ever been in New York; and this
afternoon, at which my story commences, when he rushed to the front
door, he put his hand in his pockets and said to himself: 'I've a great
mind to run away! I know I shall catch it to-morrow, about that old
exercise, and I can't write it. I won't! now!'

"He walked to the fence, and climbing up, looked over into a neighbor's
meadow.

"A beautiful white horse was quietly grazing, and lazily switching the
flies off his back with his long and silken tail.

"'Halloo!' exclaimed heedless Harry, 'there's Lightfoot! Jolly! what a
chance to go off on my travels! I'll catch him. There! now he is
drinking out of the brook. I'll go and jump on his back.'

"As usual, the little scapegrace had entirely forgotten that the horse
was very swift and spirited, and also that he did not belong to him or
his parents. So Harry, with one bound, jumped the fence, paying no kind
of attention to a great thorn which tore down the leg of his pantaloons
for half a yard, ran up to Lightfoot, caught him with one hand by his
flowing mane, placed the other on his back, and tried to mount him.

"Horses are animals, but they are not stupid or fools for all that. So
Lightfoot, while he kept his nose in the brook, had been quietly
watching Harry out of the corner of his eye; and when the young
gentleman tried to jump on his back, the horse gave a quick little start
to one side, and a knowing flourish with his tail, which sent Mr. Harry
plump into the brook for the second time that day, and then Lightfoot
scampered off with a neigh which sounded remarkably like a horse laugh.

"The angry boy scrambled up the low bank like a lame grasshopper, and
screamed out, 'You hateful old thing! I _will_ get on your back! see if
I don't!' So he cut a stout branch from a tree, stripped it, made it
whistle through the air, and with a spiteful chuckle advanced once more
upon Lightfoot.

"The horse gave another neigh. Harry approached him softly, hiding the
whip behind him, smoothed his neck, and patted his side, and then, with
a sudden spring, leaped upon his back.

"Lightfoot stood perfectly still. Then Harry clucked his tongue against
his palate to coax him to go.

"But the horse pretended not to hear him. 'Get up! Get up!' cried Harry.
'Come now, get up, I tell you.'

"Lightfoot went on eating, as if there was nobody within a mile of him.

"Harry became more and more impatient; he thumped the horse with his
knees, and drumme