The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-15
The Summer
CottagePony

i
down the wooded road in her old rick
ETY. cart drawn by small and busi-
nessiike bay pony did not clasp my
hands to my heart with a premonition
of trouble was too busy thrilling
with joy at the prospect Of turning the
battle against cobwebs and dust over
to her. She unhitched the pony ana
tied him to the back of the cart out
side the fence with his nose In
bunch of hay under the seat.
The sun was shining fiercely on him
a little later when noticed him and
had surge of philanthropy.
Its a shame!" said /. 81 am going to
tie him inside, In the shade, where ne
can eat grass. It'll save moving IT.
Billy turned mild and trustful eye
upon my approach 1t was then that
saw cherished grapevine that had
been trailed over the fence at the OK
pense of much time and several yards
of twine had been eaten bare. NOT Q
leaf remained. Early that morning II
had been a, mass of green.
ou lulp. Sdiu dit0 oldPPSN A'A-S'
He was tied short. To eat those leaves
he must have performed an acrobatic
twist that would have been we'll worth
seeing He did not seem In the least
concerned as | jerked him inside the
fence and tied him, but rubbed my
shoulder with his soft nose. harden
ed my heart There are people who
use exactly the same tactics as Billy
and they should be disapprGved OF on
principle.
Some time later looked out at Bill
ly. | never did have a head for math-
ematics and | had been too liberal IN
the length of the rope. Having eaten
all the grass in circle Billy was now
with great enthusiasm and gusto en-
joying a salad of my scarlet geranium
bed recently set out at SO much per
geranium.
Billy" shrieked, just as he bit OF
the top of the sixth geranium. He
merely fiicked his tail and seemed In
jured when hauled him back Hold
ing his ears firmly, glared into his
countenance and told him few
things. Wriggling loose he tried to
stick his nose into my apron pocket.
You are not In the least cute!'
insisted coldly 81 am not impressed
at all, understand! prefer beauty OF
character to parlor tricks and it's plain
to be seen you are, an aband~led and
hardened case!'
Then / tied him to a small tree In
the midst of an. arid waste Of moss
sprouting acorns and other unappetiz
ing things, for 1t really seemed tina,
by this time Billy must be entirely
filled with food. Leaving him to his
meditations stalked away. 1t was
Anna, washing windows, who COW the
4 deed.
THAT bad horse" she commented
with cheerful stolidity. He is now
eating things above!"
1t was true Twisting and stretch
ing his neck like a serpent, Bill!
reached waving tendril of the grape
vines trained over rustic arbor ant
hauled in several yards. He wa
standing on tiptoes to do 1t. We wen
out and seriously considered the mat
$ ter after separating Billy from hi
aerial feast The only safe place TO
him was on the fireplace mantel o
the roof. Still, from the latter h.
= probably would spring agilely into tn
treetops and devour those. If Their
had been an abandoned we'll on tn
place he could have been lowered int
that till Anne was ready to depart
Comfortably bulging from his numel
4 GUS repasts, Billy watched us wit
\ mild and liquid eyes as we debated
d He whinnied begailingly. He SCENE
to think he was a favorite with tn
family instead of an outcaSt.
got the yardstick and measured
Tied around by the corner of tn
| house, 1t seemed that Billy would b
| rendered utterly innocuous and hell
| less He could not reach the peach tire
| with six peaches on 1T, which are NOR
| to me than diamonds. He could nc
reach the young beeches to gnaw til
Dark and he could not touch the WOO
bine over the house. Under his fee
| was good, plain sand, on which b
might gorge If he cared to. and owe
his head unlimited quantities of air
tied him in vindictive triumph Will
he tried to rub his nose against m
| cheek and whinnied the depth of h
affection There was no doubt he we
a social horse.
| "There!" crowed Now go ahea
| and do your worst"
An hour later it was time to g,
our MONDAY dinner and / sought tt
Kitchen Hastily stepping into tt
pantry, got a shock that fin1she
me- Through the open window fro
outside projected Billy's head and /
was just consuming the last of IL
rhubarb pie that had baked ear
that day and set on a9chair to cor
He licked his Jaws as he twinkled n
eyes at me- IF he could have talke
y he would have murmured: You to-
me to!"
: am going to save up money ar
buy Billy. / think he would be f;
more interesting than a parrot or
:, ~,,1