1869. 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



153 



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jne 

 ste . 



[Copied by permiaeion from Appleton's Juvenile Annual.1 

 MOKE HASTE, LESS SPEED. 



"Shall I reach Tournay to-night before the 

 gates are shut?" asked a wagoner, who was 

 driving an empty cart drawn by a pair of 

 horses at great speed, of another whom he 

 passed driving a similar vehicle slowly along a 

 high-road in France. "Shall I be able to get 

 there to-night before they shut the gates .^" 

 he repeated, impatiently. 



"Yes, you'll be in plenty of time if you 

 drive slowly," replied the second wagoner ; 

 and he proceeded on bis way, while the first 

 drove rapidly by, exclaiming : 



"A pretty way to get to one's destination — 

 to drive slowly and waste time on the road ! 

 No, no, that won't suit me ! I'll go as fast as 

 my horses can lay legs to the ground." And 

 he shook the reins and urged his horses to 

 still greater speed. 



Meanwhde the driver who had given him 

 the good advice proceeded slowly on his way. 

 Presently he noticed that one of his horses 

 bad lost a nail from one of its shoes. 



"This won't do," said the driver; "best 

 remedy a small evil at once." 



So he drove on as carefully as possible, 

 lest the shoe that was clap-clapping in a loose 

 manner on the road should fall off altogether. 

 And at the next smithy he baked, and un- 

 harnessed the good old horie from the wagon. | 



The smith brought out his tools, and in a few 

 minutes honest Ball's shoe was fixed on as 

 tight as ever. [/See engraving ] 



"Only a quarter of an hour lost," he said, 

 "but we can move all the more briskly for 

 the delay ; so here we start again." 



Thus he went on steadily and perseveringly, 

 and arrived at Tournay a full quarter-hour 

 before the gates were shut. 



And how fared it with the other wagoner 

 who could not afford to go steadily, lest he 

 should arrive too late ? Listen, and you shall 

 hear. 



He drove on, increasing his speed as the 

 time wore on. Presently he noticed that one 

 of his horses began to limp, 



"Fooliih beast!" he said, "who is to get 

 down now, I wonder, to look after your ail- 

 ments.!* If you've a stone in your foot, you 

 may shake it out again as best you can. I 

 cannot afford to wait for you to-day." 



And he gave the poor horse a loud crack 

 with the whip on the back, so that it gave a 

 plunge, and stumbled on faster than before. 



The horse began to limp more than ever. 

 The stone was still there, and the hoof was 

 becoming bruised and sore ; but the wagoner 

 would not stop a moment. But now a rough 

 piece of road is to be traversed, surely our 



