66 THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 



never have noticed him." Of course you wouldn't, 

 methought, but didn't say, as he is excellent in his 

 place, and has no charge of the live stock ; but why 

 did not the labourer who feeds them notice something 

 wrong ? But there's no use talking or reflecting on 

 this point. Of course if he did he wouldn't be a 

 labourer on twelve shillings a week. That's all I have 

 to conclude. However, we stir her, and she rises. We 

 lead her home, and dose her for colic, the symptoms of 

 which presented themselves. But she was a pet, and 

 so we did not trust our private medical treatment, but 

 dispatched a messenger for a "vet." of considerable 

 local reputation. He pronounces it "a stoppage," and 

 dealt with her accordingly. She rolled and groaned, 

 and was no way relieved the livelong day. Two faith- 

 ful fellows sat up the night beside her. At midnight 

 I saw her apparently no better, and as yet not relieved 

 by action of the medicine. At six I get a glad message 

 from the bailiff that the desired movement had taken 

 place, and that the filly was decidedly better. I see 

 her at eight, and find her standing with water running 

 from her mouth. She laid her head affectionately 

 against me, as if to ask, " Can you not relieve me ? — 

 I do feel so bad." But, after some petting, I had to go, 

 and, on my return at twelve, expecting to see her a 

 trifle brighter, I found her in the box, laid out cold and 

 stiff, and the attendants gone. She had fallen and 

 died almost the moment I had left her. And this was 

 all from her breaking out in a fit of high spirits from 

 her proper pasture to a meadow, which, left with a long 

 coating of autumnal grass, had got thickly strewn with 

 this pestilent sand from the river's overflow, and which 

 Jiad lodged heavily on the poor creature's stomach. 



