SPANGLE SOLD. 73 



ten minutes I heard them coming. The fall of their 

 feet on the sandy loam was like the roll of a muffled 

 drum. At the sound of it the cows in the pasture 

 picked up their heads and looked at them as they 

 swept by, while the sheep and the lambs dodged out 

 from the fence corners dancing about like big white 

 spots on a green carpet of grass as they scampered 

 towards the center of the pasture field. In the next 

 lot a couple of mares started off in pursuit, while 

 their foals with their bushy tails over their backs 

 whinnied with delight as they rushed after them. 

 When they reached a fence the mares in turn 

 whinnied long and loud, as I thought, to the pair that 

 were racing rather than the youngsters which were 

 soon bunting them at the flanks in search of a morn- 

 ing draught. As I was watching them Conquering 

 Billy and Spangle swept by. The gray was in front. 

 I followed them as they turned out of the lane and 

 walked to the stable yard. As I joined them I noticed 

 that same foxy twinkle in Oiney's eyes when he 

 patted Billy on the neck with a "You'll do." 



The pair ran another heat, and after that I heard 

 no more of Conquering Billy for three days. On Fri- 

 day a man came from the 'burg and bought Spangle. 

 We had a day of it, as both Oiney and Terry put him 

 over the "leps," riding bareback and with nothing on 

 him but a rope halter with the shank of it in his 

 mouth. Oiney called it the "Irish hitch" and the 

 man did not seem to like it. He said it would spoil 

 his mouth and make him a "jibber." Then you 

 should have seen Oiney look at him. Straightening 

 himself up until he looked like an animated rail and 

 staring the man in the eye he said : "Spoil his mouth, 



