THE BARN. 105 



on the team. No matter how far behind she was, or 

 how much we urged him, no, sir! he would not go 

 through the gate until she came. 'T was against all 

 precedent and decency! But when the mare finally 

 sauntered up, old George would lift his head proudly 

 for her to pass first, in genuine heroic deference and 

 with a touch of true chivalry. I always liked the old 

 fellow for that, and sometimes he got a handful more 

 of oats than I was told to give him. 



Horses always know one another, and frequently 

 two or three will become great cronies, will drive well 

 together, and will enjoy one another's presence. The 

 mere appearance of strangers will cause heels to project 

 forcibly behind and other symptoms of displeasure to 

 become noticeable. But I have in mind two old com- 

 rades, Billy and Dandy, who had been driven together 

 for years, and had got so that they understood each 

 other's ways and whims, and liked them — yes, they 

 seemed to be very fond of each other. Billy was lazy 

 and Dandy did the work, and perhaps that was the 

 reason why Billy liked Dandy; yet Billy was really of 

 an affectionate nature, and we all liked him, notwith- 

 standing his "cussedness," and perhaps that was why 

 Dandy liked him too. One spring they were separated 

 in the teams, and were driven with other horses. Some 

 weeks after the separation I was standing with my 

 team getting ready for the field, when Billy spied 

 Dandy, and came up to him, and evinced all possible 

 signs of appreciation toward him, and rubbed noses 

 with him — kissing him, perhaps, as we should say — 

 and then stood in the ranks beside him, ready and 

 eager to be hitched up with him as they used to be; 



