corral boards after her. Then he set out upon a
round of investigation. He moved slowly along
the inside of the fence, seeming to approve its
whitewashed cleanliness, until, turning in a corner,
he stood before the stable door. Here he
paused a moment, gazing into the semi-gloom,
then sprang up the one step. Inside, he stood another
moment, sweeping eyes down past the stalls,
and finally set out and made his way to the far
end. In the stall next the last stood a brown
saddle-horse, and in the last stall the matronly
horse he had followed out from town. But he
showed no interest in these, bestowing upon each
merely a passing glance. Then, discovering that
the flies bothered him here more than in the corral,
he walked back to the door and out into the
sunlight again. In the corral he took up his motionless
stand in the corner nearest the house.

He did not stand thus for long. He soon revealed
grave uneasiness. It was due to a familiar
gnawing inside. He knew the relief for this, and
promptly set out in search of his mother. He
hurried back along the fence, gained the door of
the stable, and stepped into the stable, this time
upon urgent business. He trotted down past the
stalls to the family horse, and without hesitation
stepped in alongside of her. Directly there was
a shrill nicker, a lightning flash of heels, and the
colt lay sprawling on the stable floor.

Never was there a colt more astonished than
this one. Dazed, trembling, he regained his feet
and looked at the mare, looked hard. Then cast-

[[39]]

p038 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p039w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p040

v?