Year: 1872

| CtdmberS'S Journal.


A Very Friendly Horse.
DON'T really believe yellow horse is
any worse by nature than a bay horse, or
| a white horse, or horse of any color or
combination of colors; but our Judgment
of things in this world is often liable to
be Influenced by our prejudices. For this
reason, perhaps, l cannot look upon a
yellow horse with any feelings of de-
light.


A yellow horse was standing at the
depot in Washington the time / came
down the Shepaug road. Looking at the
animal as he felt around casually with his
hind foot for his owners brains, nay
mind receded back to the home of my
childhood.


1t seemed so blessed to lean back in the
seat, and, with partly closed eyes, give
myself up to reveries retrospective.


I remember quite distinctly the day my
parent brought home yellow horse: in
fact, can without difficulty pick any day
of the eight which that animal passed in
our society. He was a comely beast,
with long limbs, a straight body, and eyes
that would rival those of an eagle in look
ing hungry.


When he came into the yard we all
went out to look at him. Ii was evening,
clear, bright and beautiful My parent
stood near the well, holding the animal
by halter. We had dog-a black
and white-and if there ever was dog
who thought he had head slowed full of
knowledge it was that dog.


How plainly I can see him approach
that yellow horse, to smell of his heels.
He ought to have got more than he did,
| considering that he lost the greater part
of one ear in the attempt 1t was done
so quick that it is possible we would not
have known anything about it, had the
dog not spoken of it himself.


He never smelt of that yellow horse
again. The flavor wasn't what he had
been used to, think.


| Three days later, when he was turning
around to speak to flea, as is customary
with dogs, that yellow horse unexpected
ly reached down, and took a mouthful of
spinal joints out of the dogs back, and
the modification from being thus caught
proved so heavily upon the dogs mind
! that he died in minute or two.


That evening mother interested father
/ with an account of Caper's death while
he was waiting for her to replace the col
lar the yellow horse that afternoon had
snatched from his best coat.


And thus time passed. But the horse
lost none of it. There wasn't a neighbor
within half mile of our house but bore
some mark of that animals friendship.
Like death, he was no respecter of per-
sons. He never stopped to inquire
whether man was worth a million or ten
cents when reaching for him. He may
have had some curiosity about it after
| ward, but he never showed it.


Finally people came to avoid him When
! ,,at6 10 Anr,f fhf fy,k
they did it purposely, but it seemed to
come natural to them TO rush through the
first doorway or over the most convenient
fence when they saw him approach.
This inexpGcable dread communicated
itself to the very dogs on the street; but
before they had come to fairly under
stand him, he had succeeded in reducing
| the price of a winter breakfast luxury to
almost mere song.


After that they looked up to him with
the respect exacted by a Hindoo god with
two changes of underclothes, and no dog
within three blocks of us would think Of
going to sleep at night without first com
ing over to see if that horse was locked
up. 1t was instinct probably.


/ My parent never enjoyed a single day
of the eight he was the sole possessor o.
the animal. He nipped away some por
ton of him every once in while. My
parent was not profane man, but he was
sorely tempted to be every hour in The
day.


There was only one person that haG
ANYTHING to do with the animal who came
out of that fiery ordeal unscathed. He
was the hired man, and he owed his sal
vation to a misfortune. He was cross
eyed. He was a great source of misery
to that yellow horse. The misformatio1
of his eyes was calculated to deceive ever
smarter beings. The beast kicked at hin
few times when he was evidently look
ing the other way, but that was just tn,
i time he was bearing one eye strongly OF
him, and he missed; and when he really
was not looking was just the time thu
beast thought he was, and so it wen


through the entire eight days, both stom


ach and heels yearning for a morsel o
1 him, but never getting it.


am sure there never was such hors'


to kick and bite He did it so unexpect


edly, too. He would be lookinga strang


er square in the face, apparently about t.
communicate some information of value
and then suddenly lift his hind foot, ant


fetch the unsophisticated man a rap OF
the head that would make him see seven
ty-five dollars worth of fireworks in
minute.


He would bite at anything, whether h
[ reached it or not; but in kicking he rarel
/ missed He could use any leg with ia
i cility, but prided himself mainly on tn
extraordinary play of the left hind leg
With that limb he would break up
political meeting in five minutes, and kic
over the entire plan of the campaign bt
: fore the last man got to the door.
/ The very air about our place was in
r pregnated with camphor and various neV
g kinds of liniments. The neighbors cam
:: around after dark and howled for th


blood of that yellow horse like so man
!; Indians clamoring for a pint of New Er
d gland potash.


d Matters commenced to assume crit
l cal form. The people wanted the anim
J, killed and cut open so they could g


back their things.


It And so my parent determined to shot
p the beast, but at the last moment his hea
F: failed him. Pity triumphed, and he sol
a him to man from a distance, and it WI
u such great distance that none of us we
;" able to attend his funeral two weeks late
sr although earnestly invited to do so. /
y left a wife and three interesting childrel


and was struck just above the right ter
d pie, believe.


!" THE Danbury Meas says that comm


tee appointed to canvass Rhode Islam
le has sent for the tent of the Danbury Agl