The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-10-23
A MODERN FABLE.
The Horse, the Bike and the Trolley and
What Happened.

What Happened.
I.
A horse, one day, while serenely nipping
the tender blades in his fence enyironed
field WAS suddenly startled by the whir
and swish CT swiftly darting objects which
passed and repassed along the country road
with electrical swiftness. Pricking up his
ears he ceased indulging in his sueculent
meal and with great curiosity Hoped over
to the worm eaten fence and rested his
jawbones on the top rail. With distended
eyeballs he gazed at the curious sight be-
fore him.
And so this little affair is the new
horse, " he meditated. Certainly it has
my best wishes, for has it not given me a
we'll earned rest and allowed me to enjoy
unalloyed by work my gloridps life n this
sweet scented clover field? No more need
1 fear the cruel spur or the cutting lash of
a hotheaded MASTER
With which wise and highly satisfactory
conclusion the horse kicked up his heels in
great glea and trotted back to his menu Of
young grass and juicy clover blossoms.
II.
Toward dusk, just as the horse had fin
ished his luncheon and was preparing to
go to the farm pond for his last drink of
the day, he heard voice hard by saying,
II am tired His great equine heart
swolled with pity and he hastily galloped
to the spot whence the sound came There
he saw the little affair leaning its head
against the lower rails of the old fence
while its body rested in u bed of mullen
leaves.
With much solicitude the horse asked,
"What might your name he2''
bike, CURLY answered the little af-
( fair as it deigned to cast naughty look
upon the gentle eyed, big hearted horse.
''If I not mistaken, heard you say
q moment ago that you were tired. If you
will como with mo to the pond, 1 will re-
fresh you and give you my bed of new,
clean straw in the barn yonder that you
may rest
Whereupon the little affair gave his well
meaning sympathizer the horse laugh.
sob, my, my, but this is good-a regular
scorcher." And the little affair broke out
in uncomfortable lnirth
81 see no cause for such levity," indig-
nantly interrupted the horse, at last
| aroused 10 q sense OF tho ridiculous posi-
ton in which he was placed. "You said
/ you we're tired. wo2ricd, and"-
COW. wowl'' howl the little affair as
! he kicked his sides Win his pedals IL his
| great glee. by my century mark, but
1 you are gocd-ala, even unto being a bird
with four wings. Yes I am tired, pneu-
matte tired, but not wearied. . And again
! the little affair laughed SO heartily that
it slipped 4 cog and fell rolling in ecstasy
in its bed of mullen leaves.
III.
Where orc6 he'd been love and sympathy
there now dweit deep and undying hatred,
and as the horse trudgcd toward The barn
his heart fairly ached for an opportunity
to roturn the indignity which had been
| heapsd upon mis- honest ignorance.
- will do it, he said, with sudden
ness and determination which fairly star
tied himself. ''This very night will leap
over tho meadow gate and pranco my
| proudcst into the big city where the little
affair makes his homo. ! am now strong,
fat and sleek and have every reason to be
| proud of my healthfui appearance lily
| master has no further use for me since the
advent of tho little affair, and thus / will
not be missed or censured for c-ly absence
Thus suiting tho action to the word the
! horse leaped nimbly over the meadow cato
and with graceful strides, archod neck and
| proudly curved tail he cIattered along tho
| country road and into the city of myriad
lights, the home of the little affair. Up
the grand boulovards he pranond. soon to
be surrounded by countless numbers Of
his swift speeding little rivals. His appear
ance among them was apparently Unno-
ticed save by such remarks as Poor old
! fellow, how useless, - ''Even the race
tracks have turned him down" Chow
slow he moves. - Tho horse grew erraged.
"Surely this army of little affairs should
be chastiscd and with my strong, iron COW
cred heels 1 will teach them a lesson. !"
Whereupon he backed up to q group of his
tormentors and scattered them like chaf
before a mighty storm. Fired with the
complete victory he had achieved he glared
about him with bursting desire to fur
ther show his prowess Catching sight of
a monster little affair moving through
space toward him much faster than he had
ever dreamed of, be ran with eager haste
to meet and annihilata it.
"This no doubt is the head of the house
of little affairs-the daddy of the whole
push, so to speak, he Kissed as he sprang
directly in front of the keen singing, sput-
tering, swift moving object.
ng-bif-kerplunk, and
the jealous, crazcd horse with a groar was
thrown high in tho air, alighting in the
street gutter MORALLY wounded, while
trolley, the supposed daddy OF bike or the
little affair, speeded merrily on his way
without giving the occurrence the slight
est thought, simply cutting another notch
in his big stick.
They gathered about the horse, who was
in articulo morris, and listened to his
words I'm case''-
''Incased, you mean" unfeelingly ut
tered the little affair, ''for soon you will
be put to the only known use which you
can be on this earth. You will be packed
in box labeled sausage, and on its cover
will be stamped in large. black letters the
word Belgium. y
AIoral.-Man, know myself, and keep
out of the band wagon if you can't play a
horn. Chicago Tribune.
Here's Something for You
To ponder over. They say that smoking