The Winslow mail., 1898-03-12
FOUND HIS HORSE
Man Finds His Old Nag Being Abused
Animal Recognizes Its Master.

Man Finds His Old Nag Being Abused
Animal Recognizes Its Master.
A few mornings ago a crowd was
idly watching poor old horse strug-
Cling vainly to pull a heavily-loaded
wagon out of q rut in Fifth avenue,
near Washington street. 1t was task
to tax the strength of vigorous, we'll
conditioned horse. Still, he bravely re-
sponded to each call of his rough mas
ter to try it again, until at length weak
and trembling, and with the sweat
running in streams down his rough, un-
groomed coat he refused to further at
tempt what he knew was beyond lis
power.
There was something about the horse
which suggested that he had known
better days. His large, though now
dim and sunken eye, his small, trim
ears, clean-cut head, and broad, thin
nostrils, stamped him as one possessed
of aristocratic lineage, who in his
younger and better days had known
far different things than hauling the
wagon of a junk peddler.
The whip had been applied, but to
no purpose, and there had been several
emphatic suggestions from the crowd
that If the man expected his horse to
pull anything he had better feed him
occasionally, when tall, broad-shoul-
dered man, whose dress and general
appearance suggested that he had re-
Gently come out of the West, moved
forward out from the crowd, where he
had been watching the horse intently
for several moments, and, approaching
the man, asked:
'Where did you get that hoss?"
At the sound of his voice the horse
pricked up his ears, and, turning his
head in the direction whence the sound
came, gave utterance to a low, glad
neigh.
Without waiting for the owners re-
ply the man advanced quickly to the
horses head, and patting it gently he
said in a tone of affectionate tender
ness: "Poor old Joe, so they've brought
you to this. / somehow thought it was
you, old boy, when first saw you, but
l couldn't hardly believe my eyes, for
you used to be a mighty different look
ing horse from this"
All this time the horse was rubbing
his head against the mans breast and
shoulders, and there was suspicion of
moisture in the eye of the man as well
as several of the spectators.
81 never would have sold you in the
world, Joe, if l had thought they would
ever bring you to this" the man con-
tinued. "But never mind, old boy,
there's going to be change right away
now. You're going to have all you want
to eat; you're going to have a nice big
stall, and you amt ever going to do
another lick of work as long as you
live"
And then turning to the astonished
owner he asked: How much do you
want for this hoss?"
The former hesitated a moment and
then said: Forty dollars
He knew that he was asking four
times what the horse was worth, but he
shrewdly concluded that the old own
er would not stand on a few dollars to
get back his old horse.
And he didn't; for, taking out a roll
Of bills from his pocket, he counted out
the $40 and handing it to the man said:
Here's your money. You're robbing
me, but l must have that old hoss."
A few minutes later he was Leading
min down the street, and as they
made their way along there were
doubtless many who wondered why
that well-dressed man should eyince
such tender consideration for the poor,
| bony old horse which followed with
lame, faltering steps SO close behind
him.-Chicago Tribune.