The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-09-28
HORSES AT SCHOOL.


Moons and evenings, the professor"
as he was called, showed off his four
footed pupils. One afternoon he set
apart for free entertainment of as
many poor children as the house would
hold, who went under the charge of the
truant officers and had an overwhelm-
ing good time.
There were sixteen of the animals,
counting donkey, grays, bays, chest
nut-colored beauties, and one who
looked buff in the gas-light. In recall
ing them. | can not say that there was
white-footed one. What consequence
about white feet, you ask! Perhaps you
know that they make that of some &C
count in the horse bazaars of the East.
The Turks say ''two white fore feet are
lucky; one white fore and hind foot are
unlucky;'' and they had rhyme that
runs:
One white foot, buy horse,
Two white feet, try horse,
Three white feet, look well about him.
Four white feet, do without him.
They were all named. There was
Chevalier, a Prince and Pope; little
pet, Miss Nellie, who looked as if she
would be ready to drink tea out of your
saucer and kiss you after her fashion;
Mustang, an irrepressible and rude saw
age from the Rio Grande region; Bru-
tus, Caesar and Draco; Broncho
beauty; a Sprite; a stately stepping Alb
dallah; Jim, who was character; and
Bucephalus, after that stored steed
who would suffer no one to ride but his
master, the Great Alexander, but for
him to mount would kneel and wait.
1t is perhaps needless and an insult
to their intelligence for me to say that
they all know their own names as well
as you know yours. They know, too,
their numbers when they are acting as
soldiers formed in line, waiting orders;
the Professor passes along and checking
them off with his forefinger numbers
them, then falling back, calls out for
certain ones to form into platoons. and
they make no mistake. Their ears are
alert, their senses sharp, their memory
good. Number Two" "Number
Four and SO on, answer by advancing,
as soldier would respond to the roll
call.
They came around from. the stable
an hour before the performance and
went up the stairs by which the audi
ence went; and a crowd used to gather
every afternoon, and evening to see that
remarkable and free feat. sH
When the curtain rose there was to
be seen small stage carpeted ankle
tholomew purposed to have his horses
act. They came in one after another,
pretending, if that is not too strong a
word, that they were on the way to
school, and that was theN play ground;
and there they played together, with
such soft, graceful action, such caress-
ing ways, and trippings as dainty as in
''Pinafore,' until at the ringing of a
bell they came at once to order from
their mixed-up, may pastime, and
waited the arrival of their teacher, the
Professor, who entered with a school
master air and gave the order.
"Bucephalus, take my hat and bring
me chair!'' as you might tell James
or John to do the same, and with more
promptness than they would have
shown, Bucephalus came forward, took
the hat between his teeth, carried it
across the stage and placed it on a
desk, and brought chair.
The master, seating himself, began
the business of the day, saying: 1.-The
school will now form two classes; the
large scholars will go to the left, the
small ones to the right and six mag
nifcent creatures separated themselves
from group huddled together and
went as they were bid, while Nellie, the
mustang, and other little ones, filed off
to tho opposite side, and placed them
selves in a row, with their heads turned
away from the stage. And there they
remained, generally minding their bust
ness, though sometimes one would get
out Of position, look around, or give his
neighbor nudge which brought out
reprimand: "Pope, what are you do
ing?" "Brutus, you need not look
around to see what | am about
"Sprite, you let Mustang alone!'' "Mus-
tang, keep in your placer
He then called for some one to come
forward and be monitor, and Prince
volunteered, was sent to the desk for
some papers, tried to raise the lid, and
let it drop, pretending that he couldn't,
but after being sharply asked what he
was so careless for, did it, and then
brought a handkerchief and made q
great ado about wanting to have some
thing done with it, which proved to be
tying it around his leg. Meanwhile one
of the horses behaved badly, whereupon
the teacher said: Il see you are booked
for whipping" and the culprit came
out on the floor, Strengthened himself,
and received without wincing what
seemed to be severe whipping; but in
reality it was all done with soft cotton
snapper which made more sound than
else.
Mustang was called upon to ring the
bell, a goOd-sized dinner-bell, for the
blackboard exercises by Sprite. He,
too, made believe he couldn't; seized it |
the wrong way, dropped it, picked itup
wrong end first, was scolded at, then
took it by the handle, gave it a vigor-
Gus shake, and after letting it fall sew
eral times, set it on the table. Mean
while platform was brought in sup
porting tall post, at the top of which,
higher than horse could reach, was a
blackboard having chalked on it sum
which was not added up correctly
Sprite, being requested to wipe it out,
took the sponge from the table,
and planting her fore-feet on the plat
form, stretched her head up, and by
desperate passes succeeded in wi ping
out part of the figures, and started to
leave, but seeing that some remained,
went back and erased them.
One day she went through process
which showed conclusivelY that horses
can reason. She dropped the sponge
theIfrst thing. and it fell down behind
The platform out of her sight. She got
down, and looked about in the saw
dust for it, the audience curiously
to see what she would do next
She was evidently much perplexed.
She knew perfectly well that her duty
would not be fulfilled until she had
rubbed the figures out, and the sponge
was not to be found Mr.. Bartholomew
said nothing, gave her no look or hint
or sign to help her out of her predica-
ment, but sat in his chair and waited.
A Il \ \ :. -. - -