Miss Elliot's Girls / Stories of Beasts, Birds, and Butterflies

home from pasture the next evening, "don't you wish she'd tell us s

just such an old cat round our barn, catchin' chickens and suckin' eggs. I've fire

only ask her. Those girls will be wantin' another cat story if we don't start something else

you ask her

d to yesterday, but someh

d Sammy. "You come round to-night after I get my chore

I'll come,

e minister's family were at the prayer-meeting. The Septembe

door, and accordingly Sammy, after fidgetin

again: "Me and Roy would like-if it wouldn't be too much trouble, and you'd just as soon as not-to have yo

all on me, if I did," Roy

red not to noti

she said pleasant

nt battle was first-rate-I'd like to have seen it, I know; but Roy, he says the

ll no more cat stories, and it shall be all horse next Wednesday.

said Roy,

okesman, "when he grows up he means to have a fast trot

a birthday present, a Canadian pony; a funny looking little beast, not much

tland ponies

e not half-groomed, with his coat all rough and tumbled, his legs covered with thick hair, his man

olor?"

e to see for the shag of hair tumbling over his eyes, playing queer tricks and making uncouth gambols, more like a big puppy than a small horse. To be sure he has a will of his own, and has more than once

ill he go?"

eep it up all day, if need be, for the Canadian horses have great strength and e

at his

King for the head of the fairies. But perhaps I am keeping

and Sammy answered that he did up

ell you about Elf King's

of next W

This is very short, and doesn't count; is just a litt

on the edge of his chair, settled back, and

rig

very soon he was taken to the village blacksmith and four funny little sho

y. But in a few moments back he came again. When the blacksmith went out a second time to drive him off he noticed his feet and saw that one shoe was missing. So he made a shoe, the pony standing by, quietly waiting.

he stable to ride Elf King to the blacksmith's, to find that t

horse worth having. What do you su

y," said Sammy. "Miss Ruth, if you had a h

" she repeate

in the road, you

ibbed, I should be very patient with him and try to cure him of the ba

d him with his great cowhide boots, and I asked pa if I might take out a measure of oats and see if I couldn't coax that horse to take his load up the hill-you see pa owned a jibber once and I knew how he us

e said, 'Yes, I might try all day if I wanted to.' And I got him to stand one side, where the horse couldn't see him, and I went up to the horse's head and stroked his nose and gave him a handful of oats, just a little taste, you

considerable animation a

I was strong enough to snatch the whip from him and lay it well about his own shoulders. But come, boys, the fire is down to coals-just right for popping corn. Sammy, you know the way to the kitchen. Ask

e way home, "and ain't you glad I put you up to

nd valleys, to the country of the Far West, with its rolling prairies and big fields of wheat and corn. You shall be set down in a green meadow, with a stream r

is Old Star, Farmer Horton's family-horse. You may pat his neck and stroke his nose and feed him a cookie or a bit of gingerbread,-I am afraid the old fellow hasn't teeth enoug

OLD STAR, TOL

oads, older by half a dozen years than I am, poor broken-down hacks too, most of them, while I-well, if it wasn't for a little

over the country: but a great shambling big-boned beast old master swapped a yoke of steers for, over to Skipton Mills. We called him Goliath, he was so tall: strong as an elephant, too: a powerful hand at a horse-rake and mowing-machine. Well, well, how time flies, to be sure! He's been dead and gone the

pot in my forehead that gave me my name. When I was three months old, master made a present of me to his oldest boy on his sixteenth birthday, and every half-hour Master Fred could spare from his work, he used to spend in dressing down and feed

iddle of the road and wouldn't budge an inch for voice or whip, with the wind blowing a gale, and the rain coming down in bucketsful. But when a flash of lightning showed the bridge before us clean washed away, and only a few feet between us and the steep bank of the river, Master Fred changed his tune. Afraid! not I; but I'm willing to own I was a little scared the day we got into the water down by Cook's Cove, for you see I was hitched to the buggy and the lines got tangled about my

tony Creek Road. How that girl did take to me! She used to say she knew the sound of my hoofs on the road,

ar, good

may and I w

to me I want to

aster Fred brought her to be mistress here, though you mightn't think it to see her now, what with the cooking and the dairy-work a

lding up the little thing to me, and saying, 'This is Ada, Star,-you must be good friends with Ada,' Friends! I should say so. Before that child was a year old, she used to cry to be held on my back for a ride, and when she was getting better of the scarlet fev

r apples and gingerbread with me, and brought me goodies on a plate sometimes so that I might eat my dinner, they said, 'like the rest of the folks,' I fetched them to and from school, and trotted every day to the post-office and the Corners to do the family errands; and when our Ada was old enough to be trusted to drive, the whole lot of them would pile into the carryall, and away w

standing in the door-way to see us off; 'you have a pre

so thirsty, because of the sharp pitch down to the watering-trough. And though from having been scared nearly to death, when I was a colt, by a wheelb

ing, I should have made no objection, and, as like as not, with a little jolting and pitching, we should have got safe over, I didn't feel like taking the responsibility, with all those young ones along, of going that

