Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-05-18
THE NEW BAY HORSE,
Translated from the German, for The Evenin,
star. by L NJ FL

Some years ago there lived i'm Berlin man
| weil-known and highly respected in his CON-
| munity, Major M. Every morning, at the
! stroke of nine, mounted on his bay mare Lisa
he rode away from his dwelling. on the Lin
den Strasse, to the Eommandnthr. Every
midday, at eleven, he gave the parole to the
| new guard, near the armery remountei his
faithful horse, and rode home the same way.
Old Lise and the MaiOr,-you could not
think think OF one without the other. For twelve or
nfteen years they had been seen daily to-
| gether. They were so harmonious in appear
| ance, agreed so well i'm figure and tempera-
ment, that it could almost be said of them as
| OF many married couples that as time rolled
on there grew an indefinite yet perceptible
likeness between them; Lise was little
shg the Rse the M
head. Both were brown (the Major wore
wig) understood and thickset, both had some
anee, and when Else switched Off the ss p With
her tail locked in the then fashion, the little
black plume high up on the Majors hat moved
TO and ir9 with exactly the same movement.
Lise understood her duties quite as well as
her master. Punctually at nine O'Clock she
| became restless and paved the floor of her
stall STA ,o When the boy opened the stable door
sion hurried herseff-crOssed the courtyard
and stood before the house door. When the
door opened she turned her eyes to the right,
and If the Major came out she shook her head
as tnOugh 10 say, good morning." and turned
| to him TO receive the customary lump of sugar
81, Inc Major would then pat his old friend on
| the neck and Smilingly contemplate her as she
slowly craunched the sugar.
Then the boy would hold the cheek rein
obsr one hand han the strTup strap with the
done Lise would bend little in order to facili-
tate the mounting. The Major would tumble
for the stirrup, make a sort of seesawng
| movement, once, twice, three times, and then
| spring clumSily into the saddle. The boy then
R pushed MS right foot into the stirrup while
stroked his moustache. Lise .tripped little
and put on the appearance of five year old
horse, but in reality she was well nigh on to
the twenties. At last they started. AS soon
| as the first step was taken, regularly as the
morning came, little spaniel:.wth fright
| ened, anxious look ran out of the front door,
parked few times and then rushed back.
Llse picked up her ears a little to return the
| greeting While the Major at the same m Dment
glanced to an upper window of the house.
,Adleu, flnchen:' he cried, bowling pleas
"Adieu, Conrad" replied his loving spouse
IRON l. above looking after her lord.
on WIN h MS ms legs stuck forward his plumed hat
and elbows spread asunder, the Major sat on
ms nttie horse and rode step by step along the
body moved slowly back and forward i'm time
to LiSe'S precise walk, the plume in his nat
nodded, the sword scabbared on the SNOWY
upon his breast followed every motion of horse
and master.
Lise stepped out very soemn,y one foot after
another without ever stumbling or looking
aside. Every youthful folly had long for,
saken her. She always stopped in exactly the
same place before the R0mmpndatur and
again bent a little to facilitate her masters de-
scent. She looked after, him when he had
slowly slipped down and then was patiently
led to the stable; There she took a little nap in
the stall while the Major went first to REPORT
and then to the Bureau, but she was Instantly
on the alert when she heard him coming down
the. steps of the Kon,mdndatur. While the
Major gave the parole to the Adjuncts of the
garrison and the music played She was led
along by the rampant giancing occasionally to
where her master stood, and as soon as he
neared her she forced the stupid orderly to a
small stone near the gutter, and stood in wait
ing. The Major patted the faithful animal on
the neck, and then she carried him step by
step back to the house. Thus was one day like
another, year in, year out. The Major and
LlSe grew to be perfect institution in the
neIghbOrhOud, they never seemed to change.
But some one else changed, viz: Pinchen,
the Majors spouse. AS years passed she
gradually looked after them of morning less
and less cOmplacently, and at last she began
to shake her head doubtfully, which is always
Dad sign. One day. after a famous parade,
her thoughts found words:
have something to say to you, dear Con-
rad she began. "Lise is growing much too
another horse"
The Major dropped his spoon in amazement
at this unlocked for remark. With dismay
come when Lise would end her earthly career,
but i, he could bear to dwell upon it and now
But, my dear Plnchen," said he, somewhat
hastily, 81 do not understand..... l must
part ,w with this Lise7... What makes you think
Wen, she had ten reasons at her fingers end.
all the people were talking about it. Lise was
much too old and ugly, something might hap
pen TO him while on her; she looked simply
ridiculous; the old creature had grey hair in
her name. and such tail, etc, etc. The Ma
l9r's mouth was fairly open with amazement
nnest looking horse in the world, and that his
wife shared in this OpiniOn-bui now? Well
he defended his old friend with every argu-
ment that suggested itself; but Pinchen, with
true feminine art, if she found herself defeat
ed. began anew that he must have new
horse, etc.
u; To BE- be bEisf-Eho viii have the last word
way and Lise was sold. A miller purchased
her and by swearing to the Major that he
would regard her as the apple of his eye to her
1t was dark day for the Major, darker ones
now he had to look out for another, but alas,
bOrs were astOnished to see the Major go by
on foot for the first time in fifteen years "The
Majors Lise is either sick or dead, for see how
gossip circulated. When it was warm he took snS
by un aac toned. walking and had to &C
as pOssible!' she cried in alarm. But
mat was not so easy as she thought
To be sure there were horses enough to be got
but those that pleased her were imnOderatey
dear, and the cheap ones not at all desirable
on account OF numerous short -cOmngS They
went to every householder i'm the city, out Of
one stable into another the Major had several
hair-breadth escapes trying strange horses:
they advertised in the papers-in vain; months
went by and they were not suited The next
winter passed rather miSerably The Major
could not forget his LiSe. None of the animals
he looked at pleased him half SO well as his
rejected friend.
Toward spring an old Jew came from the
CharlOttenburg horse market and presented
himself to the Major. He said he had read the
advertisement in the paper and thought he
had something to Suit-a Seven-year- old sound
horse, free from fault, well broken, and mill
tary in appearance. 1t had belonged to
an officer in Magdeburg, and would cost
only thirty-fve Friedrichd' ara mere trif1e,
as it was worth dt least fifty. The Major was
ready Immediately to 60 and view the animal
Ii stood In shed in Krausen StraSse A
Jockey took it out, led it up and down. and
mounted 1t before our old friend. The animal
pleased the Major remarkably well at first
glance. Not that 1t was exactly elegant but
1t reminded him of his old LiSe: it had almost
the same figure and color, only that of course
1t was much younger and more spirited. Lise
had had white streak on the forehead three
white fetlOckS and a white foot; while this
horse was without mark, excepting q faint
mixture of white on the left hind foot The
new bay, moreover, had an undulating name