The morning call., 1893-01-21

calls in the neighbors, who help him pry
the animal on 10 Its feet with crow bars and
pieces Of ScantIing.
Once buckled into the shafts the equine
phantom manages 10 retain its feet until TN
hitched and turned into its stall for tie
night. Then it collapses.
Those in position to know claim that
the bapana-caTt horse has no reason to COM
plain of his job. He simply takes breath
ing part in the affairs of men, except when
place where his dwner does business.
The work required OF the shvering skate
is nothing and his board is next to it. This
is where the banana-eart horse has a Kick
coming, but he is too weak to take advan-
tage of the opportunity.
Some OF the miserable creatures are so
thin that an expert musician could play
xylopone solo on their ribs, provided the
Horse id not object.
One would expect them to suffer from the
cold these wintTy evenings, but there is not
enough flesh on their bones 10 accommodate
a SILVER. That is, not so you would notice it,
But they looked cold. and that is why the
agents of the Humane Society interfered.
They requested some OF the prOpretOrs
of the skinnest beasts TO cover their bones
with blankets or 60 to court and show cause
They obeyed orders and blanketed the ami
mails.
These friendly covers shut out from the
view Of the tendeI-hearted the spectacle III
famine in harness, and also prevented the
chill night wind from WhistlIng among the
gables of the horses.
The blanket also prevents the white ba-
nana-cart horse from making dates with
red-headed girls.
One young peddler at the corner OF Mar
Eet and Fourth seemed to think that any
thing in the shape OF covering would meet
the requirements of the law. lie bIan keted
his snoring steed with large SQUARE slab
IF lin ba If VIII oh
from his serrated spine like the caves of a
Chinese pag0da. The effect of side view
showing the gnarled and knotted legs Of the
antique plug was extremely unique.
The curb on Market street, from Third tn
Seventh, is generally lined with the outfits
Of the frut-peddler Occasionally one sees
a horse that is worth his feed, bnt the rest
Of them are playing hockey from the bone
yard.
Silent and motionless they stand with
closed eyes and bowed heads. Their tails
are worn away to short stubby brushes like
those OF the fancy locked mounts Of the fox
hunter.
Nothing disturbs the day dreams Of the
banana-cart horse, and one has to look
twice to discover signs of fife. His time
worn and bludgeOn-blurred Deit is so tightly
drawn over his frame that no surface indi-
cations of respiration can be detected. His
repase is statuesque.
Agents of the Humane Society have in
yestigated the case of the banana horse,
but do not find that he is cruelty treated.
His condition is due TO age. lack of proper
food and other incidents that marked his
downward career. For the banana brute
was once worthy Of the name of horse. By
gradual stages he descended from the draw
to the c0bbIe- strewn path that lieth between
the rails Of the streetear track. Then he
became hill-horse. and helped his more
youthful successors maui the car up steep
grades.
He next plays long and successful en-
gagement between the shafts of the junk
mans wagon. When too old and decrepit
to pull the wagon through the alleys he goes
to the pound, where he is knocked down TO
the highest bidder, or rather. falls down to
the first conner.
1t is the banana man who gets him. and be
winds up his eyentful career standing at the
curb and dreaming OF the past.
While it may not be cruel to drive such a
horse, yet it would be much easier for both
man and beast to mount the nag on rollers
and push him along the streets.
Massachusetts has a lady Prison Com
missioner.