Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-12-06
Life of A Pioneer Horse
Continued from Page -

buggy drove in the opposite direction
and left his horse stand united when
he went into the First National Bank.
The writer had stepped into the hard
ware store and, hearing noise, went
outside to find team, horse and buggy
going north. The horse with the bug
gy turned to the Coop sheds and the
team went toward the quarry and re-
turned by way of the old creamery
and the water trough. In climbing
the hill to the old blacksmith shop
Prince Royal no doubt discovered that
he was not at wedding dance and
stopped by the present town hall. The
third time he got away and broke the
wheel of a moving machine.
Weathered Sickness.
A friend inquired if the old gray
had ever been sick because he had
been told by veterinarian that
most of the sick old horses that he
attended were grays. During the war
Prince suffered a severe attack of
collie. The season was late winter and
the county agent, w. J. Corwin, came
over bad roads from Hinckley and
treated him successfully. Mr.. Corwin
preached the doctrine, "Grow more
wheat" and Prince helped to put in
a crop in the spring, and in the fall
it was taken direct from the thresh
ing rig to the railroad car and the
horses and cattle existed largely dur
ing the following winter on wheat
straw.
After the war the horse was lame
and an agricultural teacher came out
to the farm with a former college
chum who had done his bit during the
war as a veterinarian in the horse
hospitals in France. While he was
examining Prince, he told of his in
teresting experiences with the sick
and wounded horses in the war and
advised that since horses were rela-
lively cheap, Prince Royal should be
killed and another bought to take his
place. However, the horse lived to
laugh at this advice.
A Sad Ending.
The last chapter in the story of
Prince Royal hasn't happy ending
like the English horse story, BLACK
Beauty" 1t is a story of major de-
preston coupled with a major drouth
of which the horse became the victim
and paid with his life. 1t is story
of loss and grief like Kitty, the Grip
pied old cat, and Rover, the deaf and
blind old dog who died a few weeks
ago. Prince perhaps missed the pat
ting of the gentle hand and the sound
of the voice that is stilled in death.
Prince Royal kept his pioneer spirit
to the end. He never Shirked but got
right into the collar and though he
was at a disadvantage in age and
weight he did not let his team mates
carry his share of the load. When
he went to his last resting place, he
stepped through snow like a colt, and
as the neighbor said to him, "Old
timer, your time has come" the words
of the old song, written by Isaac
Watts, which was popular as a bass
solo about fifty years ago, came to my
mind:
"Oh, God, our help and ages past,
Our hope for years to come.
Our shelter from the stormy blast.
And our eternal home.
Let me like a soldier fall
Upon some open plain
My breast expanding for the ball
To blot out every STAIN
The passing of Prince Royal breaks
one more tie with the past
Time like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the opening day."
Nov is the time to think about
Christmas" says an exchange. 1t
doesn't cost much to think, if you do
it quietly.