The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-04-24
that MAJOR HORSE KILLED
FOOL HORSE HE WAS-BUT LET
the FIREMAN TELL 1T.
How lie Behaved Tow ard the kittens Tina
Usurped His stall, for Instance
Kids Got In Tenders Path and lie
Had TO Be Driven Into Elevated Pillar.

" ~ wv" " Nv ANNAN
Usurped His stall, for Instance
Kids Got In Tenders Path and lie
Had TO he Driven Into Elevated Pillar.
That Major horse killed yesterday was a
good old horse. All of the boys down at
the house Of Engine 2s-eOI East Eleventh
street-will tell you 50. That Major horse
was 80 human, you know.
OF course he wasn't one OF these adver-
tised human horses that stand on a stage
and mark up numbers on a blackboard
while a geezer stands behind with a whip
up his sleeve. That isn't a horse; that's
a poor trained machine. Nothing like
that kind Of a horse would pick up a
mother cat by the scruf Of her neck and
set her gently on the floor next to the kitten
she had .y5t in the hay down underfoot.
A horse like that's got a heart-a real heart
like a woman; tender like. You know the
kind Of a woman who'd 60 upstairs TO the
fat above and bring down one Of the Riddles
to her own bed when its mother lay on her
he'd with the little new kid beside her, Well,
that's the kind Of a horse-no. that Major
horse was just like that kind Of a woman
Yes, he came in the department a long
time ago; he was one Of the old boys. Yet
he wasn't so oil bur he could drag
along his running mate on the tender Of No.
% a full head 10 the front al every alarm.
He was that enthusiastic on the job. lie
knew he wasn't a car horse or a poor skate
between a night hawks shafts. He knew
that he was on the job with the rest Of the
boys whenever the Taper plunked out
the number and the harness dropped as the
boys came sliding down the pole. He was
a horse with honor like an outstanding man,
was that Major horse,
Get the book that old Al Downs wrote
about Pets Of the Fire Department when
he was secretary to the department. You'll
find that Major horse in there, Al was once
a reporter; he knew how TO write things that
people like to read. lie wrote about Major
because he knew that the people who read his
his book would come around TO see Major
and have him shake hands-Major always
would lit up his foot and wave it until
you took him by the hook, you know, and
shook back. He didn't think il was smart
10 do that; he just did it because he wanted
affection. mat old fool Major horse did.
He wanted affection as much as ever the
o strange kid sitting on the park benches
here in this town does
That Major horse used to run with Engine
Il over at the Eighteenth street house for a
long time. Then they wanted 20 match the
horses on Truck % over here and they
switched Major over to run with that bay
there in the front stall. The bay was lazy in
a half hearted sort Of way and they thought
Major would put some ginger into him.
He would have II only that fool bay had
been anything like a man. as Major was.
But he lust soldiered and soldiered on the
lob, and Of course Major got il yesterday
because he was in the lead. That's the way
things 90 with the boys in the department
more often than a few,
And then when Elsie-that's the long
gray Molly cat over there-when Elsie
went and had EN- for the first time here in
the house she insisted in dumping all the
week old brats in Majors stall, No matter
how many times we went and hauled those
yowipg bits Of fur bag out OF Majors hay,
next minute they'd be back there. We all
thought that Major would get a Crouch, be.
cause he never liked stray dogs and blind
kittens nobody likes.
But what did that Major horse do? Why,
he stood for those kittens; stood for EN- like
a damn. Just like somebody had left a
founding on an old bachelors doorstep.
He'd push the kittens over TO one side with
his nose and 60 on eating the hay they'd
been sprawling all, over as much az TO say.
I'm a sport, ! am, and nobody can put any
thing over me- Honestly, he used 70 laugh
with mis- eyes and let his tongue drop out
in the most side splitting way when the
boys caught h m mothering those kittens.
zen, and when a smart aleck dog breezed
in the house one day hunting for trouble
and all the little furry boys stood on their
spindly legs and made a foolish Kissing
noise out OF their toOthless mouths, what
did that Major horse dol He just s~crounched
ZACH his ears and unlimbered his rear
Siamese battery coupling and he let that
purp have il 80 hazard, Then he reached
over and nozyled the nearest kitten and
she spit at him. not knowing what else 10
do. Now, would you find one man out OF
five who'd make all that trouble over a
bunch Of fool cats?
Maybe nobody in the house had such a
fancy for that Major horse as Bob Fowler
who drove him to his death yesterday
Bob had a way Of saying that there were
lots OF men in this town that'd A you
the double cross and then smile. but old
Major never handed anybody the double
cross, saws Bob, and he's better than some
men who wear plug hats and ride In auto
mobiles. What's more, Bob said, Major
had something on him, because he chewed
tobacco. and Major never had a bad habit
in his life.
Well, Of course. when that little alarm
for the tenement on st. Marks place came
in Yesterday out went the engine and then
the tender, with old fool Major plunging
along. shaking his head and taking the
big, easy strides that seemed TO make
him pet over the asphalt like a clipper ship.
Bob Fowler was holding the ribbons.
Come along FIRST avenue where the Il
il and the surface car tracks and all the
traffic, Major pulling a head in the lead
Of the bay horse OF the on side. A bunch
of kids Is standing right plumb in the
middle OF the road just as Bob takes the
tender over the tracks between the Il
pillars.
Rob yells. The kids Jump and scatter,
but there are two little dirty faced Kids
standing there in the middle Of the street
scared stiff. OF course there is only one
thing for Bob 20 do. He drives his old fool
Major horse-that dear old fool Major
h~orse-lnto the IL pillar on the left band
Ia 4