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Show "Odd Tom." Old Tom Weit had a habit of doing queer and unexpected things, and thus came to be known throughout tho region in which ho lived as "Odd Tom." Sometimes Some-times his oddity apjieured in some peculiarity pecu-liarity of dress, as when he wore his coat wrong sido out, Ivcanse, as he said, he had "got tired of tho looks of the right side." One day Tom went to his next neighbor, Zebah Green, to hire his horje for the day. "What d'ye want Tin for?" was Zebah's inquiry. "Oh, jest to gi down to tho village to do some markctm'," was the answer. "P'raps I might go on afterward as fur as Job Stone's, 'n' look at his oxen." "Wnl, i don't want ye to have 'im," replied Zebah, referring to the horse. ', "but ye may, jest ter 'commodate ye, il ye won't go no f u't hor'n jest to the village vil-lage yo know that's 'most ten mile." "Why, of course not," said Tom, "not onless you're willin'." "Val, then, take 'im, but don't y drive lr.m no fa'ther'n the village, or Til never let ye have him agin'." So Tom harnessed the old hors? and started for market. As ho passed Zt?-bah's Zt?-bah's bouse on his way he heard, faintly wafted from his neighbor, who stood in the barn door, "lie sure ye don't go no fu'ther n jest to the village!" Toward night Tom was seen, laden with handles, coming slowly up the road from tho village on foot. Out vuslied Zebah, open mouthed. "What ye done wirh old Bill?" he cried. "Wal." answered Tom, with the utmost ut-most coolness, "ye seemed so all-fired ftcairt for fear I'd drive him further'n jeht to the village- that I didn't dare drive him home agin, 'n' so I left him there, tinder the store shed." Youth's Con pac ion. |