Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 261, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 November 1918 — MADERECORD TIME [ARTICLE]

MADERECORD TIME

. *. How Two College Youths “Took In” Washington. ’ What Might Be Called a Personally Conducted Tour, With “Thoroughbreds” Doing the Conducting —Didn’t Even. See Potomac. Two-college youths who spent a few days some weeks ago in. Washington en route to their homes in this dty thought that as the weather was so delightful, and as they were both expert horsemen, they would enjoy a tour of the parks and the surrounding country, of which they had heard so much. They engaged what they supposed were two thoroughbred riding horses, and arrayed in swagger togs, they started out for their observation .tour. / They noticed that both steeds had a furtive look in their eyes that seemed to be at variance with what the liveryman had said about them, and the sight of the youths in their riding clothes seemed to arouse suspicion, for horsey No. 1 edged away as far as he could from the aspiring young collegian, who was going to make a record as a fine horseman, while horsey No. 2 looked so low in his mind that he held his head way down as far as the halter would let him and looked the picture of shame. The liveryman had declared that these two selfsame animals had officiated many times at the finest mounts in Washington, but the war spirit must have gotten into their veins, for the instant their riders swung into their saddles both steeds made a mad dash up Pennsylvania avenue, and so rapjd wak their gait that some people thought war had been declared or a second edition of Paul Reveres had arisen to warn the surrounding towns that the enemy was in sight. The more theifc riders tried to calm them down into anything like a respectable gait the more extra speed did those wretched animals develop. One of the riders, a little in advance of his companion, yelled: “I don’t know where this horse is going, but I’m with him, I tell you that,” at which sign of co-operation horsey commenced to go around in a circle and followed that up by a route that might be described as south by southeast. In the meantime the other man was having troubles of his own; his noble beast, apparently a great lover of nature, seemed bent on treading a flowery pathway by heading for all the hyacinth beds in the park. "Onaway, Awake, Beloved,” was their battlecry. Over bridges • and along dusty highways streaked these two modern John Gllpins, one of whoih had long since lost his cap and his hair, but their fighting blood was up and they hung on with more skill than grace. '

One found breath enough to yell: “There’s the Potomac river,” to which the other answered, ‘Td like to look at it, but Tm too busy.” After covering miles of broad highway and dashing through toll gateswithout even so much as “excuse me* these unrighteous animals commenced to show signs of settling down and their riders managed to haft them In front of a rural tavern. They dismounted, feeling as if they had been run over by a steam roller. Horsey No. 1 seemed proud of his work, but horsey No. 2 had evidently been to congress and kept his own counscl* What those two collegians said to the liveryman when they got back could not be repeated in these columns. All they know about the scenery around Washington they have gleaned from an illustrated booklet— Buffalo Courier.