The Van Buren press., 1894-11-03

10 play some time, and he was right
there. He wondered hts father had
given him the colt, he felt himself such
fraud.
In three years she was such beautyl
A pale cream color with long, flowing
msne and tail, rs silky Is baby'a
hair. with dainty limbs and perfect
head, she we'll deserved the name
Ruey had given her before she was q
month old-Beauty. The feeding had
fallen TO Ruey's share, but Johnny
had nobly done his part. II was
said in tho neighborhood that Johnny
Campbell's Ally couldn't talk, but she
didn't need tos She could do every
thinv else.
Johnny-hfteen now. and not liking
very much to be called "Johnny"-
had trained her we'll. She would
kneel at the word OF command. would
back and sidle In . stately dance when
Johnny whistled. and would bring her
own bride to him. throwing down .
dozen or more In the hunt for it, If
they were In tho way or Johnny
had hidden it. She had many other
Accomplishments, and was good ma
tured and obliging about showing
or when desired.
One evening when he was exercising
her stylish carriage stopped at the
gate and . pale little girl sitting by
her fathers side in it clasped her
hands in delight 1t Beauty's perform
ance. Johnny, proud of his pet,
brought her down to the gate, Ruey
following bashfully.
"You have beautiful colt, my boy
How old is she?"
Three and one month";" said
Johnny. flushing with pleasure.
Make her dance, Johnny" said
Ruey.
So Johnny whistled Yankee
Doodle" and Beauty took some stately
steps and wound up, as II she felt the
occasion to be an important one, by
taking OF Johnny's straw hat with
her teeth and deftly setting it upon
Ruey's head.
who broke her7" inquired the
gentleman.
''She amt broke. answered Johnny.
Indignantly, she's Just trained. Sister
and trained her from day old and
she'll do anything we tell her. We
can hitch her to sled or . plow or
anything and she'll pull 'em, but, OF
course, we don't work her much. We
don't want father to know IT. we don't
want her name wore of with collar"
"Your father would not sell her,
suppose'"
why, no." said Ruey, quickly, "shea
ours l mean she's Johnny's. He
wouldn't take anything for her."
"Hm-m," said. or rather grunted, the
man In the buggy. He had some
knowledge of the slender hold farm
children have on the animals they have
petted and called their own, and he
had made up his mind to buy her be.
fore he turned his fat, slow old horse
into the road. And SO the next day
their father sold Beauty. There are
no words in the language adequate to
picture Johns anguish and his sense
Of his fathers cruel injustice. He him.
self could sec nothing amiss He had
accustomed himself to thinking that
no ono dependent upon him had any
rights which he was bound to respect.
As he had had his way year by year he
became sort OF domestic car whose
word was q law from which there was
no appeal. He treated all their little
ebullitions leniently, as one watching
the Ash Topping helplessly upon his
hook refrains from unnecessary cru
city.
In tho household outburst which
greeted the sale Of Beauty, Mr.. Camp
bell bore himself with becoming dig.
nifty and forbearance. The conscious.
ness of the extra hundred Ne had been
able to extort from the buyer for mere
accomplishments which he himself
had not considered Of any account
gave him fortitude to hold out without
getting seriously angry, through all
the tears, despair and anger of hii
household vassals. For Johnny was
furiouA He had seen his pet lamb,
his pigs, calves and fowls sacrificed
one by one and had shed tears and got
over It, Not SO now. He was man
now, ne felt, nearly as tall as his
father, and Beauty's very life was his
for had not his father meant to kill
her? Ana when his father magnani
mously took dollar from his pocket
and offered 1t to him, he struck hi.
hand and coin furiously aside and
swore. For the first time In his life
he cursed; at any rate II was the first
time any of the family had heard him
do It. They stood in frozen horror
but in Ruey's heart there was an an
swering echo, for was not Johnny the
other half OF her? Keep your dollar!
he said looking at his father straight ir
the eyes. II pity man who has as
little honor as you! You are meanel
than q thief; you take another's prop
erty and sell II, pretending you have
b right to do it. You know you have
not; you are thief and hypocrite
too" ,.,f
II was said, and he was glad; his
heart bounded with triumph when hi
noticed the look Upon his fathers face
But II stilled again when he saw hi.
mother put her hand on Ruey's heat
and bow her face upon it He turnee
back and put his arms around her; hi
father had often snecred at hi
catfish love for his mother, and h.
, thought OF it now.
Don't. mother-don't cry. I'll b.
the same to you, but father-neverl
beg your pardon for talking SO befor.
you; tell me you forgive me. 70,
have as much to bear from him as we.
John Campbell turned and went ou'
to the barn. When he had seen hi
| ,a,ifa turn and hurry her face on lohn,