42 JUSTIN MORGAN 



that? The horse in the next box, sir, is Mr. Selah Nor- 

 ton's Beautiful Bay, him that was True Briton." 



Master Morgan looked in at the splendid animal and 

 said, ''Oh, the De Lancey horse, eh ? A fine fellow he is 

 still, I see, in spite of his age. Well, all I can say is, 

 mine is the 'worthy son of a worthy sire' !" 



True quivered. Already the great world was offering 

 adventure and reward. Crowding through his veins 

 the' fire of his father's race throbbed and surged, his 

 niimQ shook and he flicked his waving tail with eager an- 

 ticipation. His alert ears pointed back and forth with 

 attention, his eyes glowed and his wide nostrils trembled 

 as he inhaled the scent of his father for the first time. 

 Proud and vigorous, he pawed the floor to attract Beau- 

 tiful Bay; now and then he glanced with feigned care- 

 lessness through a wide crack. 



Full soon he was rewarded by a sight of the gleaming 

 eye of his neighbor at the same aperture. 



For a moment they gazed in silence ; then True took a 

 step forward, and raising his nose to the top of the par- 

 tition met the firm tip of his father's. 



Without further demonstration an aft'ection sprang up 

 between the two. 



In the course of time the hostler came to lead the r:w 

 horse out, in the deepening twilight, to show him to 

 some visitors. The interest True took in the perform- 

 ance, one could be reasonably certain, was not on account 

 of the visitors, but because he was well aware of his 

 splendid father's interest and admiration. 



That night when all was quiet the old war-horse said : 



**You are like your mother, my son, I remember her 

 well — and a fine, noble mare she was, to be sure. Her 

 hoof beat music from the path and she struck the road 

 with the same nervous tread that I see you have — as a 

 pigeon in full career repulses the air. She scoffed at 



