Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-07-10
PONTO'S EXPERIENCE.
A FABLE.

1t was very pleasant farmyard; there
was always something going on, and
the dog Ponto was never dull. There
were the horses going out or coming in
or resting in their stables, where Ponto
was sure to look in upon them, and
sometimes he contrived to take nap in
their manger.
Now and then the horses would COM
plain little, and envy Ponto the power
of roaming about at will; whilst they,
after being in harness all day, were fast
ened up in their stables.
"Ours is a more useful life than yours;
we work harder for our master, and yet
we are kept prisoners whilst you are at
liberty"
"Still, you are not badly off," said Pom
to-; "if you work for the master he gives
you comfortable home and good food.
so that you suffer neither from hunger
nor from the inclemeney of the weather" !"
"That may be-" returned the horses,
"but it is nothing in comparison with
liberty"
Ponto was thoughtful for awhile after
this conversation with the horses, and
he next visited the cows, who had just
come up to be MIXED.
"Do you find your lives hard?" asked
Ponto; "the horses are complaining ter
ribly."
"No," answered the cows. "We have
nothing to find fault with, except that
we are dependent on man for every
thing"
Again Ponto was thoughtful, but he
said to the cows-"YOu ought to be
thankful to the master for giving you
pleasant pastures and dry sheds,
"Ah!" said the cows, "but what is that
to liberty?"
Two ducklings close by were fighting
over worm, and Ponto, seating him
self on some straw, watched the combat
ants curiously.
"One of these will be master and the
other will complain of it," said Ponto
to himself.
And the ducklings fought on. Now
the one seemed likely to be victor, now
the other, until, just as Ponto thought
that the larger of the two was going to
carry off the prize, an old drake came
along, and giving each apeck for being
so quarrelsome, gobbled up the worm
himself.
Then came an outcry from the duck
lings. "It was so unjust, so tyrannical;
thus the strong were always lording it
over the weak"
Ponto was quite disheartened; nobody
seemed satisfied, because some one else
was always getting the mastery. Per
haps his young master might think diff
ferently.
But his young master at that moment
had just came home from school, and
was kicking off his boots and calling
the schoolmaster tyrant, and wishing
that he was man and had not to do
any ones bidding but his own.
Ponto stretched himself out upon the
wide doorstep and put his nose between
his paws and winked his eyes; not that
he was going to sleep, for he was not
sleepy, he was only meditating.
1t appeared to him as if the great OBJ
ject of every one was to get what he
called his own way, and that somebody
else seemed always to prevent his hav
ing it.
Ponto, being close to the house, heard
the cook say: "If had my own way,
the baking should not be done until to-
morrow, but the mistress will do as she
pleases."
And the mistress said, "If 1 had my
own way the hay should be cut to-mor
row; but the master will put it Off"
And the master said, 81 never knew
such times as these-everything stands
in ones way; it is quite impossible to be
ones own master when everything is
fighting against one."
Ponto pricked up his ears.
Not even the master could do exactly
as he liked. What world it was-ev-
cry one getting into every ones way!
Ponto became sad as he pondered over it.
"Well," said Jowler, the great mastiff
who was tied up the greater part of the
time, "what is the matterf"
Then Ponto narrated his experience,
expecting that Jowler would complain
more loudly than any one.
But Jowler only asked, sand what
have you learned from all that you have
heard?"