156 THE horse's rescxj£ 



without your father's consent, will it? I have never 

 had any of your father's horses in my shop." 



" I get all of the horses shod and take care of them. 

 He will not know anything about it. It will not do 

 for me to put spreaders on his feet. That will be 

 rather too high-handed without his consent." 



''My dear boy,'' said I, "I can help your horse 

 very much without spreaders if you will not let any 

 one know I am at work on him. Should your father 

 find I was working on Billy he might make trouble 

 for me and you too. If you will follow directions — 

 my directions, not others' — I will put Billy sailing on 

 the road in two days.'' 



''I will do just as you tell me," said the boy. ' This 

 is to be kept a secret, and we two must keep it." 



"Yes; all right. Fetch up Billy." 



This horse was brought into the shop. I had not 

 seen Billy in a long time. He had been growing 

 worse daily, and the boy knew it, and that was the 

 cause of his comirjg to me. The horse had shoes on 

 all of his feet, which had grown very high and long, 

 and were badly contracted. In one of his forward 

 feet he was very lame. It was contracted more than 

 the other. He had been lame in that foot ever since 

 I knew him. It was pinched badly "If I dared put 

 a spreader on this foot," thought I, " how easy I could 

 iret him out of that, but it will not do. I must do the 



o 



best I can in the old way. That way is slow, and this 

 foot is so full of heat it will be a hard job to keep it 

 soft." 



It will help him wonderfully to cut his feet down. 



