avor of check-reins, on certain occasions. A fiery, young
horse can't run away, with an overdrawn check, and in speeding horses a
tight check-rein will make them hold their heads up, and keep them from
choking.

"But I don't believe in raising colts in a way to make them fiery, and I
wish there wasn't a race horse on the face of the earth, so if it
depended on me, every kind of check-rein would go. It's a pity we women
can't vote, Laura. We'd do away with a good many abuses."

Miss Laura smiled, but it was a very faint, almost an unhappy smile, and
Mrs. Wood said hastily, "Let us talk about something else. Did you ever
hear that cows will give less milk on a dark day than on a bright one?"

"No; I never did," said Miss Laura.

"Well, they do. They are most sensitive animals. One finds out all
manners of curious things about animals if he makes a study of them.
Cows are wonderful creatures, I think, and so grateful for good usage
that they return every scrap of care given them, with interest. Have you
ever heard anything about dehorning, Laura?"

"Not much, auntie. Does uncle approve of it?"

"No, indeed. He'd just as soon think of cutting their tails off, as of
dehorning them. He says he guesses the Creator knew how to make a cow
better than he does. Sometimes I tell John that his argument doesn't
hold good, for a man in some ways can improve on nature. In the natural
course of things, a cow would be feeding her calf for half a year, but
we take it away from her, and raise it as well as she could and get an
extra quantity of milk from her in addition. I don't know what to think
myself about dehorning. Mr. Windham's cattle are all polled, and he has
an open space in his barn for them, instead of keeping them in stalls,
and he says they're more comfortable and not so confined. I suppose in
sending cattle to sea, it's necessary to take their horns off, but when
they're going to be turned out to grass, it seems like mutilating them.
Our cows couldn't keep the dogs away from the sheep if they didn't have
their horns. Their horns are their means of defense."

"Do your cattle stand in these stalls all winter?" asked Miss Laura.

"Oh, yes, except when they're turned out in the barnyard, and then John
usually has to send a man to keep them moving or they'd take cold.
Sometimes on very fine days they get out all day. You know cows aren't
like horses. John says they're like great milk machines. You've got to
keep them quie