what about?"

"Hit's dat 'ar Frank horse; nothin' gwine ter do him, but he mus' stop
in de furrer, ebbery few ya'ahds, an' tun aroun' in de ha'ness ter
look at me. 'Pears like he can' be satisfy dat I knows my own
business, but he's got to obersee hit. Hit done gets mighty worrisome
afore de day's out," he concluded with a heavy sigh.

"Why don't you whip him for it?" demanded Jessie indignantly.

"W'ip nuffin'! Hes a saddle hoss; he's nebber been call' on fer to do
such wuck afore, an' he doan know what hit means."

"I guess if he attended to his business he'd find out in time," Jessie
insisted. But Frank, whatever other faults he had, had none under the
saddle; he was, moreover, old Joe's especial pet. One of the work
horses had died during the preceding winter, which was the reason that
this one was called upon to perform labor that he evidently regarded
with distrust, if not active disapproval.

So now the old man replied to Jessie's observation with unusual
sharpness:

"De whole worl' is plum' full ob plow hosses, so fur's I kin see. Yo'
done meets 'em on de road, and in de chu'ch and de town meetin's, and
on de ranches; yes, sir; yo' kin fine a plow hoss twenty times a day
where yo' meets up wid a saddle hoss once in six mont's w'at is a
saddle hoss, and not a saw-hoss wif a bridle on. Ef somebody's got fer
to poun' dat Frank fer to make him drag a plow aroun', hit'll be
somebody odder dan me w'at does hit! I done cut dem wicked ole clumsy
blinders, w'at is a relict ob ba'barism, ef dere ebber was one, offen
his bridle, so's 't dem bright eyes ob his'n kin see w'ats goin' on
aroun' him, an' now I ain' gwine spile a good saddle hoss ter make a
poor plow hoss. Hit's too much like tryin' ter make a eagle inter a
tame ole goose," the old man concluded soberly.

"Well, then, I suppose we'll have to give up the fall plowing, just on
account of Frank's whims!" Jessie retorted, nettled.

"No," Joe returned patiently; "I'se done gwine ter keep at hit, we's
get hit done somehow; if not dis year, den de nex'. I 'clar fur hit,
sometimes I done been tempted fur t' hitch one ob de cow beasts up
along o' Bill an' tryin' de plowin' dat way."

"Isn't there some way of making Frank keep straight without whipping
him?" I asked, my sympathies being about equally divided between man
and horse.

"Oh, yes! I done thought a hun'nerd times dat ef dere was only some
small, active boy w'at would ride him whilst I--"

I sprang