New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-25
"GETTING CAST"
SOME EXPERIENCE WITH A HORSE.

purchased was a very good one he had but one
foult We have always been told that when one
has cot hold Of horse that has but one fault, one
might better hold on to him. SO we think we
shall hold on to our animal. The man who sold
the creature to informed us with perfect frank
noe that he had one trick, il you was mind
f. ell it trick He was as kind as lamb,
k.a.lcr if anything; as sound as dollar and
GOOD roadcr: would plough and do all kinds Of
farm work.
Here the man paused. while he gnawed of some
tobacco from a piece he took from his pocket,
and we waited breathlessly.
Il hope he doesn't kick said Gertrude, anx-
iously.
"Oh, law, no; you couldn't make him kick
70 save your life. was the answer The fact is,
once and awhile he gets cast in the stall. That's
all"
How often is once in awhle?"
"Oh, p'raps two or three thmes year.
mo oftener?'
Bout that 'Tant really nothin' aginst him.
Most anybody wouldn't have mentioned it; but
when trade with women I calkilate to he fair
and square every time. That's my motto, fair N
square with women"
After this there a silence, while all
looked very wise. At last my friend inquired
what we should do if we took the horse, and
he should get cast, for there was no man on the
place. and she had always supposed that cast
horses needed men.
Don't need no man natom,' was the re-
ply. All you've got ter do is Jest hitch him
ruther high. n then if he does git into trouble.
60 out there n unhitch him, n cluck TO him,
n he'll most likely git up himself
:" But if he doesn't?'
Don't you worry; he will
VI HI no bu,-o
a man who had more satisfactory motto, SO we
paid him his price and had the horse turned into
the lane 10 eat grass until night, when we would
decoy him into the barn with grain. He was de-
coycd with great ease. and tied with three or
four horse knots He was 50 gentle that
congratulated ourselves. just before retired
for the night went out 10 see if the knots
had given any. No, they were all as they should
be, and the animal turned and looked at u.s. as if
10 assure us that he had the same motto as his
late master
When we said goodnight 10 each other. we
vcnturcd Ia hope that this night would not prove
one II the two or three times when Donald-we
had already named our purchase-would get cast
II was a little after g? o'clock when | was
startled by hearing a voice say:
o. wish you'd wake. There's dreadful noise
in the barn.
! sat mp in bed. AZ first ] did not remember
that had a horse, but when my friend went on
10 say that She afraid Donald was cast,
recalled everything
We lighted a lantern and hurried ont hearing
as we went sounds rs Of a bombardment. ac-
companied by tho crashing Of timbers But
before could unlock the door, all was still, and
Gertrude said she supposed he was dead
Yes. he is dead she asserted when we
i elpl no lig,,,
the stall. That light revealed the form Of the
horse on his side his hind legs stretched ont into
the floor a few pieces Of freshly torn boards
Wing his hips, bedding flung out in pro-
! fusion.
d" suppose the first thing will be 70 skin him"
! said; and added that was glad he had died
before Ind become attached 10 him.
! Let me remark here that neither Of us had ever
seen horse cast. and that had very little idea
rs to what the word really meant Perhaps this
remark is unnecessary, however.
Gertrude said she wished we had not set up a
! horse until We had set up boy and ! S1id did
not see what good boy could do; to which she
responded that he might, at least. climb in among
| those les and unite the knots in the halter
rope. SO that, If Donald we're not dead and wanted
! 10 get mp, he would he able 10 do So. As for
her It did not seem though she could pick her
|
walk over red-hot poughshares.
! ! had no idea that the horse 50 large. We
| had learned that he weighed $50 pounds, hut
now | think any one. even Jockey would
! have set him nj about 1000 pounds. So immense
seemed the bulk, which filed the space com
plctcly The partition between this stall and the
/ next was partly down, have Sad and the
horse seemed to be running over, as it were, and
thrcatcuin. 10 fill that stall also. You who have
! seen an equine animal cast will know what mean
II was very gloomy IN the barn the rays Of
| the lantern only appeared To intensity the gloom.
! Unfortunately our ncighbor who lived down the
! hill was a feeble man who ought not 10 be- routed
| ont in the nj Sht and our ncighbor who lived up
tie hill had been drawI n juror. and had gone 10
! Dcdham to court. Whatever was done must
! do ourselves. While We were discussing the
feasibility Of this and that. Donald suddenly in
formed rs that he was not dead by lifting his
head and looking back al us. Then. without any
more preliminary movement. Nil his legs. APP
parcntly 20 the number of eight or ten, began 10
thrash about and throw bedding AT MS, while
another board Of the partition came ont and fell
on him. whcreat he suddenly lay perfectly still
| again.
We believed now that lie was not cast, hut that
no was having fits. and We began to make an
estimate 10 how many fits II would require TO
dcmollsh the entire barn.
repeated that was 5, thankful that had not
| become attached 10 him. Gertrude suggested
| sharply that il would hc much more Ia the point
to wish we had not paid the money for him.
The more we looked at him, the more II seemed
the very height " cruelty that he should he
| hitchcl AT such a time. | said 10 my friend that
| thought she might easily step in quickly. now
! he was quiet and uniasten the knots before the
nest p,roNysm began She replied that she
THOUGHT | could Just run right up 10 his head
and sIip of that halter. After these remarks we
did not speak for what seemed a good while ana
the large fcstoons of cobwchs hanging from the
! r,ft.rs looked very dismal in the antcrn-isht
All at once Gertrude began to pin up about
her waist the skirt of her wrapper. She gave as
a reason for this action that in the adventure he