THE COUNTRY HOME [CHAPTER 
when you lead out horses to drink, they spend a 
great deal of time looking around. A few swal- 
lows, and then a long look over the landscape — 
they like it right well. They hear everything going 
on, and see as much as we do, in my opinion. 
Horses, sir, are not stupid creatures; they are very 
observing, and enjoy landscapes and pleasant sur- 
roundings as much as they do the green grass; 
that, sir, is as I look at it. Now if you have nine 
horses to lead out to water, and each one takes up 
twenty minutes, it uses up about three hours time 
— half of an afternoon. I can’t afford it, so I built 
this house over the water, and the animals drink 
right along, and get through with it. It takes about 
half an hour to satisfy the whole of them. Merely 
a question of farm economy, sir. Sentiment is a 
good thing, if it doesn’t cost too much. I presume 
that as you keep only one horse, you get on very 
well with a tank uncovered.” I had noticed the 
same habit with my Morgan mare, but had at- 
tributed it to the rare intelligence and the really 
poetic instinct of that breed of horses; they are al- 
most human. But I am inclined to think that all 
animals love the beautiful. Following an opposite 
track from my neighbor, I would provide for this 
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