of an anecdote I read lately, of a horse belonging
to an Irish nobleman, who became restive and furious whenever a certain
individual came into its presence.

"One day, when this poor fellow happened to pass within its reach, the
animal seized him with its teeth, and broke his arm. It then threw him
down, and lay on him, when, every effort to get it off proving
ineffectual, they were compelled to shoot it. Afterward the fact was
discovered that the man had performed a cruel operation on the horse
some time before, which it had never forgiven."

"I know," responded her husband, "that such cases have occurred, showing
a spirit of revenge on the part of the animal; but I believe them to be
rare, compared to the instances of gratitude for kindness.

"Professor Kruger, of Halle, relates a pleasing incident of this
character. 'A friend of mine,' he says, 'was one dark night riding home
through a wood, and had the misfortune to strike his head against the
branch of a tree, and fell from his horse, stunned by the blow. The
animal, who was greatly attached to his master, immediately returned to
the house which they had left, about a mile distant. He found the door
closed, and the family gone to bed. He pawed at the door, till one of
them, hearing the noise, arose and opened it, and, to his surprise, saw
the horse of his friend.

"'No sooner was the door opened, than the horse turned round, and led
the man directly to the spot where his master lay in a fainting fit.'"

CHAPTER IV.

HORSE GOING TO A DOCTOR.

"Another instance of the same kind is related of a horse belonging to a
carter in Fifeshire. From the carter having a large family, this animal
had become particularly intimate with children, and fond of them, so
that he would not on any account, move when they were playing among his
feet.

"One day, when he was dragging a loaded cart through a narrow lane near
the village, a young child happened to be playing in the road, and would
inevitably have been crushed by the wheels, had it not been for the
kindness of the animal. He carefully took it by the clothes with his
teeth, carried it for a few yards, and then placed it on a bank by the
wayside, moving slowly all the while, and looking back, as if to
satisfy himself that the wheels of the cart had cleared it."

"The effect of kind treatment," rejoined his brother, smiling at
Minnie's delight, "was particularly manifest by a horse belonging to a
gentleman in