tnat was his way o' doin' in his parish. And they was in a sort o' day-o'-jedgment frame o' mind, and jogged along solemn as a hearse, till, come to rise the hill above the holler, they see three or four fellers with their hosses gittin' ready to race; and the parson says he, 'Let's come on quiet, and get behind these bushes, and we'll see what they're up to, and catch 'em in the act.'

"But the mischief on't was, that Ike Sanders see 'em comin,' and he knowed Tam in a minit-Ike knowed Tam of old-and he jest tipped the wink to the rest. 'Wait, boys,' says he: 'let 'em git close up, and then I'll give the word, and the doctor's hoss will be racin' ahead like thunder.'

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Wal, so the doctor and his folks they drew up behind the bushes, and stood there innocent as could be, and saw 'em gittin' ready to start. Tam, he begun to snuffle and paw, but the doctor never mistrusted what he was up to till Ike sung out, Go it, boys!' and the hosses all started, when, sure as you live, boys! Tam give one fly, and was over the bushes, and in among 'em, goin' it like chain-lightnin' ahead of 'em all.

"Deacon Popkins and Ben Bradley jest stood and held their breath to see 'em all goin' it so like thunder; and the doctor, he was took so sudden it was all he could do to jest hold on anyway: so away he went, and trees and bushes and fences streaked by him like ribbins. His hat flew off behind him, and his wig arter, and got catched in a barberry-bush; but Lordy massy! he couldn't stop to think o' them. He jest leaned down, and caught Tam round the neck, and held on for dear life till they come to the stopping-place.

"Wal, Tam was ahead of them all, sure enough, and was snorting and snuffling as if he'd got the very old boy in him, and was up to racing some more on the spot.

"That 'ere Ike Sanders was the impudentest feller that ever you see, and he roared and rawhawed at the doctor. 'Good for you, parson!' says he. 'You beat us all holler,' says he. 'Takes a parson for that, don't it, boys?' he said. And then he and Ike and Tom, and the two Hokum boys, they jest roared, and danced round like wild critturs. Wal, now, only think on't, boys, what a situation that 'ere was for a minister-a man that had come out with the best of motives to put a stop to Sabbathbreakin'! There he was all rumpled up and dusty, and his wig hangin' in the bushes, and these 'ere ungodly fellers gettin' the

laugh on him, and all acause o' that 'ere hoss. There's times, boys, when ministers must be tempted to swear, if there ain't preventin' grace, and this was one o' them times to Parson Williams. They say he got red in the face, and looked as if he

should bust, but he didn't say nothin': he scorned to answer. The sons o' Zeruiah was too hard for him, and he let 'em hev their say. But when they'd got through, and Ben had brought him his hat and wig, and brushed and settled him ag'in, the par

son he says, 'Well, boys, ye've had your say and your laugh; . but I warn you now I won't have this thing goin' on here any more,' says he; so mind yourselves.'

Wal, the boys see that the doctor's blood was up, and they rode off pretty quiet; and I believe they never raced no more in that spot.

"But there ain't no tellin' the talk this 'ere thing made. Folks will talk, you know; and there wer'n't a house in all Billriky, nor in the south parish nor centre, where it wer'n't had over and discussed. There was the deacon, and Ben Bradley was there, to witness and show jest how the thing was, and that the doctor was jest in the way of his duty; but folks said it made a great scandal; that a minister hadn't no business to hev that kind o' hoss, and that he'd give the enemy occasion to speak reproachfully. It reely did seem as if Tam's sins was imputed to the doctor; and folks said he ought to sell Tam right away, and get a sober minister's hoss.

"But others said it was Cuff that had got Tam into bad ways; and they do say that Cuff had to catch it pretty lively when the doctor come to settle with him. Cuff thought his time had come, sure enough, and was so scairt that he turned blacker'n ever: he got enough to cure him o' hoss-racin' for one while. But Cuff got over it arter a while, and so did the doctor. Lordy massy! there ain't nothin' lasts forever! Wait long enough, and 'most every thing blows over. So it turned out about the doctor. There was a rumpus and a fuss, and folks talked and talked, and advised; everybody had their say: but the doctor kep' right straight on, and kep' his hoss all the same.

"The ministers, they took it up in the 'sociation; but, come to tell the story, it sot 'em all a-laughin', so they couldn't be very hard on the doctor.

"The doctor felt sort o' streaked at fust when they told the story on him; he didn't jest like it: but he got used to it, and finally, when he was twitted on't, he'd sort o' smile, and say, 'Anyway, Tam beat 'em: that's one comfort.'"

WRECKED IN PORT.

BY R. J. BURDETTE.

As you go to Boston and Hartford by way of the Boston and Albany Railroad, if you take the morning express there are two parlor cars thereunto attached, with all the appurtenances thereunto appertaining, including a porter with a wisp broom in one hand and a place for a quarter in the other. Now these two parcase with twins, in

lor cars are twins, differing only, as in the their manners. The last time I went out that way, one of these cars was "Governor Hawley," and the other was ""Tother Gov'nor," I don't remember who.

All went well until we reached Springfield. There the usual halt of five or ten minutes was made, the parlor car for Albany was switched off to its proper train, and we went thundering on to Hartford.

Before we were well out of the depot an old gentleman confronted me. Round faced, well dressed, quick spoken, a little crusty, and a general air of authority about him.

"Young man," he said, sharply, "out of that!"

"Out of which ?" I said, in innocent surprise.

"Out of that chair!" snapped the old party. "Come, be lively; I want to sit down.".

I was puzzled and annoyed, and stammered something about this being a parlor car and—

"Yes, yes," he said impatiently, "I know all about that; this is a parlor car, and you've got my seat. Get up and get out of it now without any more words. Get a seat of your own somewhere, and don't go around appropriating other people's chairs when they've gone for lunch. Get out, young fellow!"

I am naturally a very meek man, but I did make one more desperate effort to retain my seat: I said I had occupied that

seat-"

man.

"Ever since I got out of it at Springfield," snarled the old "I rode in that seat all the way from Boston, and the minute I left it you jumped into it. And now you jump out of it, and no more words about it, or I'll make the car full of trouble

for you."

It began to dawn upon me then just how matters stood. In fact I knew, but I was nettled. Everybody in the car was laughing at me, and I do hate to be laughed at. I determined to wait for my sure revenge. I said: "You'll be sorry if you take this chair." He snorted fiercely, and I abdicated, without another word, in favor of the testy old jumper of claims who thus summarily evicted me. I arose, gathered up my hat, overcoat, laptablet, newspapers, book, big valise, little valise and arctics, and thus burdened walked meekly to the rear of the car and sat down on the meanest, poorest, most uncomfortable seat in the train-the upholstered bench under the big mirror. The wood

box in the smoking-car is an easy-chair in comparison with that bench. By and by the old chair grabber called out:

"Young man, where is that little red hand bag I left here ?" I meekly said, "I hadn't never tetched it," and he roared out that it was there when I took his chair. But just then the conductor came along and glanced at his ticket, while the old party explained how I had made way with his little red hand bag. "That young man back there," he explained, "was in my chair when I returned, and my overshoes and a little red leather hand bag is "

The conductor, a brisk, taciturn man, full of his own business, here handed back the old party's ticket.