ew hoss, he mounts his folks on his tame hosses,
and makes a dash into the herd, and runs a wild feller down, lugs him
off to the stable-yard, and breaks him in, in no time. A smart little
hoss he is too, but he always has an _eye to natur'_ arterwards; _the
change is too sudden_, and he'll off, if he gets a chance.

"Now that's the case with these country congregations, we know where.
The women and old tame men folk are, inside; the young wild boys and
ontamed men folk are on the fences, outside a settin' on the top rail, a
speculatin' on times or marriages, or markets, or what not, or a walkin'
round and studyin' hoss flesh, or a talkin' of a swap to be completed of
a Monday, or a leadin' off of two hosses on the sly of the old deacon's,
takin' a lick of a half mile on a bye road, right slap a-head, and
swearin' the hosses had got loose, and they was just a fetchin' of them
back.

"'Whose side-saddle is this?'

"'Slim Sall Dowdie's.'

"'Shift it on to the deacon's beast, and put his on to her'n and tie the
two critters together by the tail. This is old Mother Pitcher's waggon;
her hoss kicks like a grasshopper. Lengthen the breechin', and when
aunty starts, he'll make all fly agin into shavin's, like a plane. Who
is that a comin' along full split there a horseback?'

"'It's old Booby's son, Tom. Well, it's the old man's shaft hoss; call
out whoh! and he'll stop short, and pitch Tom right over his head on the
broad of his back, whap.

"Tim Fish, and Ned Pike, come scale up here with us boys on the fence.'
The weight is too great; away goes the fence, and away goes the boys,
all flyin'; legs, arms, hats, poles, stakes, withes, and all, with an
awful crash and an awful shout; and away goes two or three hosses that
have broke their bridles, and off home like wink.

"Out comes Elder Sourcrout. 'Them as won't come in had better stay to
home,' sais he. And when he hears that them as are in had better stay in
when they be there, he takes the hint and goes back agin. 'Come, boys,
let's go to Black Stump Swamp and sarch for honey. We shall be back
in time to walk home with the galls from night meetin', by airly
candle-light. Let's go.'

"Well, when they want to recruit the stock of tame ones inside meetin',
they sarcumvent some o' these wild ones outside; make a dash on 'em,
catch 'em, dip 'em, and give 'em a name; for all sects don't always
baptise 'em as we do, when children, but let 'em grow up wild in the
herd til