right. What he needs is rest. But why are you not
working at the livery stable? You haven't been discharged, have you?"
And the grocery man laid a little lump of concentrated lye, that looked
like maple sugar, on a cake of sugar that had been broken, knowing the
boy would nibble it.

"No, sir, I was not discharged, but when a livery man lends me a kicking
horse to take my girl out riding, that settles it. I asked the boss if
I couldn't have a quiet horse that would drive himself if I wound the
lines around the whip, and he let me have one he said would go all day
without driving. You know how it is, when a fellow takes a girl out
riding he don't want his mind occupied holding lines. Well, I got my
girl in, and we went out on the Whitefish Bay, road, and it was just
before dark, and we rode along under the trees, and I wound the lines
around the whip, and put one arm around my girl, and patted her under
the chin with my other hand, and her mouth looked so good, and and her
blue eyes looked up at me and twinkled as much as to dare me to kiss
her, and I was all of a tremble, and then my hand wandered around by her
ear and I drew her head up to me and gave her a smack. Say, that was
no kind of a horse to give to a young fellow to take a girl out riding.
Just as I smacked her I felt as though the buggy had been struck with
a pile driver, and when I looked at the horse he was running away and
kicking the buggy, and the lines were dragging on the ground. I was
scared, I tell you. I wanted to jump out but my girl threw her arms
around my neck and screamed, and said we would die together, and just as
we were going to die the buggy struck a fence and the horse broke loose
and went off, leaving us in the buggy, tumbled down by the dash board,
but we were not hurt. The old horse stopped and went to chewing grass,
and looked up at me as though he wanted to say 'philopene.' I tried
to catch him, but he wouldn't catch, and then we waited till dark and
walked home, and I told the livery man what I thought of such treatment,
and he said if I had attended to my driving, and not kissed the girl, I
would have been all right. He said I ought to have told him I wanted a
horse that wouldn't shy at kissing, but how did I know I was going to
get up courage to kiss her. A livery man ought to take it for granted
that when a young fellow goes out with a girl he is going to kiss her,
and give him a horse according. But I quit him at once. I won't w