Evening journal., 1907-01-21

kuct4
shaved to the bone And the tiny girl who a mome1s
before had been smiling and happy. was-safe tho
sidewalk her small face hidden her frock sObbing
she scarce knew why.
Then Hector took the engine up the hill alone His
veins stood out painfully beneath the strain. how
ever-the sweat poured his muscular tanks 50
theky and the painting Of his huge sides terrbe
to hearthat seemed poor Skinny It ha iavoftss
too must kill himself before the reached the top. Brt
the smell Of the hre Hector. and be lifted hs
weary feet into a canter. The hoses sustchs4
with familiar quiyering every hand and the hre
running ahead Of hmm with their bright
lie there in the thick OF it at last--the red blood
Gripping from his nostrils.
u want to take my horse home. sir" said Skinny
to the chief touching his hat
"Whya"
skinny explained his misfortune in short sentences
Il might better killed the kid than that horse" he
added sadly
Take him home, lad" said the Chief vipns the
smoke from his eyes. IN send up with your
engine
30 Skinny took Hector by the bride, and led hha
gently all the long way dewn the hill, sympathzns
with him tenderg, and patting his soft as they
Went Poor Hector could scarcely drag hoof be-
hiAd the othcrA the OF the ml the little girl,
win screams of laughter. tearing the yellow wings
from butterfly
Oh, poor hossiele She cried as Hector Hnped past
with ueedng Anees Bui skinny turned away his iaos
auu sNore
Ipon reaching home. Hector gave snort that was
hall groau and walking unstcady INTO has stat.
leaned up agains, the side and me boards cried
Beneath his weight and the siaucioas shifted Their
ice mwillusy. Some oms Nere m Ills manager, W.t
and fragrant, though Hector 10 snn
them, but lea his huge head ui5uaaa ia issli. dro,
lower and lower down.
Poor old c.ss whispered SSiry. sissng ,e horse
nose iurttey II hope God yss ann, Dasled"
II he slowly of The stall aud the bii
horse lay heavily down and oscd his eyes
Hegtors busted" said skinny trying explain tie
sorry situation in businsss-lke voice The gfeea
hand who had been lett on watch
The latter hp-,osd to hcciors stall. and pcer,l
in mutely Hector paid attention him. Skinny
threw blankets the PROSTATE horse and Sid
another rolled up for a pillow under his head Ils
aies wcrs huzzing aziy over the fragrant
Skinny, who seized every chance the greed
hand phoned for a veterinary and then stamped about
like baitcd bull eursng the long DELAY When Tia
surgeon last arrived with his little satche and looked
at poor Hector with his cold, unsympathetc eyes, ls
pursed up his lips hopelessly, and shook his old bad
head
He's pretty bad, ant he" burted skinny. "oh,
yes ! knew it'll felt from the first there wass 1
Skinnys shoestring united as he spoke and 10
was a long time fixing IT, The veterinary meanwhile.
explained with obvious satisfaction that Hector had ha
serious lfemorrhage, and might then be bleeding
slowly to death inside
Keep him quiet" he said warningly
But Hector showed no disposition to move lying
wcary with closed eyes and heavy breathing oblivion,
to an that went on around him. Even toward evening
when No TO- grimy and unkemp IN tow Of two strange
horses rumbng up the door, he did not offer ia
raise his head lie did not LIT his heavy eyeids when
The clumsy newcomers staggered and stamped on the
slippery concrete, in their violent straining 10 ac-
complish jointly what he could have done alone He
did prick up his when the wondering men
drew near and staring at him in open pity, cae
"Hcc,orr softly with their well-known voices; and even
when his good friend Scraggs the spaghetti covered dc
mascot bundcrcd crab fashion into the stall and snle
nosiy with hckley whiskers at the ice bandages h.
gave sign Of life. Notlrug seemed TO affect him
SO the hptoe soberly about their wor
of cleaning up; the flies continued buzz undisturbe
in Hector's mangcr; and Skinny with blind eyes mac
mouniul pretence at Publishing up the harness
suddcnly however. strange thing happened /,
was not that the alarm began ring with It's clear
glass-lke note Of Warrington that common al
most hourly occurrencc-but there noise Of ,
terrible effort from Hcctors STALL Awakened at last
by the familiar bell the great horse seemed to D..
struggling to answer vhe summons. The straw heD
iuriously in all directions The partition wall OF IL
aia klehcQ loose py inc mBlly iron SHOES scaed owe
the concrete floor like square Of pasteboard Hcctot
arising with a mighty groan forth
whoa boyl whoa. tlce old manl cried skinny
running his head
But Hector staggered against Skinny. who rebounde
backward against the tiled wall; then the horse can,
blundcr forward, scattering fire with an unstead
tread Disre8ardng the blindness Of HE eyes and h
weakness OF his knees gia- Hector took his acous
toned place Of honor between the poles OF the ENGINE
But fasten his harness; though ~
stretched his neck for the collar. no collar wa
lowered upon III and though he opened his mouth fc
the Bit, bit placed between his teeth Iottcrin
then from side side. the red blood pouring iron
Lis nostrils he reared up ready TO fight it out an
paved the air with his terrible hoofs falling at las
balcd but conquered, upon the oaken pole Of tn
engine which snapped beneath his weight with a deaf
ening crack The gltering dragon leaped back out O
Danger but it useless preeauton for Hector la
on the aoor like stone.