The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-10-06
EDUCATED HORSES.

The young folks were enthusiastic
patrons Of that little theater in Boston
where, for more than a hundred after
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 a 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 a
white-footed one. What consequence
about white feet, you ask! Perhaps you
know that they make that of some ac-
count in the horse bazaars of the East.
The Turks say 1.-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 a
Chevalier, 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 say
age from the Rio Grande region; Bru-
tus, Caesar and Draco; a Broncho
beauty; Sprite; a stately stepping Alb
dallah; Jim, who was a character; and
Bucephalus, after that storied 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
cali.
They came around from the stable
an hour before the performance and
went up the stairs by which the audi
ence went; and crowd used to gather
every afternoon and evening to see that
remarkable and free feat.
When the curtain rose there was to
be seen small stage carpeted ankle
deep with saw dust, where Prof. Bar
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 thel 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 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: The
school will now form two classes; the
large scholars will 90 to the left, the
small ones to the right" and six mag
nificent creatures separated themselves
from a group huddled> together and
went as they were bid, while Nellie, the
mustang, and other little ones, filed of
to the 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 q
reprimand: "Pope, what are you do.
ing?" "Brutus, you need not look
around to see what | am about!'
''Sprite, you let Mustang aloner' ''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 fol
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 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: II see you are booked
for a 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
anything else. ..a
Mustang was called upon to ring the
bell, good-sized dinner-bel, for the
blackboard exercises by Sprite. He,
too. made believe he couldn't; seized II