104 AROUND AN OLD HOMESTEAD. 



wise and knowing look, much different from the eager 

 stare of a colt unused to new impressions. 



It is a great experience to have made friends with 

 an animal. They know all our individual ways as 

 much as we know each other. They know who will 

 give them an apple, or who a beat on the head. Horses 

 have their moments of peace and joy and sorrow; they 

 have their pensive and playful moods; and they have 

 their fits of anger and waywardness, like men and 

 women. It takes a good deal of sense to understand 

 animals, and to be able to care intelligently for their 

 wants; and there are more of these, and much more 

 sense is required, than city people generally think. A 

 man can learn much from the animals. A well-bred 

 dog is very much of a gentleman, and a faithful and 

 good-natured old horse is an inspiration to better serv- 

 ice in the world. 



Bill is about the most common name for a horse. 

 There is always a Bill in every barnyard, or a Frank, 

 or a Jim. I know of one old farm where the name 

 Billy had been such a favorite as to have variously been 

 applied to as many as three of the horses by their 

 owners. Dollie, among the gentler sex, is perhaps the 

 name most generally given, or Flossie, or Jennie, or 

 Queen. 



It is surprising, the real courtesy shown by the 

 males toward the females by our horse friends. This 

 is no mere fancy. I have seen it in more than one in- 

 stance, but I recollect one old horse in particular, with 

 whom I had to do at that time, old George, who would 

 always persistently refuse to come out of the pasture, 

 when we opened the gate, ahead of Lizzie, his mate 



