I aske.d the s cua% more'n thle,! l^" mal-might have been' worthy J'aaked $^j-1j -1 but I'd have taken, ;s£&',' '«'« ' $40 !" gasped' s the lawyer, "^4O !"' v 'Tes," replied the 1 farmer, meejdy and:, apologetically, "lit"' kinder -lopks a bigvsum, J-knqw, for ?,n_ old hoss, 'but that ere f piff -horse could pull a mighty good load,, considering. Then J was kinder shook up, and the r pole of my' waggon was busted j and I;had:.tp get the harness' fixed, and/there's my Ipssof tinte, >, and all that; cbtmts.'-.. Say and its about "squared", .The" lawyer i',whi 3 P er M softly to himself^ " Well^lUvße bulldozed •!" and filled' oat . a.\cneck : ,f or-f 5(^0,"Sir," said he; covering' 'the, old man's hand, "you, are the .first, hoagstlman ;I have met in the course ence ". pf twenty-three y^arsjfrjthe 'first farmer whose dead 'horseTfwaslworih lejss j than •* $i,OOQ, and- 'cjduldn'f 'Mt ' ibetter than training/" ETe'refalsojis'" a free pass for yourself lah'd^your malgr heirs in a direct'line for ihree*generation|s^ ' tJ aridif you haye 'a young-boy to'spafe, we, will teach him -telegraphing,' and, fijiji.^nn' steady and lucrative employmte"n't." jt T^e J honest, old farmei; iop'k , ( the 'cteck atid departed," smiting- his' Horny leg' wijih^ 1 is br'a\vny handar^ triumph as, he ■w ; ith the .re.mark.: , \^- 'kne\jvVJ'd',fetch him on the honest track j, T Last shoas! I had killed I swore -was a trotter, and all I got was .$165 and intereslk Honesty jis the .best policy/'-r- Chicago l+rihune. \