The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-07-26

hours rest, he was again put in. and
climbed tlll night. In week he was
q greatly changed horse.
1t was not the severity Of his work,
hard as It was. that done 1t, for those
deep lungs Of his. that short strong
back and those clean. Nat. sinewy
| limbs would have carried him tri-
umphantly through still harder tasks
| II was the absolute hopclessness Of it,
! the travelling for ever and never get
| ting anywhere the ignominy. the
shame. the mockery of the whole thing.
But although the horse showed less
disposition than formerly to bite and
kick. his subiection had not been Of
the right kind. and his mind did not
run in healthy normal channel AS
the phrase aptly expresses it. his heart
was broken.
For three months Peter worked in
! the tread-power and 10 horse had ever
stood the work so well before. But he
was no longer horse; he was ma
chine. an automaton, part of the
mechanism he was running.
! Then Hobbs was taken sick. and af-
ter short Illness. died. and soon af-
terward all Of his effects. including
Peter. were advertised to be sold at
auction.
Peter stood listlessly in the yard on
the day of the sale, and his dull eyes
looked over the assembled throng with
/ out eli ,F fv,ea ",
bid much for the mankiller. and it
made little difference to him now who
owned him.
But suddenly his eyes grew q shade
brighter. and he gave a faint whinny,
| for over in the corner of the yard he
saw Ruth. She came up to him and
took his head between her two little
hands.
II haven't much money. Peter" she
said. making sure he understood her,
but you won't bring much, poor fell
low, and I'm going to buy you if
| can"
And If you had watched closely you
might have seen in Peters eyes a
trace-just a trace, mind you, for he
| had little feeling left-of the sad, SYM
pathy-craying expression with which
he used to lay his cheek against hers
in the old days at Sam Perkins farm.
! Meanwhile the sale was going on.
and at last came the time for putting
UP the horses.
Presently came the turn of "Black
Peter, half-thoroughbred. seven years
old. sound and with no blemish except
scars on his knees and body"
He was sold to Ruth Perkins for the
sum of sixteen dollars and twenty-five
cents.
Ruth took the hater-rope herself and
led the horse home. She was not
afraid of him, and both she and he
knew that she had no reason to be-
There is but little more to tell. Ruth
still keeps Peter for her riding and
| driving horse. Under her treatment
his temper has so far improved that,
although it frequently shows itself
he is no longer dangerous
wish that l could conclude by say.
ing that his old spirit and ambition had
returned, but that is not to be.
Break a horses heart, and his am
bition is gone forever. Peter does
cheerfully whatever his little mis-
tress requires of him, and he is as
sound as ever in wind and limb: but he
no longer looks eagerly for the further
end of a long road or exhibits that
keen satisfaction in surmounting OBJ
stacles that was once a part of his
nature.
There is no help for it now" says
little Ruth, as she rubs down his glossy
black coat. 1T is too late. and I'm
glad that he is at least as happy as Il
horse of his temperament could be- and
that he is being treated properly at
last. But the saddest part of it all to
me is that the dreadful experiences
he went through We're unnecessary.
and that his whole career, up to the
time l bought him. was a chapter of
human mistakes and wronos."-
Youths Companion.