48 THE DAILY LIFE OF OUE FARIM. 



the wind howling through the rafters, and dark sleet 

 clouds threatening above ; a broken lantern and a tin 

 labelled " poison " on the shelf, an inviting halter sus- 

 pended by a peg; the only lively individual being a 

 bold brown hen that had taken advantage of the door 

 being ajar, to advance in gradually and scratch beneath 

 the manger. 



I did not quite enjoy it, I may own ; but still duty's 

 duty, and I was unremitting in my attention, until I 

 was rewarded by an abatement of his complaining, and 

 an occasional attempt to chew his cud. " Come, he'll 

 do now, my lad ; and as you've satisfied the Minister 

 of the Interior yourself, just gather a handful or two of 

 grass by the hedge in the rick-yard, to see if he'll pick 

 it. That's all right ; now come and take my place, and 

 I hope it will be a long time before you present your- 

 self so suddenly to me again as you did last night." 

 " I hope so, indeed, sir ; but I was so nervous after 

 Norman." 



This referred to a sad tale ; for you must learn, 

 young reader, that farming's not all fun, especially just 

 now. This same poor lad had galloped up, the day 

 before the bull's attack, through a snow-storm, the 

 flakes of which descended off his rough coat in small 

 avalanches on to my study carpet, to say that " Norman 

 had something the matter with him — he thought the 

 staggers." Having directed him what to do, I followed 

 as soon as I could to find the poor horse stretched out, 

 devoid of life. What an awful nuisance ! For he was 

 just six years old ; a fine Welsh cob, grand in harness ; 

 and about to be got up for sale. Well, I could think 

 of nothing, except that he must have had an attack of 

 colic, which ended in inflammation, not having been 



