In vain Obadiah amplified his efforts. “This fool horse is balky,” he grumbled to Aunt Kate.
“Archimedes balky, fiddle-de-dee,” she answered. “Maybe he’s tied.” Past experience caused her to examine the vicinity to be assured that through inadvertence they were not made fast to anything by chains or cables. Suddenly, she became aware of Obadiah’s firm rein. “No wonder!” she cried, “You are holding him too tight. You don’t know how to drive. Give me the lines.” Leaning forward over the back of the front seat Aunt Kate seized the reins and gave three or four swinging pulls as a conductor signaling to the engineman ahead. Simultaneously she made clicking sounds with her lips reminiscent of swine enjoying a milky repast.
Archimedes responded readily to this treatment and moved slowly forward.
“There,” Aunt Kate said with great satisfaction as she returned the reins to Obadiah. “That’s the way to drive a horse.” As they turned out of the driveway into the road, she warned him, “Do be careful of the automobiles.”
“Why should I be careful of them? Can’t they take care of themselves up here?” he demanded, meanwhile tugging at the reins, and then, “Who broke this fool horse?”
Aunt Kate leaned forward. “Where?” she asked with great anxiety only to quickly drop back into her seat with a suppressed, “Oh!”
Regardless of the efforts of the mill owner, the steed drifted gradually towards the gutter.
“This horse isn’t bridlewise,” Obadiah declared in disgust. “I might as well be trying to drive a cow.”
“He has more sense than lots of people I know,” Aunt Kate answered with a meaning look at her brother. “He wants to get out of the way of automobiles.”
For a few minutes Archimedes was permitted to follow the way of the gutter in peace, then, “This is ridiculous,” protested Obadiah. “I feel like a perfect idiot driving this way. I’ll be hanged if I’ll do it.” He yanked and shouted at the horse until, fighting every inch of the way, the animal drifted towards the crown of the road.