The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-03-30
THE TRUMPHTER,S HORSE.

| was nearly forty years of age, and
felt myself so safely anchored in the
peaceable haven of bachelors life that
nothing could induce me to run the
risk of disturbing it by marriage. But
had reckoned without the trumpeter' S
horse.
1t was at the end of September, 1864,
that l arrived at Paris from Baden, in
tending only to remain four-and-twenty
hours. | had invited four or five friends
to join me in Potion for the hunting sea-
son, and as they were to arrive at the
beginning of October I had only al
lowed myself week at La Roche large
to prepare for their reception. Aletter
from home awaited my arrival at Paris,
bringing me the disastrous intelligence
that out of twelve horses five had
fallen i'll or lame during my stay at
Baden, so that was under the ne eS-
S ty OF remounting my cavalry before l
lett Paris
l made the round of all the horse deal
ers of the Champs Elysees, where / was
shown cole on OF screws, the aver
age price OF which was E120, but was
neither in a humor nor in cash to throw
away my money upon such useless
beasts. 1t was q Wednesday. the day
of Cheri's autumn sale; / went to che
Rue de Ponthieu and purchased at a
venture eight horses which cost me al
together f200. "Out of the eight"
said ] TO myself, "there will be surely
four or five viii CHI WI 60"
Among th'se horses there was one
which, l confess, | bought pr nclpally on
account of his coat. The catalogue did
not assign him to any special qualifca
tiOns as a hunter. All that it stated
was: "Brutus, saddle-horse, aged,
well-broken." twas large, dapple-
gray horse, but never had I seen one
better marked, its smooth, white skin
dappled over with fine black spots, so
regularly distributed.
The NEXT morning left for La Roche
large, and the following day my horses
arrived. My first care was for Brutus.
This gray horse had been running for
the last forty-eight hours in my head,
and was anxious to try his PAGES and
see what he was good for He had lone
teeth, and every mark of a respectable
age, apowerful shoulder, and he arried
his head well; but what most admired
IN bru'us was the way in which he
looked at me, fol owing every move
ment with his attentive, intelligent, in
quisitiye eye Even my words seemed
to interest him; he leaned his head on
one side as if to hear me, and when /
had finished speaking replied with a
merry neigh. The other seven horses
were brou hit out to me in succes sion,
but they resembled any other horses,
and Rrutus certainly was different from
them all WAS anxious to take little
ride in the country in order to make his
. acquaintance.
Brutus allowed himself to be sadded,
bridled and mounted as a horse who
knew his work, and we started quietly
together, the best friends possible. He
had beautiful mouth, and answered
to every turn of the -arching his
neck and champing his bit His PAGES
were erfect He began by a Slow,
measured canter, raising his feet very
high and letting them. fall with the
regularity OF pendulum. tried hin,
at q trot and short gallon, b it when ]
sought to quicken his pace he began tc
amble in grand style. All said
II see how it is; have bought an ole
hor t Of the cavalry riding-school al
Saumur,
/ was about to turn homeward, salts
ned with the talents of Brutus, when Q
shotwaS heard short distance OF. Ii
was one of my keepers firing at rab
bit, Tor which shot be it said, en- PEASANT,
he atterN ards received a handsome
present fro II my wife. | was then ex-
actly IN the center of an open space
where six long, green roads met On
hearing the shot Brutus stopped short
and put his ears forward in an attitude
of listening. ! was surprised to sec hin,
SO impressionable, After the brilliant
military education | assumed he had
received in his youth, he must be ac
customed to the report of gun. ]
pressed my knees against him to make
him move on, but Brutus would not
stir l tried to back him, to make hin
turn to the right or to the left, but in
vain | made him feel my whip. but
still he was immoyable. Brutus was
not to be displaced; and yet-do not
smile, for mine is true history each
time | urged him to move the horse
turned his head round and gazed upon
me with an eye expressive of impa-
thence and surpriseand then relapsed
INTO his motionless attitude. There was
evidently some misunderstanding he
tween me and my horse. [ saw it in
ms eyes. Brutus was saying as plainly
as ne could without speech: Il, horse,
DO what 1 ought 30 De; AID you, horse
man, do notperform your part,
was more pu ,zled than embal raised
what strange horse Cheri had sold
me! and why does he look upon me in
such awayp I was about to proceed
TO extremeties and administer to him a