on the place."

Sez he, "What I mean is, bettin' on a horse. Do you want to bet
on which horse will go the fastest, the black one or the bay one?"

"No," sez I, "I don't want to bet."

But he kep' on a urgin' me, and thinkin' I had disappinted him in
sellin' a pool, or rather pond, I thought it wouldn't hurt me to
kinder gin in to him in this, so I sez mildly, "Bettin' is sunthin'
I don't believe in, but seein' I have disappinted you in sellin'
your water power, I don't know as it would be wicked to humor you
in this and say it to please you. You say the bay horse is the
best, so I'll say for jest this once - There! I'll bet the bay
one will go the best."

"Where is your money?" sez he. "It is five dollars for a bet.
You pay five dollars and you have a chance to get back mebby 100."

I riz right up in feerful dignity, and the buggy and I sez that
one feerful word to him, "Gamblin'!" He sort a quailed. But sez
he, "you had better take a five-dollar chance on the bay horse."

"No," sez I, with a freezin' coldness, that must have made his
ears fairly tingle it wuz so cold, "no I shall not gamble, neither
on foot nor on horseback."

Then I sot down and I sez in the same lofty tones to Josiah
Allen, "Drive on, Josiah, instantly and to once."