Eben Holden: A Tale of the North CountryBacheller, Irving
General
Eben Holden: A Tale of the North Country
Bacheller, Irving
Farm life -- Fiction; Historical fiction; New York (State) -- Fiction
'Good deal like Lucy Purvis,' Uncle Eb added. 'She can say the hull
mul'plication table an' only breathe once. Ye can learn sumthin' from a
hoss like thet. He's good as a deestric' school--thet hoss is.'
Yes, sir, thet hoss is all right,' said Dean, as he drove away.
'Righter'n I expected,' Uncle Eb shouted, and then he covered his mouth,
shaking with suppressed laughter.
'Skunk!' he said, as we turned the animal and started to walk him home.
'Don't min' bein' beat, but I don't like t' hev a man rub it in on me.
I'll git even with him mebbe.'
And he did. It came about in this way. We turned our new purchase into
the pasture, and Uncle Eb and I drove away to Potsdam for a better
nag. We examined all the horses in that part of the country. At last we
chanced upon one that looked like the whistler, save that he had a white
stocking on one hind foot.
'Same age, too,' said Uncle Eb, as he looked into his mouth.
'Can pass anything on the road,' said his owner.
'Can he?' said Uncle Eb, who had no taste for slow going. 'Hitch him up
an' le's see what he can do.'
He carried us faster than we had ever ridden before at a trot, and
coming up behind another team the man pulled out, let the reins loose on
his back, and whistled. If anyone had hit him with a log chain the horse
could not have moved quicker. He took us by the other team like a flash,
on the dead run and three in the buggy.
'He'll do all right,' said Uncle Eb, and paid for the horse.
It was long after dark when we started home, leading him behind, and
near midnight when we arrived.
In the morning I found Uncle Eb in the stable showing him to the other
help. To my surprise the white stocking had disappeared.
'Didn't jes' like that white stockin',' he said, as I came in. 'Wondered
how he'd look without it.'
They all agreed this horse and the whistler were as much alike as two
peas in appearance. Breakfast over Uncle Eb asked the Irishman to hitch
him up.
'Come Bill,' said he, 'le's take a ride. Dean'll be comm' 'long bym bye
on his way t' town with that trotter o' his'n. 'Druther like to meet
him.'
I had only a faint idea of his purpose. He let the horse step along at
top speed going up the road and when we turned about he was breathing
heavily. We jogged him back down the road a mile or so, and when I
saw the blazed face of Dean's mare, in the distance, we pulled up and
shortly stopped him. Dean came along in a moment.
'Nice mornin'!' said he.
'Grand!' said Uncle Eb.
'Lookin' at the lan'scape ag'in?'
'Yes; I've jes' begun t' see what a putty country this is,' said Uncle
Eb.
'How's the boss?'
'Splendid! Gives ye time t' think an' see what yer passin'. Like t' set
'n think once in a while. We don't do enough thinkin' here in this part
o' the country.'
'Yd orter buy this mare an learn how t' ride fast,' said Dean.
'Thet one,' said Uncle Eb, squinting at the mare, 'why she can't go fast
'nough.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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