Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-10-16
Chiieftaiin
A Story ef the Heavy
Draft Service
By SEWELL FORD
Copyright. 1908, by Charles scrib-
ner's Sons
"E was a three-quarter blood
[H Norman, was Chieftain. You
ESTy3l would have known that by
lkdHfI bis deep. powerful chest, his

aaatD his deep, powerful chest. bis
chunky neck, his substantial, shaggy
fetlocked legs. He had family tree
registered sires, you know-and had he
wished could have read you a pedigree
reaching back to Sir Navarro (6S93).
Despite all this, Chleftain was guilty
Of no undue pride. Eight years In the
trucking business takes out Of one all
such nonsense. True, as three-year-
old he had given himself some airs.
There was small wonder in that. He
had been the boast of Keokuk county
for q whole year. We'll show 'em
what we can do In Indiana" the stock
master had said as Chieftain, his silver
white tail carefully done up in red
flannel, was led aboard the cars for
| shipment east.
They are not unused to ton weight
horses in the neighborhood Of the Bulls
Head, where the great sales stables
are. Still, when Chieftain was brought
out. his fine dappled coat shining Ike
| frosted steel in the sunlight, and his
splendid tail, which had been done up
in straw crimps overnight. ripping
and waving behind him, there was q
great craning Of necks among the buy
ers of heavy drafts.
Gentlemen" the red faced auction
eer had shouted, "here's buster; one
Of the kind you read about, wide as
wagon, with leg on each corner.
tnv nf 1utn
Who'll start him at three hundred?
Why, he's as good as money In the
bank"
That had been Chieftain's introduc-
ton to the metropolis. But the triple
hitch Is q great leveler. In single har-
ness, even though one does pull load.
there is chance for individuality. One
may toss ones head-aye, prance bit
on nipping morning. But get between
the poles of breast team, with
horse on either side and twelve ton
load at the trace ends, and-well, one
soon forgets such vanities as pride Of
champion sires, and one learns not to
prance.
In his eight years as inside horse Of
breast team No. AZ Chieftain had for
gotten much about pedigree. but he
had learned many other things. He
had come to know the precise mo-
ment when In easing heavy load
down an incline 1t was safe to slacken
away on the breeching and trot gently.
He could tell. merely by glancing Mt O
rise In the roadway. whether Il slow,
steady pull was needed or IL the time
had come to stick in his toe calks and
throw all of his 1000 pounds OH the
collar. He had learned not to fret him
self into a lather about strange noises
and not to be Overparticular rs to the
kind Of company in which he found
himself working. Even though hitch
ed up with a vicious Missouri MOdoc
on one side and raw. half collar
broken Kanuck on the other, he would
do his best to steady them down to
the work. He had learned to stop at
crossings when a six foot Broadway
squad officer held up one finger, and
to give way for no one else. He knew
by heart all the road rules OF the
crowded way, and he stood for his
rights.
So in stress of storm or quivering
summer heat did Chieftain toll between
the poles, hauling the piled up truck
year In and year out up and down and
across the city streets. And in time
he had forgotten his Norman blood.
had forgotten that he was the great
grandson of Sir Navarro.
r Some things there were, however,
which Chieftain could not wholly for,
get. These memories were not exact
" clear, but, vague as they were. they
stuck. They had to do with fields OF
new grass. with the elastic feel OF dew
moistened turf under ones hoofs, with
the enticing smell of sweet clover In
ones nost"ils, the sound Of gently NOV
Ing leaves In ones ears and the sense
that before as well as behind were
long hours of delicious leisure.
It was only in the afternoons that
these memories troubled Chieftain. In
the morning one feels fresh and strong
and conteated, and when one has time
for any thought at all there are COM
forting reflections that In the nose
bags swung under the truck seat arc
eight quarts Of good oats and that noon
must come some time or other.
But along about 3 o'clock Of July
lay, with stabling time too far away
TO be thought of, when there was moth
ing to do but to stand patiently in the
glare of the sun baked freight yard,
while Tim and his helper loaded on
case after case and barrel after barrel,
then 1t was that Chieftain could not
help thin, ing about the fields of new
grass and other things connected with
his colt days.
Sometimes when he was plodding
dogsedly over the hard pavements,
with every football jarring tired mus.
cles, he would think how nice 1t would
be, lust for week or 80, to tread
again tha. yielding turf he had known
such long. long time ago. Then per-
haps he would slacken just bit on
the traces, and Tim would give that
queer shrill chirrup Of his, adding SYM
pathetically, "Come, me bye; come
ahn" Then Chieftain would tighten
the traces In an instant, giving bis
whole attention to the business or
keeping them taut and Of placing each
iron shod hoof just where was the
surest footing.
In this last you may imagine there Is
no knack. Perhaps you think 1t Is done
offhand. Well, 1t isn't. Ask any ex-
perienced draft horse used to city
trucking. He will tell you that wet
cobblestones, smoothsd by much wear
and creased with street slime, cannot
be travelled heedlessly. Either the heel
or the toe calks must find a crevice
somewhere. II they do not, you are
apt to 60 on your knees or slide on
your launches. Flat rail car tracks
give you unexpected side slips. 30 do
the raised rims of manhole covers, but
when It comes to wet asphalt-your
oalks will not help you there. It's just
a case of nice balancing and trusting
to luck.
Much, Of course, depends Oh the man
at the other end of the lines. In this
particular Chieftaln was fortunate, for
q better driver than Tim Doyle did not
handle leather for the company. Even
"the old man"-ths stable boss-had
besn known to say as much.
N9,laFtoln hod fnkan A liking tn Tim