"Where I lived last there was an old horse that had outlived her usefulness. She had raised fifteen sons and daughters, worth none of them less than $800 when four years old, and had scarcely missed a day's work since she was two years old. But we will suppose that she had worked only three hundred days in the year and put it at the low valuation of fifty cents a day, ought she not to have had something laid by for old age? Well, at thirty-four she was worn out, and master said he couldn't afford to feed a horse that couldn't work, so the hired man led her out in the woods with the gun over his shoulder. He put her in position, stepped off and fired. The ball cut through her cheek and passed on. Frightened and hurt, she turned and tried to run away. He called her, and do you believe it? she was so used to obeying that she turned back and came toward him, stopping when he told her to, even though the gun was again pointed in her face. That time he shot her dead.
"I've seen so much of such work no wonder I am ugly!"
Before we went into the barn, Prince admitted that he liked Dr. Dick. "Had I had him for my master I might not have hated and distrusted men so. I am as gentle as a lamb with women and little girls."
In the years since, I have found that the vicious horse with bad habits is universally the one that was spoiled in its early training. I wish people were more patient and could understand that colts need only gentleness and firmness. From my earliest babyhood I was taught by loving hands to wear a halter and be led. I early learned to obey and not to fear. When once we horses learn a thing we almost cannot forget it; then, if we are only taught good things, we are all right.
It had not grown quite warm enough for Grim to go back to his bed on the porch, so he still slept in my manger, when we were startled one night by an unfamiliar step on the barn floor. Stealthily some one flashed a lantern into my stall and a strange hand rested on my back. The next moment Grim had flung himself out of that box and had his teeth fastened in the intruder's leg.
A volley of muttered curses burst from the man's lips as he wildly tried to kick and pound his adversary off. With one blow of my left foot I smashed his lantern all to pieces, and then began neighing as loud as I could, in which the other horses immediately joined.
All the while a terrible struggle was going on upon the floor.
It seemed an age before Master, closely followed by Bob, came; but I suppose it was only a few minutes.
In the dim light they could just make out two figures rolling about, but Bob's lantern hung right by the door and it was the work of a moment to light it, and of another for Dr. Dick's strong arms to pinion the horse-thief.