FOUNDER OF HIS RACE 19 



performances, furtively, and wondered when their turns 

 would come; True always told them the fun he had and 

 took care to mention the subsequent reward of maple 

 sugar. 



For a short time a gentle pigeon came and sat be- 

 tween the young horse's ears and cooed, softly, whilst 

 he munched at his manger. This was agreeable to the 

 sociable colt, but he was puzzled to notice that the bird 

 did not like his other friend, the cat. True could see 

 how tactfully Caesar tried to win the affections of the 

 pigeon, even reaching out a paw to pat him sometimes. 



One day his feathered friend did not come to the 

 stable at the usual time and when the cat sauntered in 

 that afternoon, with a look of keen content on his face, 

 and a feather in his whiskers, True asked if he had seen 

 the pigeon. 



Caesar had not, of course ! 



He added, however, as he placidly washed the feather 

 from his face,' that "birds often flew away and did not 

 return !" His expression was so sincere and sympathe- 

 tic that the colt was no little comforted. 



In spite of this treachery, Caesar was really fond of 

 True, and brought him, from time to time, tokens of 

 his affection in the way of delicacies — rats and mice he 

 had caught in his stealthy rounds — sometimes a chick- 

 en's foot or a fish's head from the kitchen. It was difli- 

 cult for True to refuse these cat-dainties without hurt- 

 ing Caesar's feelings, until he hit upon the clever ex- 

 pedient of pulling out a mouthful of delicious fodder 

 from his rack and offering it^ in his turn to the cat ! 



One day the colt boasted to the cat that he ''could 

 see in the dark." 



Caesar purred, contemptuously, washing his face the 

 while. 



"That, my friend," he said, ''is a mere trifle, hardlv 



