The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1878-05-24
M j 8 g ella n Q O u q.
A Fiery Steed.

For once May gave promise of being q
May worthy of the many beautiful songs
| which have been sung in her praise. She
came dancing along after her sister April
who had Just left in a shower of tears
| with bright smile upon her lips, and a
| wondrous rainbow halo about her head.
The young naples began to blush in
happy consciousness Of her approach, and
the delicate pink and white blossoms on
the orchard trees opened their dainty
leaves and slyly flung welcoming fra
GRANGE on the soft clear air.
All through the fields and meadows, the
Wales and woodlands, and over the hills,
ran the violets and trailing arbutus and
May buds and daisies and their sister flow
ers, telling the glad tidings of sunny days
and moon lit nights and lovely butterflies
and sparkling rain-drops and busy hum
ming bees; and the birds, swinging on
slender green boughs, sang in sweet twit-
tering notes to each other,
"Neighbor, soon we shall see the roses"
Along pleasant, winding, lonely coun-
try road, where splendid great apple and
pear trees standing on either side, and the
spring flowers dotting the green carpet SO
| thickly that The green is almost hidden,
comes slowly, on this poets May-day, a
diminutive, old, odd-looking white horse,
drawing small market wagon filled with
household furniture, accompanied by an
enormous shaggy Newfoundland dog and
as pretty country maid as ever MIXED a
cow or made pat of golden butter.
The broad. brimmed straw hat she wears
shades low brow to which clings babyish
rings of hair the color of the glossy, satin
smooth buttercups, pair of innocently ro-
guish eyes, cheeks brown with an under
lying tinge of rose, charming red-lipped
mouth, and firm, round chin.
Across the brow, however, at this mo-
ment fits the shadow of a trown, and a
look of comic pcrpleXity comes into the
sweet young face. The odd-looking horse
has stopped in the middle of the road, and
remains perfectly motionless, staring di.
rectly before him, save when he bends his
head to take nibbe at the ilower.thicls
grass, us though suddenly oblivious of ev-
cry thing under the sun except the tran
guilty of the June-like May afternoon.
"Oh, Charley! Charley! 90 on--do! that's
q dear !" coaXes the young girl, coming to
his side and gently patting his head with
her little brown ngloved hand; but Char
| lev merely whisks too familiar fly away
with his forlorn old tail, and makes no
further sign.
"Charley, good horse, Charley--oh! why
didn't | bring some carrots with me 2 =
Charley, you bad, bad fellow, if you don't
go on, pll whip you as sure as you stand
there Come, be a darling" And thus
she alternately begs and threatens, Lion as
| sisting in dog language, with an occasional
| dash at the heels of his obstinate equine
| friend but Charley refuses to abe dar-
| ling" plants his feet more firmly than ever,
and never stirs; and at last, with an air OF
resignation, she goes back to the path,
seats herself on II rude seat formed by ma
| ture, and waits patiently for at least ten
minutes At the end OF this time, Charley
| looks about with a just-wakcd up express
sion in his eyes, as who should say, Dear
dear quite forgot that there was work
to be DONE" and starts off with quick steps
that gradually become slower, and slower
With sigh of relief the young girl arts.
es and follows-Lion, bounding back from
the wood where he has been making hasty
explorations, having it in his mind that his
mistress is not to be left without his pro-
lection for more than two minutes at II time
takes his place at her side-and the per
picked look fades away into smile that
brings to light two rows of pearl white
teeth.
But, alas the smile is premature. In
another ten minutes, again overcome by
the beauty and peacefuness of the day
Charley falls into reverie, stops once more
and once more refuses most decidedly to
ego on"
And in this manner does that dreadful
horse behave for whole hour, making
short progresses and long pauses, until fl.
nally coming to the conclusion that there
had been quite enough of this sort of thing
he deliberately drags the wagon to tile side
Of the road, takes up his station beneath a
wide. spreading oak, and proceeds to
munich the young grass at his feet, with a
look in his eyes that says as plainly as
words, From this spot move me if you
can"
"Oh, Charley Charley how can you ~
begins the young girl, loudly and indig-
nantly, following him with small brown
hands clasped beseechingly. "Oh, you
wicked, wicked CharleyW
"Did you call me ?" asks II masculine
voice, to her great establishment and as
with slight start she turns in the direc-
ton of the voice sue sees II young man
walking rapidly toward her, the sound OF
his approaching footsteps having been COM
pletey lost in the ENDURING bow-wows OF
her canine guardian. "Did you call me y
he repeats.