Ada in muslin and pink ribbons, and the boys in their best clothes, and master riding along-side on Tom or Jerry, all going to meeting together. I liked hearing the bells ring, and I liked being

ve the children a ride or to do a stroke of work, when master had to foot it to the Corners, and t

Skipton Mills, pouring nasty stuff down our throats, and making us swallow big black balls of medicine that hurt as they went down-as if we hadn't enough to suffer before! But our Jenny came to the stable with a piec

up as quick as the others. The cough held on, and I was pestered for breath, and I didn't get back my strength; and what I ate didn't seem to fatten me up much, for Master Fred says one day, la

e saw any signs of stumbling. But trying to keep from it seemed to make me do it all the more, and down I w

porch, and I heard him tell her he had had an offer from Jones the milkman, to buy me. 'Twould be an easy place, and he'd promised to treat me well, and he'd about made up his mind to take up with it; for he couldn't afford to keep a horse on the place that-well, I don't c

eddle milk round Skipton Mills and Hull Station! O pa!' says mistress, says she, 'have we got down so low as that? Why 't would break our Ada's heart, and mine too, to s

med,-'I haven't sold him yet I've a notion to turn him out to grass a while,

r has put up a railing, and made all safe since the accident happened. 'T was a risky place always

e, and then passed along, while I went on nibbling grass, till I heard a scream and a splash, and knew, all in a minute, she must have fallen off the plank bridge into the water. Dear! dear! what was to be done? I ran to the fence, and looked up and down the road. Some men were burning brush at the far end

brown hair all streaming. I caught at her clothes, and though Ada is a stout girl of her age, and the wet things added a deal to her weight, I lifted her well out of the water. I remember thinking, 'If only my poor legs don't give out, I shall do very well,' And they didn't give ou

ay she was none the worse for her ducking, though she carried the print of my teeth in her tender

e saved our darling's life!' and the little ones hugged and kissed me, and the boys took turns rubbing me down; and I stood knee deep in

id: 'Well done, Old Star!' Master Fred

indow all day, and in summer I live in this pasture, with shady trees, and cool water, and grass and clover-tops in plenty. I have nothing to do the live-long

much obliged for your nice story, and we hope you'll live ever so many year

lf-conceited old hors

I suppose he has been more or les

, "it reminded me of a story mamma tells, of an old horse u

ow did it hap

drove to church. But one Sunday something hindered them, and Dobbin waited and waited till the bell stopped ringing and all the other horses which attended church had gone by; and at last he got clear out of patience, an

s Betsey and

off, going toward the church, and they felt pretty sure old Dobbin was going to meetin

lliam had taken out the stone, he seemed to be all right, and the next afternoon mamma and Alice and I started for a drive. We got about a mile out of town, when all at once Ned began to limp. Mamma and Alice got out of the phaeton, and looked his feet all over, for they

her!" Mollie

as Ned knew that William was driving, he started off at a brisk trot and wasn't the least bit lame I but the next time mamma took him out, he began to limp directly, and kept looking round as

did your m

? how could you be so clumsy and awkward?' and she said he dropped his head and looked so sorry and ashamed, as if he wanted to say: 'Oh, I beg pardon! I didn't mean to do it,' that she really pitied him, and answered as if he had spoken: 'Well, don't worry, Ned; it's of no consequence,' Ned is such a pet. Papa got him in Canada, on purpose for mamma and Alice to drive; and it was so funny when he first came-he didn't understand a word of English, not even whoa. He belonged to a Frenchman way up the count

him," she said, and Susie add

and a barn-door to get to the oat-bin, and he shut the barn-door

his nose in the crack of the doo

ing the gate, would it?" Roy retorted

etter tell us, Roy

pened the gate; and he shut it by backing up against it till it latched itself. Then h

anted a lunch," said Sammy; "and I read about a horse the other day which turned the water-tap when he wanted a drink, and

we must stop somewhere. I have another story to tell you, about a minister's horse, but