The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-05-22

] do not DelleV0 Iuab bne moSb en-
thusiastic lover of that useful and
noble ANIMAL" the horse, will claim for
him the charm of geniality, humor or
expansive confidence. ANY creature
who will not look you squarely in the
eye-whose only oblique glances are
inspired fear, distrust or view to at
tack; who has no way of returning
caresses, and whose favorite expression
is one of head-lifting disdain, may be
''noble" or useful but can be hardly
said to add to the gayety of nations. In
deed it may be broadly stated that with
the single exception of gold fish, of all
animals kept for the recreation OF
mankind the horse is alone capable OF
exciting passion that shall be abso-
lutely hopeless. l deem these general
remarks necessary to prove that my
unreciprocated affection for ''Chu Chu''
was not purely individual or singular.
And may add that to these general
characteristics she brought the way
wardness of her capricious sex.
She came to me out of the rolling
dust of an emigrant wagon, behind
whose tail board she was gravely trot-
ting. She was half-broken colt-in
which capacity she had at different
times unseated everybody in the train
.-and although covered with dust, she
had beautiful coat, and the most
lambent gazelle-like eyes I had ever
seen. / think she kept those latter
organs purely for ornament, appar'
emily looking at things with her nose,
her sensitive ears, and sometimes, even
a slight lifting Of her slim near fore
leg. At our first interview thought
she favored me with coy glance, but
as it was accompanied by an irrelevant
''look out!" from her owner, the team
ster, was not certain. / only know
that after some conversation, and a
good deal of mental reservation, and
the disbursement of considerable coin,
/ found myself standing in the dust OF
the departing emigrant wagon with
one end of forty-foot RATA in my
hand, and Chu Chu at the other.
I pulled invitingly at my own end
and even advanced step or two to-
ward her. She then broke into long
disdainful pace, and began to circle
round me at the extreme limit of her
tether. l stood admiring her free ac-
ton for some moments-not always
turning with her, which was tiring-
until / found that she was gradually
winding herself upon me! Her frantic
establishment when she suddenly found
erself thus brought so close to me
was one of the most remarkable things
ever saw, and nearly took me off my
legs. Then when she had pulled
against her RATA until her narrow
head and prettily arched neck were on
a perfectly straight line with it, she as
suddenly slackened the tension and
condescended to follow me at an angle
of her own choosing. Sometimes II
the other. Even then the sense OF my
dreadful contiguity apparently would
come upon her like fresh discovery.
and she would become hystericaL But.
I do not think that she really saw me-;
She looked at the RATA and shifted 1T
disparagingly, she paved some pebbles
that were near me tentatively with her
small hoof; she started back with
Robinson Crusoe-like horror at my
footprints in the wet gully, but my
actual personal presence she ignored.
She would sometimes pause, with her
head thoughtfully between her fore
legs, and apparently say: "There il
some extraordinary presence herel-
animal, vegetable or mineral cam
make out which, but it's not good tc
eat and loathe and detest It'll"
When I reached my house In the
suburbs, before entering the fifty
'vara" lot inclosure, deemed it pru-
dent to leave her outside while in
formed the household of my purchase,
and with this object tethered her by
the long RATA to solitary sycamore
which stood in the center of the road
the crossing of two frequented thor
oughfares. 1t was not long, however,
before l was interrupted by shouts
and screams from that vicinity, and on
returning l found that Chu Chu, with
the assistance of the RATA, had secure
ly wound up two of my neighbors to the
tree, whore they presented the ap-
pearance of early Christian martyrs
When / released them it appeared
that they had been attracted by Chu
.Chu's graces, had offered her over
lures of affection, to which she had
Enthusiastically rotated with this
miserable result. led her with some
difficulty, warily keeping clear Of the
iriata, to the enclosure from whose
fence I had previously removed sew
eral bars. Although the space was
wide enough to have admitted troop
of cavalry, she affected not to notice
1t, and managed to kick away part of
another section on entering. She re-
sisted the stable for some time, but
after carefully examining it with her
hoofs, and one affectedly meek out
stretching of her nose, she consented
to recognize some oats in the feed box,
without looking at them, and was for
'mally installed. All this while she had
resolutely ignored my presence. AS i
stood watching her she suddenly
stopped eating; the same reflective look
came over her. ''Surely am not mis-
,talxau Init that same obnoxious crea-