“You girls would have laughed to see the roan filly’s face the first time we met on the road.
“‘Horse alive!’ she cried, without so much as a greeting, ‘you don’t mean to say you have hopes? Why, Mr. Solitaire and that horrid Mr. Lewis arrive to-day, and the thing’s probably as good as decided.’
“‘My Major is very resolute,’ said I.
“‘So is a mule,’ snapped Miss Gaiety, ‘but we don’t think the more of him for that.’”
The polo pony gave a horse laugh as he said, “That was one on you.”
“It was,” acknowledged Reveille; “and I regret to say it made me lose my temper to such an extent that I retorted, ‘I can’t say much for the taste of your woman!’
“‘No,’ assented the filly; ‘if what you and Mr. Solitaire say is true, she’s taking the worse of the two. But then, a human can’t help it. If you covered a horse all over with clothes, do you think any one would know much about him? Moreover, two-thirds of what men do or say is said or done only to fool a woman. How can a girl help making mistakes, when she’s got nothing to go by but talk? Why, look at it. Your Major seems balky most of the time, won’t talk half of it, and when he does, says the things he shouldn’t; while Mr. Lewis is always affable, talks well, and pays indirect compliments better than any man I ever met.’
“‘If she could only be told!’ I groaned.
“‘She would be, if I could talk,’ sighed the mare. ‘I’d let her know how he treats his horses!’
“‘Miss Gaiety,’ I ejaculated, ‘I’ve got an idea.’