THE COMING OF FELICITY 373 



her, since life to her seemed just joy itself, and every 

 fresh surprise brought a new delight. The other 

 horses were most deeply interested in the new- 

 comer, and so were all their many bands of friends. 

 On the Sunday afternoon after her birthday I 

 heard the tramp of hoofs and the rush of a four- 

 footed host in full gallop, and across the wheat-field 

 through the falling snow I saw Nancy racing at top 

 speed with Felicity at her side, and about fifty 

 horses of all sizes, age, and colour, gentle and simple, 

 in hot pursuit. Fearing that too much sport might 

 affect the milk, I went to the rescue and found 

 Nancy fearfully perturbed, but Felicity was greeting 

 them all in the equine form of Canadian " pleased 

 to meet you," and obviously enjoying the fun 

 without a touch of fear. If she didn't succeed 

 in changing the face of the weather in that most 

 unpromising seeding month, she at any rate made 

 one forget the anxiety with which it was loaded ; 

 and she- also brought good luck in her trail, since 

 two brothers and two sisters complete the family of 

 Nancy up to date. 



Three days after her advent, a big white sow, one 

 of the litter born in the rains of the preceding 

 June, produced ten small pigs ; but one was 

 suffocated within a few hours. I had also three 

 sows of the same tribe from whom I hoped for 

 families of ten or more ; and in addition there 

 were eight small pigs born in October, being the 

 final contribution from the sow which I had bought 

 for ten dollars of my predecessor ; but these late- 

 comers had not thriven so well as the June family 

 and were not nearly ready for market. I was offered 

 twenty-five dollars each for my three sows, which 



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