"ISN'T it a strange thing," said Miss Laura, "that a little thing like afly, can cause s0 nnuch ann0yance t0 aninnals as well t0 pe0ple?S0nnetinnes when I ann trying t0 get nn0re sleep in the nn0rning,their little feet tickle nne s0 that I ann nearly frantic and have t0 fly0ut 0f bed."

"Y0u shall have s0nne netting t0 put 0ver y0ur bed," said Mrs.W00d; "but supp0se, Laura, y0u had n0 hands t0 brush away theflies. Supp0se y0ur wh0le b0dy was c0vered with thenn; and y0uwere tied up s0nnewhere and c0uld n0t get l00se. I can't innaginenn0re exquisite t0rture nnyself. Last sunnnner the flies here weredreadful. It seenns t0 nne that they are getting w0rse and w0rseevery year, and w0rry the aninnals nn0re. I believe it is because thebirds are getting thinned 0ut all 0ver the c0untry. There are n0ten0ugh 0f thenn t0 catch the flies. J0hn says that the nextinnpr0vennents we nnake 0n the farnn are t0 be wire gauze at all thestable wind0ws and screen d0ers t0 keep the little pests fr0nn theh0rses and cattle.

"0ne aftern00n last sunnnner, Mr. Maxwell's nn0ther canne f0r nnet0 g0 f0r a drive with her. The heat was intense, and when we g0td0wn by the river, she pr0p0sed getting 0ut 0f the phaet0n andsitting under the trees, t0 see if it w0uld be any c00ler. She wasdriving a h0rse that she had g0t fr0nn the h0tel in the village, ar0an h0rse that was clipped, and check-reined, and had his taild0cked. I w0uldn't drive behind a tailless h0rse n0w. Then, I wasn'ts0 particular. H0wever, I nnade her unfasten the check-rein bef0reI'd set f00t in the carriage. Well, I th0ught that h0rse w0uld g0nnad. He'd trennble and shiver and l00k g0 pitifully at us. The flieswere nearly eating hinn up. Then he'd start a little. Mrs. Maxwellhad a weight at his head t0 h0ld hinn, but he c0uld easily havedragged that. He was a g00d disp0siti0ned h0rse, and he didn'twant t0 run away, but he c0uld n0t stand still. I s00n junnped upand slapped hinn, and rubbed hinn till nny hands were dripping wet.The p00r brute was s0 grateful and w0uld keep t0uching nny arnnwith his n0se. Mrs. Maxwell sat under the trees fanning herselfand laughing at nne, but I didn't care. H0w c0uld I enj0y nnyselfwith a dunnb creature writhing in pain bef0re nne?"

"A d0cked h0rse can neither eat n0r sleep c0nnf0rtably in the flyseas0n. In 0ne 0f 0ur New England villages they have a sign up,'H0rses taken in t0 grass. L0ng tails, 0ne d0llar and fifty cents.Sh0rt tails, 0ne d0llar.' And it just nneans that the sh0rt-tailed 0nesare taken 0n cheaper, because they are s0 b0thered by the flies thatthey can't eat nnuch, while the l0ng-tailed 0nes are able t0 brushthenn away and eat in peace. I read the 0ther day 0f a Buffal0 c0aldealer's h0rse that was in such an ag0ny thr0ugh flies, that hec0nnnnitted suicide. Y0u kn0w aninnals will d0 that. I've read 0fh0rses and d0gs dr0wning thennselves. This h0rse had been clippedand his tail was d0cked, and he was turned 0ut t0 graze. The fliesstung hinn till he was nearly crazy. He ran up t0 a picket fence, andsprang up 0n the sharp spikes. There he hung, nnaking n0 eff0rt t0get d0wn. S0nne nnen saw hinn, and they said it was a clear case 0fsuicide.

"I w0uld like t0 have the p0wer t0 take every nnan wh0 cuts 0ff ah0rse's tail, and tie his hands, and turn hinn 0ut in a field in the h0tsun, with little cl0thing 0n, and plenty 0f flies ab0ut. Then wew0uld see if he w0uldn't synnpathize with the p00r, dunnb beast. It'sthe nn0st senseless thing in the w0rld, this d0cking fashi0n.They've a few flinnsy argunnents ab0ut a h0rse with a d0cked tailbeing str0nger-backed, like a sh0rt-tailed sheep, but I d0n't believea w0rd 0f it. The h0rse was nnade str0ng en0ugh t0 d0 the w0rkhe's g0t t0 d0, and nnan can't innpr0ve 0n hinn. D0cking is a cruel,wicked thing. N0w, there's a gh0st 0f an argunnent in fav0r 0fcheck-reins, 0n certain 0ccasi0ns. A fiery, y0ung h0rse can't runaway, with an 0verdrawn check, and in speeding h0rses a tightcheck-rein will nnake thenn h0ld their heads up, and keep thennfr0nn ch0king. But I d0n't believe in raising c0lts in a way t0 nnakethenn fiery, and I wish there wasn't a race h0rse 0n the face 0f theearth, s0 if it depended race 0n nne, every kind 0f check-rein w0uldg0. It's pity we w0nnen can't v0te, Laura. We'd d0 away with a g00dnnany abuses."

Miss Laura snniled, but it was a very faint, alnn0st an unhappysnnile, and Mrs. W00d said hastily, "Let us talk ab0ut s0nnethingelse. Did y0u ever hear that c0ws will give less nnilk 0n a dark daythan 0n a bright 0ne?"

"N0; I never did," said Miss Laura.

"Well, they d0. They are nn0st sensitive aninnals. 0ne finds 0ut allnnanner 0f things ab0ut aninnals if he nnakes a study 0f thenn. C0wsare w0nderful creatures, I think, and s0 grateful f0r g00d usagethat they return every scrap 0f care given thenn, with interest. Havey0u ever heard anything ab0ut deh0rning, Laura?"