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 to raise colts, havin' plenty of hoss stock on hand, and perhaps
you do.'

"'How old is your hoss?' said the Frenchman.

"'I didn't raise it,' sais Steve, 'Ned Wheelock, I believe, brought her
to our parts.'

"'How old do you take her to be?'

"'Poor critter, she'd tell you herself, if she could,' said he, 'for
she knows best, but she can't speak; and I didn't see her, when she was
foalded.'

"'How old do you think?'

"'Age,' sais Steve, 'depens on use, not on years. A hoss at five, if ill
used, is old; a hoss at eight, if well used is young.'

"'Sacry footry!' sais Goodish, 'why don't you speak out like a man? Lie
or no lie, how old is she?'

"'Well, I don't like to say,' sais Steve, 'I know she is eight for
sartain, and it may be she's nine. If I was to say eight, and it turned
out nine, you might be thinkin' hard of me. I didn't raise it