Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-10-19
How Father Cured his
ec Horse.

rf.5+f hOlSO.
Well, said Reuben the story
teller, father always wanted al
horse, because the folks I'M
Greene live scattered, and he
had SO far to go to attend fnner-I
ais and weddings, and visit
schools, You know; but he new
er felt as if he could afford to
buy one. But one day he was
coming afoot from Hildreth,
and a stranger asked him to
ride. Father said, -"That's a
handsome horse you are driving,
l should like to own such a.
horse as that myself" "What
Will you give for him?" said the
man. "Do you want to sell
him?" says father. 'FYes, l do,
and I'll sell him cheap, too,"
said he. "Oh, well" says my
flther otis no use of talking,
for j haven't the money to buy
him with" "Make me all of
fer said he. "Well," just to
put an end to talk, said my fa-
Their, "I'll give you seyenty-five
dollars for the horse" "You
may have him." said the man as
quick as flash, 'but you'll re-
pent of your bargain in week"
"Why, what ails the horse" says
my father. calls him." said
the man, "why he has got the
old Nick in him, that's what
ails him." says he. off he has
a will to SO, he'll go, but if he
takes a notion to stop, all crea-
ton can't start him. / have
stood and beat that horse until
the sweat ran off me in streams.
I've burned shavings under his
nose. | might have beat him
to death or burnt him alive be-
fore he would have budged an
inch" I'll take the horse, +"
says my father. "What's his
name!' George" says the
man. 81 shall call him George, +"
SAYS my father.
| Well, father brought him
home, and we boys were might
lily pleased, and we built a place
for him in the barn, and curried
him down and fed him well, and
father said:
"Talk to him, boys, and let
him know you feel friendly"
! So we coaxed and petted him,
and the next morning father har-
messed him and got into the wag-
on to 60 on. But George
wouldn't stir q step. Father got
out and patted him, and we boys
brought apples and clover tops.
and once in a while father would
say, Get up, George but he didn't
strike the horse a blow. By and
by he says, "this is agoing to take
time. Well, George; we'll see
which has the most patience ; you
or l." So he sat in the wagon.
He sat full two hours before the
horse was ready to start; but
when be did there was no more
trouble for that day. The next
morning twas the same thing O.
yer again, only George gavein a
little sooner.
All the while it seemed as if ia.
Their couldn't do enough for the
horse. He was found the stable
feeding and fussing over him in
bis usual quiet, gentle way, and
the third morning, when he had
fed and curried and harnessed him
with his own hands, somehow
there was different look in the
horses eyes. But when father
was ready to go, George put his
feet together and laid his ears
back, and wouldn't stir. Well,
Dove was playing about the yard,
and she brought her stool and
climbed up by the horses head.
Dove, tell what you said to George
this morning.
81 gave him an awful talking
to, said the little girl. 81 told
him it was perfectly ridiculous for
him to act SO that he bad come
to real good place to live, where
everybody helped everybody that
he was a minister's horse, and
ought to set good example, to all
the other horses, and God wouldn't
love him ifhe wasn't a good horse.
That's what | told him. Then /
kissed him on the nose"
"And what did George do p
"Why, he heard. every word |
said, and when | got through he
felt so 'shamed of himself, he
couldn't hold up his head /; SO he
just dropped it, TIL it most
touched the ground, and he looked
as sheepish as if he had been
stealing a hundred Sleeps"
"Yes, and when father told him
to 90 he uuns off liln n fash