The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-05-08

N'--.
ST sTRUcK IN H HAR EDGE OF A BAR
REL"
not think it safe to converse more flu
emily than by winks.
After breakfast I seized a toothpick
and walked out toward the stable.
There was nothing particular to do, as
Silver had given him his breakfast, and
I found him eating it, so I looked
around. The horse looked around, too,
and stared pretty hard at me. There
was but little said ON either side. /
hunted up the location of the feed, and
then sat down on a peck measure and
fell to studying the beast. There is a
wide difference in horses. Some of them
will kick you over and never look
around to see what becomes of you. l
don't like a disposition like that and /
wondered if Stiver's horse was one of
them.
When I came home at noon, / went
straight to the stable. The animal was
there all right. Silver hadn't told me
what to give him for dinner, and l had
not given the subject any thought, but
l went to the oat box and filled the peck
measure and sailed up to the Manager.
When he saw the oats, he almost
smiled. This pleased and amused him.
I emptied them into the trough and left
him above m to admire the way /
parted my hair behind. I just got my
head up in time to save the whole OF it.
He had his ears back, his mouth open
and looked as if he were o. the point of
committing murder. / went out and
filed the measure again and climbed up
the side of the stall and emptied it III
top of him. He brought his head up so
suddenly at this that I Immediately got
down, letting go of everything to do it.
1 struck on the sharp edge of a barrel,
rolled over a couple of times, and then
disappeared under a hay cutter. The
peck measure went down ON the other
side and got mysteriously tangled up in
that animals heels, and he went to
work at it, and then ensued the most
dreadful noise I ever heard in all my
life and I have been married IS years.
1t did seem as if I never would get
out from under that hay cutter, and all
the while I wa struggling and wrench
ing myself and the cutter apart that
awful beast was kicking around in the
stall and making the most appalling
sound imaginable.
When I got out, I found Mrs. Perkins
at the door. She had heard the racket,
and had sped out to the stable, her only
thought being of me and three stove
lids which she had under her arm, and
one Of which she was about to fire at
the beast.
This made me mad.
go away, you unfortunate idiot" l
shouted. "Do you want to knock my
brains out?" For / remembered seeing
Mrs. Perkins sling a missile once be-
fore and that I nearly lost an eye by
the operation, although standing on the
other side of the house at the time.
She retired at once, and at the same
time the animal quieted down; but there
was nothing left of that peck measure,
not ever the makers name.
I followed Mrs. Perkins into the
house and had her do me up, and then
I sat down in a chair and fell into a
profound strain of meditation. After
awhile I felt better and went out to the
stable again. The horse was leaning
against the stable stall, with eyes half
closed, and appeared to be very much
engrossed in thought.
"Step off to the left, said, rubbing
his back.
He didn't step. l got the pitchfork
and punched him in the leg with the
handle. He Immediately raised up both
hind legs at once and that fork flew out
of my hands and went rafting NJ
against the timbers above and came
down again in IN instant, the end Of
the handle rapping me with such force
on the top of the head that / sat righr
down ON the floor under the impression
that l was standing in front of a drus
store in the evening. Invent back to tn,
house and got some more stuff on me
But I couldn't keep away from tina
stable. l vent out there again. In
thought struck me that what the hors
wanted was exercise. If that though
had been an empty glycerin can, !
would have saved a windfall of luck fc
me-.
But exercise would tom him down
J and exercise him / should. l laughed t
5 myself to think how / would trounc
e him around the yard. / didn't laug
again that afternoon. l got him TN
hitched, and then wondered how / wa
to get him out of the stall without carry
= ing him out. l pushed, but he wouldn'
badge. I stood looking at him j
{ the face, thinking of something to say
when he Suddenly solved the difficult