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Blossom swore again, as roundly as
before, that he would not give ’boot;
and, he said, “Bullet wouldn’t hold
five dollars on his back, nohow. But,
as I bantered you, if you say even
swap, here’s at you.”
“I told you,” said Peter, “I’d be
as clever as you, therefore, here goes
two dollars more, just for trade’s
sake. Give me three dollars, and
it’s a bargain.”
Blosisom repeated his former as
sertion ; and here the parties stood
for a long time, and the by-standers
(for many were now collected), be
gan to taunt both parties. After
some time, however, it was pretty
unanimously decided that the old man
had backed Blossom out.
At length Blossom swore he “nev
er would be backed out for three dol
lars after bantering a man”; and,
accordingly, they closed the trade.
“Now,” said Blossom, as he hand
ed Peter the three dollars, “I’m a
man that, when he makes a bad
trade, makes the most of it until he
can make a better. I’m for no rues
and after-claps.”
“That’s just my way,” said Pe
ter; “I never goes to law to mend
my bargains.”
“Ah, you’re the kind of boy I
love to trade with. Here’s your boss,
old man. Take the saddle and bridle
off him, and I’ll strip yours; but lift
up the blanket easy from Bullet’s
back, for he’s a mighty tender
backed hoss.”
The old man removed the saddle,
but the blanket stuck fast. He at
tempted to raise it, and Bullet bow
ed himself, switched his tail, danced
a little, and gave signs of biting.
“Don’t hurt him, old man,” said
Blossom, archly; “take it off easy.
I am, perhaps, a leetle of the best
man at a horse-swap that ever eatch
ed a coon.”
Peter continued to pull at the
blanket more and more roughly, and
Bullet became more and more ca
vortish; insomuch that, when the
blanket came off, he had reached the
kicking point in good earnest.
The removal of the blanket dis
closed a sore on Bullet’s back-bone
that seemed to have defied all medi
cal skill. It measured six full inches
in length and four in breadth, and
had as many features as Bullet bad
motions. My heart sickened at the
sight; and I felt that the brute who
had been riding him in that situation
deserved the halter.
The prevailing feeling, however,
was that of mirth. The laugh became
loud and general at the old man’s ex
pense, and rustic witticisms were lib
erally bestowed upon him and his
late purchase. These Blossom con
tinued to provoke by various re
marks. He asked the old man “if
be thought Bullet would let five dol
lars lie on his back?” He declared
most seriously that he had owned
that horse three months, and had
never discovered before that he had
a sore back, “or he never should
have thought of trading him,” etc.,
etc.
The old man bore it all with most
philosophic composure. He evinced
no astonishment at his late discovery,
and made no replies. But his son,
Neddy, had not disciplined his feel
ings quite so well. His eyes opened
wider and wider from the first to the
last pull of the blanket; and, when
the whole sore burst upon bis view,
astonishment and fright seemed to
contend for the mastery of his coun
tenance. As the blanket disappeared
he stuck his hands in his breeches
pockets, heaved a deep sigh, and
lapsed into a profound re very, from
which he was only roused by the
cuts a.t 'his father. He bore them as
long as he could; and, when he could
constrain himself no longer, he began,
with a certain wildness of expression
which gave a peculiar interest to
what he uttered: “His back’s
mighty bad off; but dod trot my soul
if he’s put it to daddy as bad as he
thinks he has, for old Kit’s both
blind and deef, I’ll be dod trot if
he ain’t. ”
11 The devil he is, ’ ’ said Blossom.
“Yes, dod trot my soul, if he ain’t
You walk him, and see if he ain’t.
His eyes don’t look like it; but he’d
jist as leave go agin the house with
you, or in a ditch, as anyhow. Now,
you try him.”
The laugh was now turned on Blos
som, and many rushed to test the
fidelity of the little boy’s report.
A few experiments established its
truth beyond controversy.
“Neddy,” said the old man, “you
oughtn’t to try to make people dis
contented with their things. Stran
ger, don’t mind what the little boy
says. If you can only get Kit rid of
them little failings, you’ll find him
all sorts of a horse. You are a lee
tle the best man at a horse-swap that
ever I got hold of; but don’t f r, ol
away Kit. Come, Neddy, my son,
let’s be moving; the stranger seems
to be getting snappish.”
HALL.
PULLMANS ARE COMMON CAR
RIERS.
The Texas railroad commissioner
has issued an order declaring Pull
man cars common carriers and provid
ing that all such operated in Texas
shall be subject to the same rules
as the railroads. Tn their usual
spiteful manner, recognizing no law,
the Pullmans will retaliate by with
drawing their service from the state
entirely or will operate only tourists
sleepers and seek to prevent inter
ference with their through business
under the protection of the interstate
laws. It is to be hoped that the Texas
commission will find the law and the
opportunity to bring this arrogant
company to time.—Messenger, Oko
lona, Miss.
BAILEY IS DODGING.
The fight on Senator Bailey has
reached white heat and the Senator
now is jumping sideways to dodge
the shafts hurled at him by those
who are after his scalp. Just what
will be the result no one can tell
at this time, certain it is that the
senator is beginning to see that the
people are thoroughly aroused and
it will take the fight of his life to
get back to the senate again.—
Watchman, Cleburne, Tex.
