71 



up her heels, and seeming to say, " Come play with 

 me. 



Once she caught hold of the end of a handker- 

 chief that was sticking from the pocket of one of 

 the children. In a moment, with a jerk of her head, 

 she had pulled it out and was cantering away with 

 it. 



The little boy whose handkerchief it was ran 

 after her to get it, but she kept out of his reach. 

 She waited until he was so close that he could 

 almost touch her, and then away she galloped, 

 tossing her head as if to wave the handkerchief. 

 All around the field she went, and then coming back 

 she stopped just in front of him with alert eyes and 

 ears pricked forward. It was as if she said, 

 "Mow try to catch me." 



At last with a quick motion the boy did catch 

 one end of the handkerchief. He pulled and she 

 pulled, and it ended in the handkerchief being torn 

 almost in two. 



The mother of Firefly had been a famous jumper, 

 and as Firefly grew older she became a great 

 jumper herself. It was difficult to keep her in any 

 field. She would go over a five-barred fence as 

 lightly as a bird. 



