The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1880-11-11
Old hannibal.

Old HANNIBAL.
"No, MOTHER" said Col. Dunway to
his wife, at the breakfast table, "I shall
ride the black colt on parade to-day.
Hannibal is too fat and too old"
"Too old? He and Barry are Just of
an age"
And Barry's only q little colt yet?
Well, you may bring him and Prue out
to the grand review in the afternoon, but
[ guess I'll ride the black this morning
You can put Hannibal in the carryall.
Perhaps he'd like to take q look again at
regiment of troops in ine"
Barry and Prue listened with oil their
ears. They knew there was to be grand
parade Of soldiers that day, and they
were prouder than they knew how to
tell of the fact that their father was to
wear uniform, and ride horse, and
give orders to some Of the men.
"Prue," said Barry, "fathers going
to 'speck them"
"h-speck them," whispered Prue,
correcting him. "Nobody else knows
how"
That might be, for Col Dunway had
been an officer of the regular army, and
he was now Colonel of regiment of
militia; but there was one thing he had
said that puzzled Barry and Prue dread
fully.
BARRY" said Prue, after breakfast,
els Nibble old?"
"Father says he is"
"And he said he was fat
cdr. Barnes is old, and he's fat"
"But his heads bare
"Nibble isn't bald, and he isn't gray.
either"
"He's brown"
Mrs. Dunway had told the exact truth
about Hannibal, or Nibble, as the chill
dren called him. he and Barry were
just of an age, and he had been a mere
2-years-old colt when Prle was q baby
i'll her cradle. Tt was after that that
Col. Dunway had taken Hannibal with
him to the army and brought HIM home
again. He had been war-horse, the
Colonel said, and 80 it would not do to
turn him into plow-horse, and the con-
sequence was that Nibble Gid not have
enough work to do, and he grew fat too
fast. Yet he and Barry were only 8
years old apiece. That made eighteen
years between them and, if you added
seven years for Prue, it would only have
made twenty-five, and everybody knows
that is not very old, if you had given
them all to Hannibal. Barry and Pruc
would have given him almost ANYTHING
they had, for he was O great friend and
crony of theirs.
"Prle," said Barry, "let's go out to
the barn. I've got an apple"
He can have my bun."
What there was left of it. that meant.
for Prue's little white teeth had been at
work on the bun. That had been n
troubled morning for Hannibal. Before
he had finished his breakfast q party of
men rode by the house, and one of them
was playing on gle. He had set
HannlbaIs mind at work upon army
matters and war; so when Barry and
Prue came to see him he would not
even nioble. He smelled of the apple,
and he looked at the bun, but that Was
all.
"He's getting DID," said Barry.
And fat" added Prl,e.
"TeH you what, Prue, let's take him
out into the lot. I know mother'd let
u.s."
That was likely, for Mrs. Dunwav ol-
ways kept safer about them if Nibble
were keeping them company.
"In get on his back"
And I'll lead him. Wait till T fax
the halter"
Prue climbed up on the side of the
stall where Nibble was, and he stood
perfectly still while she clambered over
to her place on his back. Barry knew
exactly what to do, and the old war
horse began to think he did himself. He
must have been thinking, for he half
closed one eye as he was walking out,
and opened the other very wide, with q
wonderfully knowing look. He was
looking down the lane, and he saw that
the front gate was open, and just at that
moment there came up the road, veHy
faint and sweet, the music of the cavalry
bugle.
"Nibble Nibble !! " exclaimed Barry,
"where are you going?"
Hannibal did not answer q word, but
walked on down the lane very fast in
deed, and Barry lost held of the halter.
AS for Prue, she was not scared parti-
Gle, for she had ridden in that way MANY
q time, and her confidence in herself and
old Nibble was unbounded.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck--get-ap."
"Stop, Prue, stop He's going
faster"
"Get-apl Come, Barry. Oh, there's
mother ut tho window |"
Mrs. Dunway was not frightened any