Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-01-21
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THE THREE HORSES.
~ MARY GPAHAM bonner

In a barn there were three horses
and their names were Danny and Fan
ny and Prince. Prince had been
there for many, many years. Fanny
had been there for many years, and
Danny had been there for quite a few
years.
They belonged to a farmer and his
wife and their children. You can i'm
agine how the children loved these
three big horses. Two of them were
used as farm horses most of the time.
and the third for driving into the town
not far away.
They were the pets of the whole
farmhouse. and every day at dinner
time, summer and winter, they came
up to the farmhouse and neighed for
ter Jumps of sugar.
But the one who loved them best of
all was the youngest child of the
farmer. His name was Bobbie. Day
after day Bobbie you'd go into the
barn and would climb up from the
wooden stalls right on the backs of
the horses. First he would take
ride on Fannys back, and then on
Danny's, and last of all on Princes
back.
OF course they were not real rides
but they were fine make-believe ones
and the horses understood these kind
too.
Bobbie would say, Get up, get up.
fine horsey, get up" and the horse
whose back he was on would raise
his ears high up in the air.
Somehow Bobbie always liked 1t
when the horses had their ears up
though he couldn't have quite told
you why. They seemed to be so very,
very friendly then. The horses loved
BObbie, though, and would not have
hurt him for anything in the world.
push them to one Side-he couldn't
really push them--but they moved
when he told them to get over" and
they were so quiet when Bobbie was
with them.
One night, after Bobbie had been
playing in the barn all day. he went TO
bed feeling unusually sleepy. He had
been riding each horse and having the
best of times even though he did wish
a little that 1t was summer and that
he could ride through the fields.
But BObbie was the sort of boy that
liked all kinds of seasons, and al
ways knew how to have fun. He
liked the snow in the winter and the
water In the summer. He liked coast
ing or he liked swimming.
Well, he had been having a very
fine day, and as he tumbled into bed
he hardly had time TO whisper to his
old friend the Dream King. He used
to say, just before he went off to
sleep, please, Mr.. Dream King, send
me nice dreams"
If he did not feel so dreadfully,
dreadfully sleepy he would make his
little speech longer and would say,
Your gracious majesty, Mr.. Dream
King, will your royal highness do a
poor, humble subject like myself, the
great and noble and wOndrouS honor
of sending me most royal and noble
dreams?"
This evening all he said was mice
dreams, please"
Soon, oh, so soon it seemed as
though he saw Danny and Fanny and
Prince walking into his room. And
then they stood at the end of the bed,
all in a row.
Hello, Bobbie," they said.
Hello, Danny and Fanny and
Prince" said Bobbie.
We've come to tell you something"
said Fanny.
"It's something you've always want
ed to know" said Danny.
"And because I'm the oldest horse,
they've given me the honor of telling
it to you." added Prince.
Then the three horses neighed,
looked at each other, smiled their
horse smiles and then looked at Bob
bic
you've always wanted to know
why we put our ears straight up when
you've come around" said Prince.
"Oh yes" said BObbie, "Pve always
wanted to know if there was any spe-
cial reason for it."
There is" said Prince, land will
tell it to you. When we put our ears
up it's to tell you we're feeling pleas
ant and friendly. When horses put
their ears way back 1t means they're
cross and that perhaps they'll bite.
But we have never put our ears back
on our heads when you've been
around, Bobbie, so 1t means we al
ways, always like to have you with
u.s."
And the next morning when Bobbie
got up he went out to his three
friends and kissed them and said, II
know a secret of yours"