n a most unaccountable manner. He was going down
hill with his nose almost to the ground, running the wagon first on this
side and then on the other. I thought of the remark made by the man, and
turning again to Mrs. Sparrowgrass, said, "Playful, isn't he?" The next
moment I heard something breaking away in front, and then the rockaway
gave a lurch and stood still. Upon examination I found the new horse had
tumbled down, broken one shaft, gotten the other through the check-rein
so as to bring his head up with a round turn, and besides had managed
to put one of the traces in a single hitch around his off hind leg. So
soon as I had taken all the young ones and Mrs. Sparrowgrass out of the
rockaway, I set to work to liberate the horse, who was choking very fast
with the check-rein. It is unpleasant to get your fishing-line in a
tangle when you are in a hurry for bites, but I never saw fishing-line
in such a tangle as that harness. However, I set to work with a
pen-knife, and cut him out in such a way as to make getting home by our
conveyance impossible. When he got up, he was the sleepiest-looking
horse I ever saw. "Mrs. Sparrowgrass," said I, "won't you stay here with
the children until I go to the nearest farm-house?" Mrs. Sparrowgrass
replied that she would. Then I took the horse with me to get him out of
the way of the children, and went in search of assistance. The first
thing the new horse did when he got about a quarter of a mile from the
scene of the accident was to tumble down a bank. Fortunately the bank
was not over four feet high, but as I went with him, my trousers were
rent in a grievous place. While I was getting the new horse on his feet
again, I saw a colored person approaching, who came to my assistance.
The first thing he did was to pull out a large jack-knife, and the next
thing he did was to open the new horse's mouth and run the blade two or
three times inside the new horse's gums. Then the new horse commenced
bleeding. "Dah, sah," said the man, shutting up his jack-knife, "ef 't
hadn't been for dat yer, your hos would a' bin a goner." "What was the
matter with him?" said I. "Oh, he's only jis got de blind-staggers, das
all. Say," said he, before I was half indignant enough at the man who
had sold me such an animal, "say, ain't your name Sparrowgrass?" I
replied that my name was Sparrowgrass. "Oh," said he, "I knows you, I
brung some fowls once down to you place. I heerd about you and your hos.
Dats de