We seldom used a profane word. Some used profane words so skil- fully that one could not but laugh at them, even though they were do- ing a sinful thing; they'would run the oaths together in a kind of rhyme. It seemed to relieve their pent-up feelings.

Horse Sense and a Man’s Folly

One neighbour had a very fine large horse; it was nice and kind, but it would break the fence and get into our grain. I caught it and took it home several times. One day it broke in and I took it to our barn and tied it in the stable with a very stout rope. I then went to the neighbour and told him the horse was in our stable and that I could not keep it out of the grain if I let it go. He was greatly pro~ voked at the horse; it caused him a lot of trouble. Sometimes he would be wet to the waist chasing it through the standing grain early in the morning, or on a rainy day. This day he was badly out of temper when he came over for the horse. My younger brother and I stood at a distance to watch. We expected some fun. He started the show with a terrible out-pouring of oaths at the horse, and accom- panied them with slaps and kicks; this made the horse nervous. He then went up in the stall to back the horse out. He did not see the big rope by which it was tied. The horse would not back. This aroused the man’s anger to a rage, and a battle took place between him and the horse in which he got crushed against the side of the stall. After a hard struggle, without success, he discovered the big rope; then his own folly dawned upon him, and he calmed down and untied the rope, then the horse backed out gently. It taught us a good les- son, that a little patience and thoughtfulness are far better than blind rage and force, and that we should treat animals kindly. There is a very small percentage of balky or stubborn animals. With a little care and observation they can usually be trained to do what they may reasonably be expected to do.

5 wearer Gets a Ride on a Stir/(’5 Back

We had another neighbour who got well punished for swearing. He had a herd of stirks—young cattle—that had been away in the woods all summer. When they were brought home in the fall they

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