"She hasn't been out lately," said the other. "You know how she acts when she hasn't been ridden enough. He might not know just how to take her. I was thinking of giving him 'Dr. Bell.'"
"Dr. Bell's too gentle," said the Efficient Sister.
"Which horse do you think you'd like?" the other asked me. "Dr. Bell has plenty of life, but he's gentle. The black mare's a little bit flighty at first, but if you can ride her she soon finds it out and settles down."
I want to ask: "What happens if she finds out that you can't ride her? What does she do then?" But I refrained.
"She's never thrown anybody but a stable boy and a man who came up here to visit—and neither one of them could ride worth a cent," said the Efficient Sister.
Meanwhile I had been thinking hard.
"What color is Dr. Bell?" I asked.
"He's a sorrel."
"Then," I said, "I believe I'd rather ride Dr. Bell. I don't like black horses. It is simply one of those peculiar aversions one gets."
They seemed to accept this statement, and so the matter was agreeably settled.