the stables, and, taking with him an apple or some
pieces of sugar, spent some time there talking to and petting it. He
never carried a whip, and never used the spurs except in forcing it to
make its first start.

Had the horse been naturally ill-tempered Vincent would probably have
failed, but, as he happened afterward to learn, its first owner had been
a hot-tempered and passionate young planter, who, instead of being
patient with it, had beat it about the head, and so rendered it restive
and bad-tempered. Had Vincent not laid aside his whip before mounting it
for the first time, he probably would never have effected a cure. It was
the fact that the animal had no longer fear of his old enemy the whip,
as much as the general course of kindness and good treatment, that had
effected the change in his behavior.

It was just when Vincent had established a good understanding between
himself and Wildfire that he had the altercation with the overseer, whom
he found about to flog the young negro Dan. Pearson had sent the lad
half an hour before on a message to some slaves at work at the other end
of the estate, and had found him sitting on the ground watching a tree
in which he had discovered a 'possum. That Dan deserved punishment was
undoubted. He had at present no regular employment upon the estate.
Jake, his father, was head of the stables, and Dan had made himself
useful in odd jobs about the horses, and expected to become one of the
regular stable hands. The overseer was of opinion that there were
already more negroes in the stable than could find employment, and had
urged upon Mrs. Wingfield that one of the hands there and the boy Dan
should be sent out to the fields. She, however, refused.

"I know you are quite right, Jonas, in what you say. But there were
always four hands in the stable in my father's time, and there always
have been up to now; and though I know they have an easy time of it, I
certainly should not like to send any of them out into the fields. As to
Dan, we will think about it. When his father was about his age he used
to lead my pony when I first took to riding, and when there is a vacancy
Dan must come into the stable. I could not think of sending him out as a
field hand; in the first place for his father's sake, but still more for
that of Vincent. Dan used to be told off to see that Vincent did not get
into mischief when he was a little boy, and he has run his messages and
been his special boy si