arted around the corner, and disappeared
in the shadows; while the mischief-maker swung the eggs on his arm, and,
appearing suddenly to have observed Chester, stopped whistling, out of
respect.

"What are you doing to that cat?" cried the young man.

"What cat? O!" said Sam, candidly, "she's got tangled in a string
somehow, and I was trying to get her out."

"What a talent you have for lying!" laughed Chester. "Now, do you think
you can take this horse over to the village without getting into some
kind of a scrape?"

"O, yes!"

"Will you ride slow?"

"I won't go out of a walk," exclaimed Sam, positively.

"O, you may trot him, or go on a slow gallop, if you like; but don't
ride fast, for he is jaded. Leave him at the tavern, and come home as
fast as you like."

Sam was delighted with the idea; and, having put the eggs in a safe
place, mounted the horse from the block, and galloped him slowly down
the road.

In a little while he began to look back, and touch the animal gently
with the whip, when he thought he was out of sight. Racing appeared to
Sam to be capital fun. Instead of taking the nearest way to the village,
he turned at the first cross-road, along which he could pursue his
harmless amusement in a quiet and unostentatious manner.

In a few minutes he had lashed the horse into what is familiarly termed
a "keen jump." The fences, the stones, the grove, with its deepening
shadows, seemed to be on a "keen jump" in the opposite direction. The
boy screamed with delight, and still plied the whip. Suddenly his straw
hat was taken off by the wind, and went fluttering over the animal's
crupper.

This was an unforeseen catastrophe; and, fearing lest he should not be
able to find the lost article on his return, Sam attempted to slacken
speed. But the animal manifested a perfect indifference to all his
efforts. He sawed on the bit, and cried _whoa_, in vain. Frank was not a
horse to be whipped for nothing, and he now meant to have his share of
the fun. He seemed almost to fly. The rider became alarmed, and, to
increase his fright, his left foot slipped out of the stirrup. In an
instant he found himself bounding in a fearful manner over the pommel,
then on the animal's neck. He cleared his right foot, abandoned the
reins, and clung to saddle and mane with all his might. But he somehow
lost his balance; he then experienced a disagreeable sensation of
falling; and, after a confused series of disasters, of which h