The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-12

never shows age, and Vix was of that
kind. She kept looking like a colt to the
end of her time. Very properly, as be-
longed to her sex, she liked to be admired.
She might show Off at times, but her In
herent dignity never was lessened. A man
may have many horses but he can love
only one-and Yix's master never has for
gotten her.
When Col. Warning went into service,
Vix was his mount. Alas doing heavy
service on little food was too much for
her. She broke down all but in spirit.
Fording a swollen stream overtaxed her
strength. She was tenderly nursed. There
Is no harder pull on a troopers feelings
than to see his horse in an agony of pain
beating the head from side TO side on the
hard ground. ViX might have recovered.
for a blooded animal, through win power
alone, make a vigorous fight for life; but
IAN internal brute of a horse broke into
Vix's Enclosure, and with one kick laid
open her hook joint. and she was done for.
stu she rubbed her velvet nose against
her masters arms, but she could not rise
There might have been heard plaintive
whinny. horse cannot whinny with
that tender appeal, and so that whinny
was ViX's last farewell There was a sin
gle shot, and Vixen, the Incompatible,
has her name cut deeply ION the bark of
a great oak tree, just VIX,' and some
time Col. Waring Is going to make jour-
ney, pilgrimage of some thousand miles,
and only wants TO scrape the moss from
the Inscription.
Perhaps a man must have been In SER
vice to thoroughly understand the close
friendship which exists between the troop
err and his horse. Just live for months
closely associated with horse. and care
for him, groom him, sleep alongside of him
and steal food for him, and keep on think
ing about him all the time, and ties are
formed which never are sew
cred. You forget the self
ish instinct in 1t al-that your life
depends on the vitality. the endurance OF
your horse, and so you may set IL down,
in part at least, to your own good inten-
tons.
In the many sketches in this little vol
ume nothing Is more happily conceived
than the story of Wettsteln, the Swiss,
with his mincing German and cultural
French. Wettstein was the trumpeter,
and the ring of his trumpet Is audible to-
day in the ears "of every man of the reg
iment" who made the campaign in South
Missouri. The clarions mount was
small understood mare, and he had called
her <litschka. She was iron gray and
as tough as iron, too. Her master is to
be forgiven, for he would steal forage for
her while other horses might go hungry.
Little Klitschka always had her rations,
and 1t Is quite possible that, with affection
for Col. Waring, maybe the commanding
officers own horse sometimes had the adj
vantage of the trumpeter's peculiar meth
DDS of foraging.
Wettstein was a brave fellow, and was
ready with his saber When the skirmish
was over, he would sing the RAM des
Vaches" and pet his little mare. Alas!
Wettstein was badly wounded In the arm,
swollen river had to be passed, and
there was a rotten ferryboat. The herr
oberst and the trumpeter got into the boat.
| Then a huge floating tree struck the craft
| and both men were i'm the water; bringing
| the rope against Wettstein's wounded arm,
| it tore loose his hold and Klitschka was
| free" The weight of his arms prevented
| his rising again, and only an angry eddy
| glistened in the moonlight marked his
| grave. after that there happened a long
trying campaign, but Wettstein was not
| forgotten; more than one Of us was the
| better soldier for the lesson has soldierly
| life had taught u.s.
OF another horse, Ruby by name, the
outhor of ''Whip and Spur tells. All good
horses are surprises, and Ruby was pre-
| cisely of this kind. He acted much bet
| ter than he looked. That depends, how
\ ever, on the man in the stirrups. Max
another horse, must have been an animal
of great endurance, for Col. Warning once
rode him much of the time at gallop or
rapid trot for fifty-four hours" Why
| this happened may be at once understood.
| Col. Warnings regiment was tackling For
| rest and when that happened men and
horses had all they wanted In the way of
work.