16 WHIP AND SPUR. 



corner in her driver's affections, — as she always 

 had in the affections of all who came to know her 

 well, — but her lot was a very hard one. Worn 

 to a skeleton, with sore galls wherever the har- 

 ness had pressed her, her pasterns bruised by 

 clumsy shoes, her silky coat burned brown by 

 the sun, and her neck curved upward, it would 

 have needed more than my knowledge of anat- 

 omy to see anything good in her but for her 

 wonderful head. This was the perfection of a 

 horse's head, — small, bony, and of perfect shape, 

 with keen, deer-like eyes, and thin, active ears; 

 it told the whole story of her virtues, and 

 showed no trace of her sufferings. Her royal 

 blood shone out from her face, and kept it 

 beautiful. 



My mind was made up, and Vixen must be 

 mine at any cost. Still, it was important to 

 me to buy as cheaply as I could, — and desir- 

 able, above all, not to be jockeyed in a horse- 

 trade j so it required some diplomacy (an account 

 of which would not be edifying here) to bring 

 the transaction to its successful close. The 



