The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-01-13
"CHARLIE HORSE"
By ADELINE KNAPP.

which the Fanshaws lived. Eleanor
heart was aglow with pride--she wal
glad she had made the change, tn,
equipage was most creditable one
and she refined in with a flourish be
fore the Fanshaw mansion.
Now the beautiful gray was a re
particular line of work. A clever
beast was Charlie; and the boys a
the mill were wont to say that 4
there were only some one to unload
he could deliver -four without 6
driver. His one idea In life was t.
do his duty in that station to which
he had been called. That duty, as ht
understood It., was to bring the bacl
of the delivery wagon close up to the
curb, so that the flour barrels coult
be rolled out easily, and when he had
done this, to turn himself and the
front wheels in from the centre oi
the street, so as to take up as little
room as possible.
Accordingly, at the signal to stop
he took a wide sweep out from the
curb, and backing suddenly, before
his bewildered driver could realize
what was happening, he brought the
phaeton neatly back until the rubber.
tired hind wheels touched the curb
swinging himself to the right. and
halted, proudly, when he stood exact.
ly at right angles to the body OF the
vehicle.
Helen gave little gasp of surprise
and one or two passers-by stopped
to watch. 1t was unusual, at least, tc
see park phaeton halted in this
fashion.
Eleanor, white with modification
wheeled Charlie back into line and
brought him again parallel to the
curb. He was a little surprised, but
he was a willing horse, and when
Eleanor again drew rein he circled
out and repeated the maneuver, this
time with an energy of zeal that sent
both girls backward as the wheels
came against the curb.
BY this time a crowd had gathered
A gentleman came up, and taking
Charlie by the bride, brought him
and the phaeton round to the curb
so that the girls could alight Eleanor
had by this time caught sight of two
or three interested faces in the win
dow of the Fanshaw house, and she
was fairly faint with humiliation as
she thanked her helper and tied
Charlie, preparatory to going in with
Helen.
She sat in the Fanshaws' drawing
room and answered concerned ques-
tions about Charlie.
She had never known him to be-
have that way before. Yes, he was
perfectly gentle. She was sure there
was nothing to be afraid of. Mrs
Fanshaw was timid about horses at
best, and to her it seemed as il
Eleanor was taking her life in her
hands to drive so terrible a creature
and poor Eleanor felt guilty and
hypocritical as she sought to save
some remnant of poor, honest "Char-
lie horses" reputation without dis
closing her own ignorance of his
ways.
She could not tell Mrs. Fanshaw
and Mazda that she was driving one
OF the mill horses. And to save her
life, she could not have told them
why she had made the change. She
thought with longing, affectionate re-
gret of poor, despised Danny. She
had never before appreciated his per-
feet training. Charlie horse seemed
to her like some dreadful nightmare
which she must bear with for sea-
son.
She was so overwrought that she
could not do justice to either horse
at the moment, or realize that each
was admirable In his own place. She
only knew that she was uncomforta-
BILE, that her new acquaintances must
think her very stupid, and that she
could never again hold up her head
in their presence. She was glad when
the call ended and she and Helen
were once more beside the phaeton.
Helen was not without her qualms
as she surveyed the handsome gray
but she had good courage, and shs
entered the vehicle without demur
when Eleanor had united Charlie and
turned him little from the curb.
He shifted her curiously as she did
this; the binders prevented him from
seeing just what sort of outfit he was
a part of, and everything seemed to
him strange and unfamiliar. He
stood motionless while Eleanor took
her seat and gathered whip and
reins.
Nor did he move when she gave
the little chirrup at which Danny was
wont to start promptly. 1t is a ques-
tion, indeed, II he heard it. He was
listening instead for his own signals,
the well-known slam of the tail-board
of the delivery wagon, and Tim Sulli-
vans familiar shout, "G'lang there,
Charlie horse!" And neither of these
was forthcoming. Instead, after an
instant's hesitation, came the light
nick of Eleanor's whip.
She had applied 1t half-mechanic-
ally--the soft lash could hardly hurt
child--but 1t was a new experience
to Charlie. Tim carried no whip, and
not since the days of his breakine
had tba yra~ 1, l---.