The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-05-09
THE TRUMPETER's HORSE.
How L Came to BE Married.

L was nearly 40, and felt myself S,
securely anchored in my oId-bachelo
crOtchets, that on every occasion 1 Iswore
with all sincerity and by all the gods il
the heathen calendar, [ would neve
take single risk in the matrimonial
Ottery; butt counted without tn,
rumpeter's horse.
1t was toward the last of September
1864. / was on my way back from
Baden-Baden, and intended to spend
at most, day in Paris. 1 had invited
four or five of my friends, for the hunt
ing season, to my estate in PitOu. They
were to arrive early in October, and a
| least a week was necessary to max,
preparations, at La Roche-T large, , fol
their reception. A letter from my stew
ard, that awaited me in Paris, brought
me unwelcome news. Ny hounds were
all in good condition, but five of my
twelve hunters had either fallen sick o.
| some horse disorder, or had become
lame during my absence. I was there.
fore, compelled to supply their places
with others.
To this end [ made tour in the
Elysian Fields among the dealers, who
showed me any number of animals
some better, some wOrse-that they re-
commended as hunters, at a moderate
price-about 3, 900 francs, on the average.
l Ihadexperiencedl losses at Baden Baden,
and consequently was in no humor to
spend seven or eight hundred louis-d' or
without mature deliberatiOn.
1t was a Wednesday. Cheri, one of
the principal dealers, had his first sale
of the season. Without any further
knowledge of the animals he offered
that what derived from the catalogue
and from their appearance, I bought
eight for 5000 francs. Amoug them I
hoped to find four or five, at least, that
would do for relays, which would en-
able me to get through the season.
Among my purchases there was one
horse that [ bought almost solely on
account of his color, which was truly
beautiful. The catalogue attributed no
special qualifications to him for the
chase. He was entered simply as
:" Brutus, saddle-horse, well built,
thoroughly broken, age unknown. He
was beautiful dapple-gray, large, and
very handsomely formed. The next
day went home and the day follow
ing, early in the forenoon, a servant
came and informed me that the horses
had arrived. l Immediately went out
to see them, or, rather, to see Brutus
for this handsome fellow had been in
my head ever since I bought him, and /
was singularly impatient to find out
what kind of a comrade he was going to
make, and what he was capable of do
ing.
had brought him out of the stable
first. He certainly Lad all the signs of
hnir, e HI I,,F4 h
clean-limbed, had a very handsome
neck and head, a powerful shoulder, and
a well-turned quarter. But it was not
his fine points that so much excited my
admiration as the intelligent manner
with which he observed all my move
ments. He even seemed to be inter-
ested in what I said. He inclined his
head toward me, in order, apparently,
to hear better; and, when | had done
speaking, he uttered a low whinny,
seemingly IN response. [ looked at the
other horses hastily. They We're or
dinary animals, without anything to
distinguish them from thousands of
others. Not so with Brutus He GER
tainly differed widely from the vulgar
herd, and 1 was impatient to make a
little tour through my park in his COM
pany. He allowed himself to be sad
died, bridled, and mounted, like a horse
that knows his business; and we set out
in the best possible humor with each
other
Cheri's catalogue had only told the
truth. BrHtus was exceedingly well
broken for my purposes. He would
give me a slow trot or gallop at call
but would continually strike the ground
With his fore-feet in peculiar manner
and. when I tried to make him raise his
head, which he carried very low, he
would nearly tear my arm Off Finally,
he took to prancing in grand style, like
a shOw-horse IN an arena.
'FHumph p said I to myself 81
have here-Or / am greatly ia error-an
old stager from the riding-school of
Saumur or st. Cyr. He will have to be
gotten out of some of his fancy PAGES
before he will do for the chase.
| was about to return home, having
sufficiently satisfied my curiosity with
regard to Brutus's accomplishments,
when heard the report of a gun, dis
charged apparently within twenty yards
of me. It was one of my keepers shoot
ing hare, and who subsequently re-
celved handsome present for the shot
from my wife.
| was at the moment exactly in centre
of an open space formed by the junction
of six long, shaded alleys. When Bru-
tus heard the report of the gun, he
stopped short, planted his feet firmly
in the sand, pricl1ed up his ears, and
raised his head high in the air I was
surprised to see him so. disturbed by
the report of firearms. / would have
supposed that, after the liberal educa-
ton he had received in his youth, no
amount of firing would have excited his
curiosity. I touched his fianks with my
heels, in order. to urge him forward
but Brutus refused to bulge. I tried
to turn him to the right, to the left
not a foot would he move. He stood
like a statue and, nevertheless-you
need not laugh, for, be assured, what ]
| am telling you is strictly true-and,
nevertheless, at every effort / made to
! induce HIM to go on, he would turn his
| head and glance at me with an impress
! sion of lmpahence and surprise then
he would relapse into his statue-like
| immObility. There was clearly some
| misunderstanding between us, for I read
very distinctly in his glanees that he
would say : 81 the horse, but do nv
| duty, and you, the cavalier, do not do
yours"
/ was more puzzled than angered.
"What manner of beast is this that ]
have bought of Cheri p said I to my
self. And why does he look at me in
this queer way ?"
I was on the point of having recourse
to extreme measures-that is, to admin.