The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-04-14
1NisCcllauenus
THE BLACK HORSE "HARRY."

Leaning against the barn yard fence
| was farmer with gray hair and
wrinkled face, and ne louk and post
| ure of a man whose years had been
spent in hard work. To his left was
hitched horse-a coal black horse
with a star in his forehead. On tie
kitchen door-steps, three hundred
feet away, sat a woman of tifty-a
gray haired woman who had been
| wife to the man over there for thirty
years. She had her hand under her
apron, and she did not raise it to wipe
the tears from her eyes. By and by
tLere was a cloud of dust down the
road, and five minutes later a br SIX
looking man drove up and halted and
said:
We'll, Uncle Joe, you've concluded
| to sell, have your
The cid farmer choked up and mo-
toned toward the horse, and it was
half minute before he could say:
Its most as bad as the day we bid
Sam good bye, but I've got to sell.
Take him along and be quick about
itr'
Two hundred dollars" said the
man, as he counted out the green
backs, and I'll tie him t'ehind the
| buggy. Sorry you are forced to sell,
Uncle Joe. But let me tell you he's
just the finest horse this country will
ever send down to the cavalry. You
have owned him since he was foaled,
and know how hard
Uncle Joe reached for the money
and turned toward the house. His
| lip uuivered as he sauntered along
and he had to shut his teeth hard to
keep the tears back. He passed the
strawstack at wnicl: the calves were
nibbling--the hayrack dumped
against the fence weeks before-the
open shed under which he housed the
piows 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 Il moment in front OF
the smoke house, and he had choked
down his emotions when he reached
the doorsteDs and the woman waiting
for him. She had her face in her
apron. He sat down beside her, toss
| ed the money into her lap, and after a
while he said
'"rhere was the interest on the
mortgage and the taxes coming due
and | had to do it, Martha--had to do
it,"
ut was Sans coltr' sobbed the
wife.
Yes, but had to sell-had to sell.
Let's make the best of it. They
bought him for ,he cavalry, ard
wouldn't it be funny if our Sam should
come to get him away down at the
front. Sam would know him on sight,
and if he Just 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 up and entered the
house without q reply, and the man
presently got up, look ed about him in
an absent way, and then took corn
cutter from it's nail IL the woodshed
and went out to the gTindstone under
the Bartlett pear tree to sharpen II
for the days work in the corn field.
Half an hour later, when the nipple
ment had been edged to his satisfac
ton, he looked into the kitchen to say
to the woman who was YEARLY wash
ing the last of the breakfast dishes:
"Say, Martha, I'll write to Sam to
night to keep an eye out for Harry,
and l shouldn't a bit wonder If they
run across each other down there
Sam would feel most as tickled as /
he'd seen one of u.s.
Two weeks later drove of sol
horses were turned in at the remoun
Camp at Pleasant Valley. There wer,
600 dismounted troopers there waiting
for them, Sheridan was pushing
Early up the Shenandoah, and there
was no time to sort the bays ant
blacks and grays and assign them t.
companies. So many horses and 81
MANY men, and on the morrow the,
must be off to overtake Custer anC
fall into the ranks.
BY the living lingo? shouted
trooper as horse was trotted out tn
Enclosure and the halter passed int
his hand. Say, now, you fellers,s say
what the mischief is the matte
with you, Sam JOIN sonT shouted tn
sergeant in charge of the remountlne
why, I'll be teetotally busted
this amt Harry, my own pet colt
straight from the old farm! It's hin
as sure as you're born! Hey! Harry
boy! Don't you know me?"
And as the horse stood with ou1
stretched halter, ears cooked up an
ewes CHANGING about, the trooper u
tered peculiar whistle. The anima
walk ed straight up to him and rubbe
his soft nose against his sun-burne
cheek, and whimpered, and kisset
and showed his delight. 1t was tn
strangest kind of luck. His fath'
had said he would write to his soldi'
boy that he had been obliged to sc
r Harry, but he had not done so. ID
heart was too sore over the partin
Sam was overjoyed. 1t was like col
ing across brother. His own han'
had first bridled and saddled him
had first broken him to harne;
Every infantryman has his chuI
Every trooper two of them-his hor
and comrade-his horse first. II
father had pleadingly said to Il
mother, hoping to tighten her sorro
that Sam aud Harry might find ea'
, other at the front, and chance hi
~ brought it about. Il hundred envio
men crowded around the black al
looked him over and growled
chance. He was a game horse tn
said-one to thunder down into bat
with eyes blazing and foam flying, al
lJ his heart set on victory.
A thousand troopers have form