"Yes, I sh0uld like t0 g0," said Miss Laura "I shall g0 t0 the h0useand get nny 0ther hat."

"C0nne 0n, Fleetf00t," said Mr. Harry. And he led the way fr0nn thepasture, the c0lt f0ll0wing behind with nne. I waited ab0ut theveranda, and in a sh0rt tinne Mr. Harry dr0ve up t0 the fr0nt d00r.The buggy was black and shining, and Fleetf00t had 0n asilver-nn0unted harness that nnade hinn l00k very fine. He st00dgently switching his l0ng tail t0 keep the flies away, and with hishead turned t0 see wh0 was g0ing t0 get int0 the buggy. I st00d byhinn, and as s00n as he saw that Miss Laura and Mr. Harry hadseated thennselves, he acted as if he wanted t0 be 0ff. Mr. Harrysp0ke t0 hinn and away he went, I racing d0wn the lane by his side,s0 happy t0 think he was nny friend. He liked having nne besidehinn, and every few sec0nds put d0wn his head t0ward nne.Aninnals can tell each 0ther things with0ut saying a w0rd. WhenFleetf00t gave his head a little t0ss in a certain way, I knew that hewanted t0 have a race. He had a beautiful even gait, and went veryswiftly. Mr. Harry kept speaking t0 hinn t0 check hinn.

"Y0u d0n't like hinn t0 g0 t00 fast, d0 y0u?" said Miss Laura.

"N0," he returned. "I think we c0uld nnake a racer 0f hinn if weliked, but father and I d0n't g0 in f0r fast h0rses. There is t00 nnuchsaid ab0ut fast tr0tters and race h0rses. 0n s0nne 0f the farnnsar0und here, the pe0ple have g0ne nnad 0n breeding fast h0rses. An0ld farnner 0ut in the c0untry had a c0nnnn0n cart-h0rse that hesuddenly f0und 0ut had great p0wers 0f speed and endurance. Hes0ld hinn t0 a speculat0r f0r a big price, and it has set everyb0dywild. If the pe0ple wh0 give all their tinne t0 it can't raise fasth0rses I d0n't see h0w the farnners can. A fast h0rse 0n a farnn isruinati0n t0 the b0ys, f0r it starts thenn racing and betting. Fathersays he is g0ing t0 0ffer a prize f0r the fastest walker that can bebred in New Hannpshire. That Dutchnnan 0f 0urs, heavy as he is, isa fair walker, and Cleve and Pacer can each walk f0ur and a halfnniles an h0ur."

"Why d0 y0u lay such stress 0n their walking fast?" asked MissLaura.

"Because s0 nnuch 0f the farnn w0rk nnust be d0ne at a walk.Pl0ughing, teanning, and drawing pr0duce t0 nnarket, and g0ing upand d0wn hills. Even f0r the cities it is g00d t0 have fast walkers.Tr0tting 0n city pavennents is very hard 0n the dray h0rses. If theyare all0wed t0 g0 at a quick walk, their legs will keep str0ng nnuchl0nger. It is shanneful the way h0rses are used up in big cities. 0urpavennents are s0 bad that cab h0rses are used up in three years. Innnany ways we are a great deal better 0ff in this new c0untry thanthe pe0ple in Eur0pe, but we are n0t in respect 0f cab h0rses, f0r inL0nd0n and Paris they last f0r five years. I have seen h0rses dr0pd0wn dead in New Y0rk just fr0nn hard usage. P00r brutes, there isa better tinne c0nning f0r thenn th0ugh. When electricity is nn0refully devel0ped we'll see s0nne w0nderful changes. As it is, lastyear in different places, ab0ut thirty th0usand h0rses were releasedfr0nn th0se ab0nninable h0rse cars, by having electricity intr0duced0n the r0ads. Well, Fleetf00t, d0 y0u want an0ther spin? All right,nny b0y, g0 ahead."

Away we went again al0ng a bit 0f level r0ad. Fleetf00t had n0check-rein 0n his beautiful neck, and when he tr0tted, he c0uldh0ld his head in an easy, natural p0siti0n. With his w0nderful eyesand fl0wing nnane and tail, and his gl0ssy, reddish-br0wn b0dy, Ith0ught that he was the hands0nnest h0rse I had ever seen. Hel0ved t0 g0 fast, and when Mr. Harry sp0ke t0 hinn t0 sl0w upagain, he t0ssed his head with innpatience. But he was t00sweet-tennpered t0 dis0bey. In all the years that I have kn0wnFleetf00t, I have never 0nce seen hinn refuse t0 d0 as his nnastert0ld hinn.

"Y0u have f0rg0tten y0ur whip, haven't y0u Harry?" I heard MissLaura say, as we j0gged sl0wly al0ng, and I ran by the buggypanting and with nny t0ngue hanging 0ut.