Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-10-09
Blue Blazes
And the MarrinS
Of Him
By sEwELL FORD
Copyright, 1908, by Charles Scrib-
ner's Sons

I"1HOSE who should know say
III that colt may have no worse
ES luck than to be fOaled on a
1 wet Friday. On most amaz.
ingly wet Friday-rain above, slush be-
low and March snorter roaring be-
tween-such was the natal day Of Blue
BlaZes.
And an unhandsome colt he was. His
broomstick legs seemed twice the prop
er length, ard so thin you would hardly
have believed they could ever carry
him. His head, which somehow sus-
gested the lines of bootjack, was set
awkwardly Oh an ewed neck.
For this pitiful. ungainly little figure
| only two In all the world had any feel
ing other than contempt One Of these,
of course, was old Kate, the sorrel
mare who mothered him. She gazed ut
him with sad old eyes blinded with
| that maternal love common to oil spe-
cIcs, sighed with huge content as he
nuzzled for his breakfast and believed
| him to be the finest colt that ever saw
stable. The other was Lafe. the chore
boy. who. %hH Farmer Perkins had
| stirred the little fellow roughly with
his boot toe as he expressed his deep
dissatisfaction. made reparation by
gently stroking the baby colt and
brin.iag an old horse blanket to wrap
hiE, IN. Old Kate understood. Lafe
read yra:..".,:e in the big. sorrowful
mother eyes.
Months later. when the colt had
learned tn balance himself OIL the spin
ely legs. the Oh sJrrel lei him proudly
about tie pasture. showing him tufts
Of sect new spring grass and taking
hin 10 the bro) where were tender
ar: juicy cowslips. finely suited to milk
tech.
In time the slender legs thickened.
lhc chest tcepcned, the barrel filled
out. the head became less ungainly.
As If to make up for these improve
ments. the colts markings began to
| set. They took the shapes of saddle
stripe, three white stockings and an
irregular white blaze covering one side
Of his face and patching an eye. On
chest and belly the mother sOrrel came
out rather sharply, but on the rest of
him was that peculiar blending which
gives the blue roam shade, color un.
pleasing to the critical eye and one
that lowers the market value.
Lafe, however, found the colt good
to look upon. But Lafe himself had no
heritage Of beauty. He had not even
grown up to his own long, thin legs
Possibly no boy ever had hair Of such
homely red. Certainly few could
have been found with bigger freckles.
But 1t was his eyes which accented the
plainness Of his features. You know
the color Of a ripe gooseberry, that in
definable faint purplish tint. Well, that
was It.
II Lafe found no fault with Blue
Blazes, tie colt found no fault with
Lafe. At first the colt would sniff sus'
piciously ut him from rnder the shelter
of the old sorreps neck, but in time
he came to regard Lafe without fear
and to suffer Il hand OH his ilank or tie
chOre boys arm over his shoulder. So
between them was established gen
tie confidence beautiful to see.
Fortunate It would have been had
Lafe been master Of horse Oh the Per
kins farm. But he was not. Firstly.
there are no such officials on Michigan
peach farms: secondly. Lafe would no,
have filed the position had such eX'
listed. Lafe. you see. did not really be
long He was an interloper, Il wall
who had dr!fted in from nowhere IN
particular and who, because Of will
ingness to do a mans work for no
wages ut all. was allowed Il place at
table and bunk over the wagon shed.
Farmer Perkins, more jealous OF bis
reputation for shrewdness than or his
souls salvation, would point to Lafe
and say knowingly:
"IIc's q bad one. that boy Is. Look
ut them eyes" And sure!.'. II i-afe's
soul windows mirrored the color Of his
mental stute, he was indeed In bad
way.
In like manner Farmer Perkins
Iu,,. ed old Kate's unhanls0me colt.
look ut them ears" he said. real
" looking ut the unsightly nose blaze.
well have circus when Il comes to
breakin' that crltter."
circus. Perhaps the colt was at
fault, perhaps he was, not. Olsen, q
sullen faced Swede farm hand, whose
youth had been spent in Il North sea
herring boat and whose disposition had
been matured by sundry second mates
ON tramp steamers, was the appropri.
ate person selected for introducing
Blue BlaZes to the uses Of a halter.
Judging all humans by the standard
established by the mild hammered
Lafe, the colt allowed himself to be
caught after small effort, but when
the son Of old Kate first felt a halter
he threw up his head in alarm. Alb
ruptly and violently his head was jerk
ed down. Blue Blazes was surprised.
hurt, angered. Something was bear
ing hard on his nose. There was some
thing about his throat that choked.
Had he, then. been deceived? Here
he was, wIckedly and maliclously
trapped. He jerked and Slated his
head some more. This made matters
worse. He was cuffed and choked.
Next he tried rearing. His head was
pulled savagely down. and ut this point
Olsen began beating him with the slack
Of the halter rope.
Alb. now Blue BlaZes understood!
They got your head and neck into
that arrangement Of straps and rope
that they might beat you. Wild with
fear. he plunged desperately to right
and left. Bllndly he reared, paving
the air. Just as one Of his hoOfs
struck Olsen's arm buckle broke.
The colt felt the uose strap slide of.
lie wus free.
4 marvellous tale Of fierce encounter
Will Il devil possessed colt did Olsen
carry hack to the farmhouse. In proof
he showed q broken halter. rope blis-
tered hands and bruised arm.
II knew It," said Farmer Perkins;
knew it the minute l see them ears!
lies a vicious brute, that colt, but
We'll tame him."
So four Of them, variously armed
with whips and pitchforks, went down
| to the pasture and tried to drive Blue