s^ 



THE STRIKE AT SHANE'S. 



CHAPTER I. 



EE up, there, Dobbin ! Whoop ! " With a 

 shout that rang through the forest Tom 

 Shane let the heavy " black snake " whip 

 fall on the flanks of the two willing horses. 

 Again and again the heavy whip fell on the " o^'" 

 horse, which was apparently unable to "pull even" 

 with the younger liorse on the "near" side. The 

 horses tugged at the traces, and floundered about in 

 the mud, but were unable to move the heavy load to 

 which they were hitched. 



"Be aisy there now, Tom, will ye? It's stuck ye 

 are now, sure enough," said an Irishman who came 

 up just then. 



"It's all on account of that lazy Dobbin," said Tom, 

 "he didn't pull a pound." 



"Arrah, there now, it's forgettin' the age o' the 

 horse ye are. Sure^ there icasn't a horse on the j>/«c6 

 L'ould pull irid him u:hrn he was younger. It's gettin' 

 along in the years I am mesilf , an' age will be wearin' 

 the strength o' a horse the same as a man. Let 'em 

 stand 'til I get a bit of a pry under the wheel.** 



He procured a fence rail, and proceeded to put it un- 



