Saint Mary's beacon., 1899-04-06
fHE BLACK HORSE aHARRY. =

! iebCc Was farmer with gray hair
and wrinsled face, and the look
and posture Of man whose years
had been spent in hard work. To
bis left was hitched 9 horse--a coal.
black horse with . star in bis fore
bead. On the kitchen door-steps,
three hundred feet away, sat q
woman Of fifty--a gray haired wom-
an who bad been wlfe to the man
over there FOR thirty years. She
- ~ eand uudsf bsf 4pfon, and
she did not raise ii TO wipe the tears
from her eyes. By aud by there
was cloud of dust down the road !,
and five minutes later brisk look
ing man drove up and halted and
said
We'll. Uncle Joe, you've con-
cluded to sell. have you?'
The old farmer choxed up and
motioned toward the horse, and it
was half minute before he could
say:
'It's most as bad as the day we
bid Ssm goodbye, bat I've got to
sell. Take him along and be quick
about it!'
Two hundred collars said the
man, as he counted out the green.
backs, and I'll tie him behind the
buggy. Sorry You are forced to
sell, Uncle Joe. But let me tell
you he's just the finest horse this
county will ever send down to the
cavalry. You have owned him
since he was foaled, ap6 | know
how hard
Uncle Joe reached for the money
and turned toward the house. His
lip quiyered as he sauntered along
and he had to shut his teeth hard
to keep the tears back. lie passed
the strawstack at which the calves
we're nibbling-the hayrack dump.
ed against the fence weeks before
the open shed under which he
housed the plows and drags. He
did not look up. Even when he
opened the gate and struck the
path leading to the kitchen door
his eyes were on the ground. He
stepped aside to glance in the pig.
pen-stopped for a moment in
front of the smoke house, and he
had choked down bis emotions
when he reached the doorsteps and
she woman waiting for him. She
had her face in her apron. He sat
down beside her, tossed the money
into her lap, and after awhile he
said 4:
'Fhere was the interest on the
mortgage and the taxes coming d ue
and | had to do it, Martha-had to
do it.
1T was Sans colt 7 sobbed the
wife.
Yes, but | had to sell-had to
sell. Let's make the best of it.
They bought him for the cavalry,
and wouldn't it be funny if our
Sam should come to get him way
down at the front. Sam would
know him on sight, md il he jest
whistled once, Harry would jump
the fence to find him. Say, ma,
don't take on about it. Let's
chirk up and believe it's all for the
best
The woman rose mp and entered
the house without reply. and the
man presently got mp, looked about
him in an absent way, and then
took q corn-cutter from its nail in
the woodshed AID went ont to the
grlndstone under the Bartlett pear
tree to sharpen it for the days work
in the corn field. Half an hour
later, when the implement had been
edged to bis satisfaction, be looked
into the kitchen to say to the wom-
an who was wearily washing the last
of the breakfast dishes:
Say, Martha, I'll write to Sam
tonight to keep an eve out for
Harry and / shouldn't q bit
wonder If they run across each other
down there. Sam would feel most
as tickaed as if he'd seen one of us.'
Two weeks later q drove of 500
horses were turned in at the re-
mount camp at Pleasant Valley.
There were 500 dismounted troop
ers there waiting for them. Sheri-
dan was pushing Early up the
Shenandoah, and there was no
time to sort the bays and blacks
add grays and assign them to COM
panies. So many horses and so