You ought to know me by this time.'"
"That's so!" said Mrs. Bigsby; "I'm wonderin' ye dared to ax him."
Dan'l passed his hand over his mouth, and continued: "'I dunno but
you're right, Lummox,' sez I; 'per'aps it's jest as well as thar
wasn't TWO in the Bank in that bizness.' But the more I looked at
the hoss the more I hankered arter him. 'Look here,' sez I, 'I
tell ye what I'll do! I'll LEND you my hoss and you'll LEND me
yourn. I'll draw up a paper to that effect, and provide that in
case o' accidents, ef I don't return you your hoss, I'll agree to
pay you a hundred and fifty dollars. You'll give me the same kind
o' paper about my hoss--with the proviso that you pay me two
hundred for him!' 'Excuse me, Mr. Borem,' sez he, 'but that
difference of fifty makes a hoss trade accordin' to my mind. It's
agin' my principles to make such an agreement.'"
"An' he was right, Dan'l," said Mrs. Bigsby approvingly.
But Dan'l wiped his mouth again, leaving, however, a singular smile
on it. "Well, ez I wanted that hoss, I jest thought and thought!
I knew I could get two hundred and fifty for him easy, and that
Lummox didn't know anythin' of his valoo, and I finally agreed to
make the swap even. 'What do you call him?' sez I. 'Pegasus,' sez
he,--'the poet's hoss, on account o' his golden mane,' sez he.
That made me laff, for I never knew a poet ez could afford to hev a
hoss,--much less one like that! But I said: 'I'll borry Pegasus o'
you on those terms.
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