The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-15

The doctor and I were neighbors in a
htus Western town. The doctor was a
Vireinian and fond of horses. i was a
Hoosier and fond OF hOrses-Only as their
credentials were satisfactory. gentle
man, the life OF whose child the doctor had
saved after a seventy-mile gallop through
the mountains. had presented him with a
magnificent Kentucky thoroughbred. With
all his high breeding 1 never was fond of
this horse. Once when the doctor was Sc
curing dead eagle behind the saddle a
wing Topped down on Halkinss flank
Away he went. with his head in the air
and as blind as a bat. A barbed-wire fence
finally stopped him, but not until he was
terribly lacerated. I rather preferred a
horse OF two OF my own raising. One. for
instance. which. although he became OBJ
stinate while J was narrowing with him
one day and threw himself over backwards
into double section irOn-toOthed harrow,
realized the gravity Of his situation so i'm
mediately that he remained quivering on
his back until a companion who was plow-
ing some distance away came to my aid.
One section Of the harrow had twisted up
over the horse and his legs had passed
between the squares. allowing the teeth
with the weight OF the harrow to rest on
his shoulder and side. One movement
would probably have resulted in frantic
scramble and dead horse. The movement
was never made. We unjointed the harrow
and lifted the section of Of him without
giving him a scratch. And a brother Of
this horse behaved similarly when he got
into trouble. / once rode him very hur
REILLY 10 a small stream in the mountains
on a wager that 1 could return before sun
down with a mess OF trout. Not even TAX
ing of the saddle, I tied him with a long
rope against a thicket Of saplinSs. The
deer flies were awful When l returned to
him after fishing to my time iIimit L found
him on his side in the midst Of the thicket,
tied in a most uncomfortable position with
a tangle OF rope, stirrup feathers and sad
die strings. His head was drawn that
IL could not reach the ground. and two of
his legs were in the air He had squeezed
in among the small trees to get away from
the flies. Now they had him at their
mercy for ne had ceased fighting as sOOn
he found himself in a hopeless tangle.
He was wet with sweat bat quiet He
welcomed me with a little wbinny and was
patient while I was getting Elm out of his
tangle.
Another of the doctors horses 1 had no
love for was a three-year-old flly of un-
mistakable Morgan blood. Nellie's limbs
were large, her head was long and her
tain long. Her body was a year or two
beIind in development. She chad the stiff
ness of neck and fsh-like expression of
eyes that forebOde unexpected things. On
ons occasion she had been known to run
off when a gust of wind had carried her
lOfg tail in range of a corner of her eye.
A regular "bronchO buster" had half way
broken her to drive and the doctor was
aching the finishing touches with a light
tv:o-wheeled cart. had ridden behind her.
bJef always under protest. A Mexican boy
WAC did occasional work for the doctor
had the temerity to get into the cart one
dsy TO drive Nellie from the office up TO
tht house The distance was short, but
productive of events. The boy carried his
ann in sling until the bones united, but
nd sufficient amount of the cart ever was
fyInd to unite. 1t was surTnised that this
wss case of unexpected glimpse of tail.
~ satisfactory explanation could be got
frtm the boy When asked about the
d}aster he would only fly into a Mexican
rage with pigeon English explosives. Late
ore afternoon the doctor wondered what
kjs1d OF a team his filly and the horse 1
then happened to have in town would make.
HIS flly was long and gangling. My horse
WIS short and compact. A natural sad
d; horse and fine after cattle. I had fire.
qlently driven him long distances i'm a cart.
Nit wishing him TO learn to trot / had
always allowed him to run whenever he
ives urged beyond his natural fox trot. /
tCsd the doctor that 1 thought my horse
would make Nellie a good running mate.
N ither OF us had a double rig. In front
OF a blacksmith shop adjoining the doctors
ofice stood an old blackboard; that is, il
sbod when IL was on the weather side of
Anything substantial enough to resist the
fJrce OF the western breezes. A number
81 mountain log wagons always stood about
TIE shop awaiting repairs, and 1T was
afainst one OF these that the old buck
b9ard was usually found 1t had been left
f3r repairs. but so long ago that the black
sflth had forgotten whether he had re-
peired it not. Its owner had failed to
cSII for ii, and the blacksmith told us that
lift in any way filled our requirements to
Z xe II along. There was scarcely enough
Material used in its construction to make a
shall basket of kindling wood. The doc
tyr picked up the tongue and the old rattle
tAp Immediately started after him down "a
t4r. yes" said 1. ''if our horses just keep
teeir faces to the front we won't need any
ttaces." We found some remnants of an
Oh set of double harness, and with our
stgle harness finally got our team hitched
x. While l stood at their heads
efdeavoring to soothe Nellie and Gene
TO reason i advised the doctor, as he
u us climbing aboard to lay his course
southeast by south. l knew the road i'm
tat direction TO be almost free from
thinkers where losing hazards might be
r9ade. / knew that one deep arroyo had
Il be crossed a narrow bridge a short
ctstance from town. but on the whole it
WIS the best prairie road. The doctor
Gthered the reins and signaled me TO
Sand aside. / succeeded. by a quick run.
II failing behind. and finally in gaining
Tie seat The doctor and l discovered at
4 &c. that things didn't seem to fit The
Rims didn't lead right and the traces were
a little too long for one horse and a little
ito short for the other. a pull on the reins
Il sufficient force to stop. or even slow
Own would have brought the filly's single
tfee in contact with her hooks and we both
lklew that in that case there would be
rSthing TO hope for confess that kept