Arthur Chamberlain, the oldest
brother of the great politician, is very
unlike his brother in many ways. For
one thing he is opposed to him in
politics; also he does not wear an
eyeglass. Seeing, however, that a
Chamberlain would not be a Cham
berlain without some mannerism, he
invariably wears the pinkest of pink
neckwear.
THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
PURCHASING THE RAILROADS.
The outstanding stocks and bonds
of the railroads of the United States
make a total of $13,213,124,679. It
may be said that the railroads did
not actually cost this sum of mori n ”,
but the question to be considered <n
the purchase of this private property
is what it is worth now to the hold
ers of these stocks and bonds. This
would have to be calculated, not per
haps upon the basis of the market
prices of the securities, but certainly
upon the basis of their income ca
pacity. Not on their income for any
single year, but for a. series of good
and bad years.
Tn speaking of the purchase of the
railroads by the government, the Wall
Street Journal remarks:
“In ease all the railroads were ab
sorbed by the federal government,
and that is what, in the last analy
sis, it would amount to, this opera
tion would increase the funded debt
of the country from less than $1,000,-
000,000 to more than $14,000,000,-
000, and the $13,000,000,000 of debt
which would have to be created bv
the United States in order to pur
chase the railroads would amount
30 per cent of this total world gov
ernment indebtedness.”
That is exemplification of the fact
that a man can write the truth
the literal truth—and yet make ic
tell the most abominable lie. Let vs
give an example. A man’s wife had
been away for a vacation. Upon her
return he placed a large amount of
beautiful flowers in the hall and par
lors to make her home coming pleas
ant. Then they had a quarrel and
he sued for divorce. He went on
the stand and swore that when she
came home he did everything to give
her a pleasant greeting. That he
placed flowers in the hall and par
lors, but she threw them out into
the garbage can. He failed to state
that she preserved them until all
their beauty had vanished and decay
had set in. He, like the Wall Street
Journal, told the literal truth, and
at the same time, the most abomina
ble lie.
There is a vast difference between
a government debt that causes the
people to be taxed to pay interest
and finally the principle, and an in
vestment which can return a profir
to the people and reduce taxation.
The Journal knows that the people
have a horror of government debts.
They have heretofore been used to
tax and impoverish them, and that
was the sense in which it was in
tended that they should understan d
this debt of $13,000,000,000. An ed
itor who will play such a dirty trick
as that upon his readers is as con
temptible a creature as exists. The
people are already paying the inter
est on that debt, and will continue to
pay it, whether government owns the
roads or they • remain in private
hands. Besides that, the moment
that the Hoads passed into puhU.?
ownership many millions of expen
ses would sitop. The vast sums paid
to attorneys, to lobbyists, in court ex
penses, and the loss in rebates ar.d
free transportation would cease. The
cost of conducting political cam
paigns, which alone run up in the mil
lions, would stop.
Within five years the people would
he paying less than half the inter
est on railroad stocks and bonds that
they now pay, and in twenty-five
years, after great reduction in freight
and passenger fares, they would have
no interest at all to pay. Under pri
vate ownership they will have to pay
interest forever.
There may be sound reasons 1c
be presented against the public own
ership of railroads, but if there are z
the Wall Street Journal has not dis
covered ithem.—The Investigator,
Omaha, Neb.
THE PURE FOOD LAW!
The pure food law enacted at the
last session of congress became oper
ative on the first day of the year. The
authors of the measure believe it
will put an effectual stop to the sale
of adulterated and impure foods and
drugs, confectionery and liquors.
The abuses sought to be corrected, it
is asserted, are numberless, but here
after it will be possible for consum
ers to know precisely what they are
receiving for their money. Articles
under the heads already enumerated
will have to be what they purport to
be, if the law is complied with. A
large number of inspectors working
under the supervision of the depart
ment of agriculture, will watch
dealers of all sorts to see that they
do not violate the; law. Offenses
against the law will be punishable
by fine or imprisonment or both. It
will be illegal to manufacture any
article of food or drug which is mis
branded or adulterated.
Every citizen in the United States
ought to be personally interested in
seeeing that this law’ becomes effect
ive in all its provisions, for it is a
notorious fact that there is now on
the market a great quantity of im
pure food that has been prepared
solely for profit and without regard
to its purity. Unscrupulous manu
facturers, who have been outraging
the public by fraudulent deception
in adulteration, should be made to
feel the effects of this law and all
of them should be forced to deal fair
ly and justly with the public.—Ex
aminer, Tennesseean, Gallatin, Tenn.
CROKER’S OPPORTUNITY.
(From The Washington Star.)
The gossip about Mr. Croker is all
very puzzling. Now he is returning to
America, and now he isn’t. Now he
is tired of his Irish home, and now
he isn’t. Now he has wearied of the
turf and longs again for politics, and
now he hasn’t. Oh, well, we shall
simply have to wait and see. But
if the ex-boss only knew how much
mixed everything over here is, and
what opportunities exist, for a man to
whom salary is not so much an ob
ject as the chance to get even, he
would not tarry longer on the other
side. There are more kinds of Demo
crats in New York than may be count
ed on the fingers of both hands, and
two varieties of Republicans that defy
all anlysis by the old rules. This
is the country for a man of Mr. Crok
er’s tastes and talents.
A HOLY SHOW.
(From The Pittsburg Post.)
“Pa!”
“What is it, son?”
“What do they mean by a holy
show?”
“A New York sacred concert, my
son.”
The cost of the Dreadnaught was 10
per cent, per ton less than any other
of the large British vessels.
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