The Massachusetts Spy, And Worcester County Advertiser

Venezuelan Auction. A physician of Boston lately, in visiting a patient, left his horse and chaise as usual at the door. The horse, in the absence of the physician, moved deliberately onward and stopped at the door of a neighboring house. It happened that the master of this house, with his lady, were about commencing a journey, and were then expecting the arrival of a chaise, which they had hired for the occasion. Seeing one at the door, they had their baggage lashed on, and, without suspecting any mistake set off upon their tour. The doctor soon after missed his equipage, and after due search and diligent inquiry for a number of days, gave up all further effort as hopeless, not a little astonished at this mysterious disappearance of his property. In due time the travellers returned; and on sending the horse and chaise to the stable from which they presumed it came, the whole mystery was speedily solved.

It is said that this arrangement proved equally annoying to both parties. The doctor suffered much from being obliged to visit his patients on foot; and the travellers were not a little out of humor with the stable keeper for sending them, as they supposed, an animal, whose physical qualifications (however superior may have been those of his master) were not of the very first order.~Boston Courier.