Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-09-13

low and a March shorter 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, and so thin you would hardly
have believed they could ever carry
him. His head, which somehow sug-
gested the lines of bootjack, was set
awkwardly on 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 at
him with sad old eyes blinded with
that maternal love common to all spe-
cies, sighed with huge content as he
nuzzIed for his breakfast and believed
him to be the finest colt that ever saw
q stable The other was LATE, the chore
boy, who, when 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
bringing an old horse blanket to wrap
him in. Old Kate understood. Lafe
read gratitude in the big. sorrowful
mother eyes.
Months later, when the colt had
learned TO balance himself on the spin
dly legs, the old sorrel led him proudly
about the pasture, showing him tufts
of sweet new spring grass and taking
him to the brook, where were tender
and juicy cowslips, finely suited to milk
teeth.
In time the slender legs thickened,
the chest deepened, the barrel filed
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 a 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.
LATE, howwer. 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
a homeIy 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
dehnable faint purplish tint. Well, that
was it.
If LATE found no fault with Blue
Blazes, the colt found no fault with
Lafe. At first the colt would sniff sus-
piciously at him from under the shelter
of the old sorrel's neck, but in time
and to suffer a hand on his flank or the
chore boys arm over his shoulder. So
between them was established a gen
file confidence beautiful to see.
Fortunate it would have been had
LATE been master of horse on the Per-
kins farm But he was not. Firstly,
there are no such officials on Michigan
peach farms; secondly, LATE would not
have filed the position had such ex-
listed. LATE, you see, did not really be
long. He was an interloper, a waif
who had drifted in from nowhere in
particular and who, because of a will
ingness to do mans work for no
wages at all, was allowed place at
table and a bunk over the wagon shed.
Farmer Perkins, more jealous of his
reputation for shrewdness than of his
souls salvation, would point to Lafe
and say knowingly:
Hes a bad one, that boy is. Look
at them eyes" And surely, If Lafe's
soul windows mirrored the color Of bis
mental state, he was indeed in bad
way.
In like manner Farmer Perkins
Judged old Hates unhandsome colt.
.Look at them ears" he said, real
II looking at the unsightly nose blaze.
wen have circus when it comes to
breakin' that critter."
Sure enough, 1t was more or less of
circus. Perhaps the colt was at
fault, perhaps he was not Olsen,
sullen faced Swede farm hand, whose
youth had been spent in 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 BIazes to the uses of halter.
Judging all humans by the standard
established by the mild hammered
LATE. the colt allowed himself to be
caught after small effort, but when
the son Of old Kate first felt halter
be threw up his head in alarm. Alb
rupfIy 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
be was, wickedly and maliciousiy
trapped. He jerked and Slated his
bno5 anYaa mare This made matters