f old cord
on the other. Either Goodish had growed since his clothes was made, or
his jacket and trowsers warn't on speakin' tarms, for they didn't meet
by three or four inches, and the shirt shewed atween them like a yaller
militia sash round him. His feet was covered with moccasins of ontanned
moose hide, and one heel was sot off with an old spur and looked sly
and wicked. He was a sneezer that, and when he flourished his great long
withe of a whip stick, that looked like a fishin' rod, over his head,
and yelled like all possessed, he was a caution, that's a fact.

"A knowin' lookin' little hoss, it was too, that he was mounted on. Its
tail was cut close off to the stump, which squared up his rump, and made
him look awful strong in the hind quarters. His mane was "hogged" which
fulled out the swell and crest of the neck, and his ears being
cropped, the critter had a game look about him. There was a proper good
onderstandin' between him and his rider: they looked as if they had
growed together, and made one critter--half hoss, half man with a touch
of the devil.

"Goodish was all up on eend by what he drank, and dashed in and out of
the crowd arter a fashion, that was quite cautionary, callin' out, 'Here
comes "the grave-digger." Don't be skeered, if any of you get killed,
here is the hoss that will dig his grave for nothin'. Who'll run a lick
of a quarter of a mile, for a pint of rum. Will you run?' said he, a
spunkin' up to the Elder, 'come, let's run, and whoever wins, shall go
the treat.'

"The Elder smiled as sweet as sugar candy, but backed out; he was too
old, he said, now to run.

"'Will you swap hosses, old broad cloth then?' said the other, 'because
if you will, here's at you.'

"Steve took a squint at pony, to see whether that cat would jump or no,
but the cropt ears, the stump of a tail, the rakish look of the horse,
didn't jist altogether convene to the taste or the sanctified habits of
the preacher. The word no, hung on his lips, like a wormy apple, jist
ready to drop the fust shake; but before it let go, the great strength,
the spryness, and the oncommon obedience of pony to the bit, seemed to
kinder balance the objections; while the sartan and ontimely eend that
hung over his own mare, during the comin' winter, death by starvation,
turned the scale.

"'Well,' said he, slowly, 'if we like each other's beasts, friend, and
can agree as to the boot, I don't know as I wouldn't trade; for I don't
care