ather let me cut all the blinders off our head-stalls with my
penknife."

"How did you get him to consent to that?" asked the president.

"I told him," said the boy, "that I couldn't get to sleep for thinking
of him. You know he drives a good deal late at night. I told him that
every dark night he came from Sudbury I thought of the deep ditch
alongside the road, and wished his horses hadn't blinders on. And every
night he comes from the Junction, and has to drive along the river bank
where the water has washed away the earth till the wheels of the wagon
are within a foot or two of the edge, I wished again that his horses
could see each side of them, for I knew they'd have sense enough to keep
out of danger if they could see it. Father said that might be very true,
and yet his horses had been broken in with blinders, and didn't I think
they would be inclined to shy if he took them off; and wouldn't they be
frightened to look around and see the wagon wheels so near. I told him
that for every accident that happened to a horse without blinders,
several happened to a horse with them; and then I gave him Mr. Wood's
opinion--Mr. Wood out at Dingley Farm. He says that the worst thing
against blinders is that a frightened horse never knows when he has
passed the thing that scared him. He always thinks it is behind him. The
blinders are there and he can't see that he has passed it, and he can't
turn his head to have a good look at it. So often he goes tearing madly
on; and sometimes lives are lost all on account of a little bit of
leather fastened over a beautiful eye that ought to look out full and
free at the world. That finished father. He said he'd take off his
blinders, and if he had an accident, he'd send the bill for damages to
Mr. Wood. But we've had no accident. The horses did act rather queerly
at first, and started a little; but they soon got over it, and now they
go as steady without blinders as they ever did with them."

The boy sat down, and the president said: "I think it is time that the
whole nation threw off this foolishness of half covering their horses'
eyes, just put your hands up to your eyes, members of the band. Half
cover them, and see how shut in you will feel; and how curious you will
be to know what is going on beside you. Suppose a girl saw a mouse with
her eyes half covered, wouldn't she run?"

Everybody laughed, and the president asked some one to tell him who
invented blinders.

"An English no