Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-10-09
Old Silver
A Story of the
Gray Horse Truck
BY sEwELL FoRI
Copyright, 1903, BY Charles Scrib-
ner's Sons
OWN in the heart Of the sky
scraper district, keeplngwatclA
and ward over those pre-
snmntuouS. muu-mndc Gifts

scraper district. keepingwatcl
| T< and ward over those pre-
| sumptuous, man-made cliffs
| around which commerce heaps its Fun
dy tides, you will find, unhandsomel!
housed OH side street, u hook ant
| ladder company known unofiiclally anc
Intimately throughout the department,
us the Gray Horse truck.
Much like big family Is fire com
pany. 1t has seasons Of good fortune
when there are neither sick leaves mol
hospital cases to report; and it has pc
riods of misfortune, when trouble and
disaster stalk abruptly through the
ranks. Gray Horse truck company IL
no exception. Calm prosperity 1t has
enjoyed. and of swift, unexpected trag
edy it has had full measure. Yet Its
longest mourning and most sincere was
when it lost Old Silver.
Although some Of the men Of Gray
Horse truck had seen more than ten
years continuous service in the house
not one could remember a time wher
Old Silver had not been on the nigh
side of the poles. Mikes and Petes and
Jims there had been without number
Some were good and some were bad
some had lasted years and some only
months. some had been kind and some
ugly, some stupid and some clever; but
there had been but one Silver, who
on thnff. ornp1 trQ ITO
well as many of their bad ones.
Horses and men. Silver had seen
them come and 90. He had seen pro
bationers rise step by step to battalion
and deputy chiefs, win shields and pro
motion or meet the sudden fate that is
their lot. All that time Silver's name
board had swung over his old stall
and when the truck went out Silver
was to be found In his old place on
the left Of the poles. Driver succeeded
driver, but one and all they found Sill
yer first under the harness when sta
ton hit, first to jump forward when
the big doors rolled back and always
as ready to do his bit on Il long run as
lie was to demand his four quarts When
feeding time came.
Before the days Of the training sta
BILE, where now they try out new mate
rial. Silver came into the service. That
excellent institution, therefore, can
not claim the credit of his selection
Perhaps he was chosen by some shrewd
old captain who knew a fire horse
when he saw one even in the raw; per-
haps it was only a happy chance which
put him in the business. At any rate
his training was the work OF mas.
ter hand.
Silver was not one Of the fretting
kind, so at the age Of fifteen he was
apple round, his legs were straight and
springy and his eyes as full and bright
US those of a schoolboy at u circus
The dapples on his gray tanks were as
distinct us the under markings on old
velours, while his tail had the crisp
whiteness of a polished steel bit OH
frosty morning. Unless you had seen
how shallow We're his molar cups OF
noted the length Of his bride teeth
would you have guessed him not more
than six.
AS for the education Of Silver, its
scope and completeness, no outsider
would have given credence to the half
of it. When Lannigan had driven the
truck for three years and had been
crones with Silver for nearly five II
was his habit to say wonderingly:
He beats me. Old Silver does.
cit onto some new wrinkle Of his ev-
cry day. No, 'taint no sorter use to
tell his tricks; you wouldn't believe,
nor v-0ald l an l hadn't seen with
my I. > eyes.
In the way of mischief Silver was a
star performer. What other fire horse
ever mastered the intricacies OF the
automatic halter release? 1t was Sill
yer, too, that picked from the cap
tains hip pocket u neatly folded paper
and chewed the same with malicious
enthusiasm. The folded paper hap
pened to be the cOmpany's annual re,
port, in the writing Of which the cap.
tain had spent many weary hours.
Other things besides mischief, how
ever, had Silver learned. Chief of
these was to start with the jlgger.
Sleeping or waking, lying or standing,
the summons that stirred the men from
snoring ease to tense. rapid action
never failed to find Silver alert. AS
the halter shank slipped through the
bit ring that same instant found Silver
gathered for the rush through the long
narrow lane leading from his open
stall to the poles, above which, like
great couchant spiders, waited the
harnesses pendant on the hanger rods.
1t was unwise to be in Sllver's way
when that little brazen voice was sum-
moning him to duty. More than one
man of Gray Horse truck found that
out.
Once under the harness Silver was
like carved statue until the trip strap
had been pulled. the collar fastened and
the reins snapped In. Then he wanted
punt lnc pJiCo thkOuSh thS oSoAS'
80 eager was lie to be of. 1t was no
fault Of Silver's that his team could
not make two second hitch.
With the first strain ut the traces his
impatlence died out. 4 sixty foot truck
starts with more or less reluctance. Be-
sides, Silver knew that before anything
like speed could be made 1t was neces-
sary either to mount the grade to
Broadway or to ease the machine down
to Greenwich street. 1t was traces or
backing straps for oil that was In
you. and at the end sharp turn which
never could have been made had not
the tillerman done his part with the
rear wheels.
But when once the tires caught the
ear tracks Silver knew what to expect
At the turn he and his team mates
~