"If he were working, he should have plenty of oats," said the farmer; "and all horses need a bran-mash once a week, at least."
"Will his tail ever grow again?" asked Robert.
"No," said Mr. Spencer," but I rub him with an ointment which the flies do not like. I use it for all my horses and cows."
"I wish I could buy all the worn-out horses in the world and send them here," said Robert.
Mr. Spencer laughed. "I should need a big pasture," he said. "See the sheep in the brook, Robert! They enjoy running water as much as the cows and horses do."
"Do sheep need much care?" asked Robert, who found farm life very interesting.
"They need to be protected from stray dogs and to have a shelter from the cold and storms. Otherwise they give very little trouble. They should always keep their warm wool coats until the cold spring winds are over. Some farmers are very thoughtless about this, and their sheep and lambs suffer and die from cold. It would make your heart ache to see, as I have often seen, the little dead lambs in the bleak pastures."
"I'll remember that, when I have my farm," said Robert, with ready sympathy. "I'll have my sheep keep their coats on, just as I wear my reefer, until it is warm."
THE AIR-GUN
On the way home from the sheep-pasture, Mr. Spencer saw a boy by the side of the road with an air-gun in his hands.