Who'll run a lick of a quarter of a mile, for a pint of rum.

Will you run ?' said he, a spunkin' up to the Elder, 'come, let's run, and whoever wins, shall go the treat.' "The Elder smiled as sweet as sugar candy, but backed out; he was too old, he said, now to run.
"'Will you swap hosses, old broad cloth then ?' said the other, 'because if you will, here's at you.' "Steve took a squint at pony, to see whether that cat would jump or no, but the cropt ears, the stump of a tail, the rakish look of the horse, didn't jist altogether convene to the taste or the sanctified habits of the preacher.

The word no, hung on his lips, like a wormy apple, jist ready to drop the fust shake; but before it let go, the great strength, the spryness, and the oncommon obedience of pony to the bit, seemed to kinder balance the objections; while the sartan and ontimely eend that hung over his own mare, during the comin' winter, death by starvation, turned the scale.
"'Well,' said he, slowly, 'if we like each other's beasts, friend, and can agree as to the boot, I don't know as I wouldn't trade; for I don't care to raise colts, havin' plenty of hoss stock on hand, and perhaps you do.' "'How old is your hoss ?' said the Frenchman.
"'I didn't raise it,' sais Steve, 'Ned Wheelock, I believe, brought her to our parts.' "'How old do you take her to be ?' "'Poor critter, she'd tell you herself, if she could,' said he, 'for she knows best, but she can't speak; and I didn't see her, when she was foalded.' "'How old do you think ?' "'Age,' sais Steve, 'depens on use, not on years.

A hoss at five, if ill used, is old; a hoss at eight, if well used is young.' "'Sacry footry!' sais Goodish, 'why don't you speak out like a man?
Lie or no lie, how old is she ?' "'Well, I don't like to say,' sais Steve, 'I know she is eight for sartain, and it may be she's nine.

If I was to say eight, and it turned out nine, you might be thinkin' hard of me.