The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-13

reach it. When he supposed that no one
saw him hestook the maui mp with nis
teeth, carried it to the further side ofsthe
field, carefully hid it behind the stump
OF trea, and then watched the result.
This time he had been seen carrying the
maui away sosthe men made great ado,
pretending TO be hunting for it, looking
IN the fence corners and behind stumps,
while Ball was running, snorting ami
kicking up his heels with unbound ed de-
light. Whenever they approached the
maui he tried to attract their attent:o
to some other point.
While have been engaged in the prac-
tloe OF medicine my horses have had no
opportunity to perform tricks like hese,
but many times have seen exhibitions
of intelligence and humor ITO less marked
One cold, boisterous day my horse John
was driven up to post in front of a
desolate looking farmhouse about four
teeen miles from home. There was not
a tree or object of any kind to break the
cold, raw wind, SO | covered John with
his blanket, and on top of this threw a
buffalo robe, tuckfng it we'll under the
harness. lest the wind should blow it off.
But in my care with the blanket and the
| robe, | forgot to fasten John to thu post.
After had been inside a few minutes
| the lady of the house, looking through
the window, cried out:
doctor, there goes your horsel"
| l FASTENED to the door only to SEQ John
and the buggy making good time home
ward, already beyond reach OF my yo ice.
Pretty soon, however, John turned
from the road, made large circuit,
| something more than hundred yards
| in diameter, over the smooth prairie,
| and came back to the post again, where
| he shook his head often and pranced
about to show how intensely he enjoyed
| the joke. To me be said, as plainly as
horse could say it:
Now, didn't fool you nicelyP You
thought I was going back without you.
Why | was only playing practical joke
| to show how careless You were not to tie
my halter. OF course l would not have
loft you out here alone"
| | have known many horses that
showed good degree of humor as we'll
as Intelligence, - but for good sense
think Frank was little superior to any
| other. He was years old when traded
for him, and he had bad reputation
for runni ng away; but he was proud
horse. held his head we'll up, and was a
high stopper. Moreover, he had an in
inquiry | found that his first runaway
was not much to his disoredit. A
drunken driver had forced him to cross
rickety culvert and allowed him to
run the wheels off the planks at one end
and upset the buggy, at which he be-
came frightened and ran away. After
this he was easily frightened by any
unusual noire and confusion behind him.
I at once began the training of my
new horse by trying to convince him of
two things: First, that was his friend
and would not forsake him on any ao-
count; second, that I was fully oompe-
tent to care for and protect him. How
we'll succeeded may be guessed when
tell you that | drove him almost every
day for seven years and never had Il
runaway. Sometimes he would be start
led, but gentle WORD and firm, steady
rein would always reassure him SO that
no trouble occurred. His experience had
taught him to be very cautious about
culverts. If one Of these seemed to be
the least out of repair he would stop and
no amount of ooaxing or pushing could
induce him to pass over until ] had
frat got out and carefully examined j.
Then, after had told him thar II.
was right. no matter how riokety the
culvert was, he would quietly pass over
when he fret came into my possession he
had the habit of frequently throwing his
head up, and rs his bride was somehat
loose, the browband would sometimes
lodge upon his ear. Whenever this hap
pened l would stop him. get ont of the
buggy, and replace 1T. He soon learn
ed to throw the band up whenever he
would like to stop and be petted a
l
once by making the bride fit better. but
it occurred to me that. with this begin
ing, l might SOON teach him TO stop
when anything else got wrong. And
this did, SO that the least disarralge-
ment of the harness would cause him to
stop and wait-to have tt fixed. Some
times however, he would stop when the
trouble was not, in my opinion, sufficient
| 60 warrant so cautious q procedure.
One day, as I was driving along at a
slow tro6 over a smooth, lonesome road,
: had dropped the reins over the buggy
apron and was becoming quite interest
cd in the reading of newspaper when
J around and over him, but could see
nothing wrong, SO I said. with some
emphasis, "Get up, Frank:' But he
, still stood, and kept throwing his head
mp and down. AS / sat there with the
J paper in my hand, / looked again, and
especially to the bride, but saw nothing
wrong. | now, without taking up tbs
, reins, took the whip from it's socket, and
giving him sharp cut repeated my com
'nand to go along. This undeserveC
punishment nettled him very much. but
still he would not move sforward. After
standing for few moments as If In
daep thought, he suddenly turned to the
right until the swhee on that side
touched the buggy. Then again he
stood stock still, only throwing his head
as before. I now took up the reins ano
pulled with the left hand to bring him
, back into the road. when, to my aston
r ishment, / found that the rein on that
side which had been fastened with a
snap, was unsnapped.
Whsn I got out to fasten Id Frank
squesled. believe horse never squeall
unless he is excited. never heard
Frank squeal before; but now he not
only squealed but shook his head, paved
the ground, and manifested his delight
by every means that he could command
As we afterward moved along homeward
several times, as the thought would come
toshis mind afresh, he shook his head
and squealed for JOY.
( When such evidences of thought ant
. purpose, such humor and intelligence
are seen in horses. the line of demaroa
L ton between animal instinct and human
0 reason becomes almost obliterate(
n Frank had decided that by turning to tn,
:. right the left rein would have to b,
1 pulled to get him back into the road
and that then should discover the reil
: to be unfastened. He certainly hat