Toward the close of the afternoon the horse began to hang his head. When John touched him up with the whip he did not go any faster. When he stopped for the third time at Mrs. Bell’s house his legs were trembling and he closed his eyes as if he were going to sleep.
Mrs. Bell looked out of the window and said to her Aunt Sarah, who was visiting her, “I think it is a shame for Mr. Rush to let that boy race his horse so all day. Every time he comes here the horse is in a sweat, and now he looks as if he would drop. It is wicked to work a horse so!”
Her aunt replied, “Yes, the horses have to suffer for man’s thoughtlessness, and woman’s, too. He’s been here three times to-day, hasn’t he?” But Mrs. Bell did not see the point of the reply.
It was seven o’clock before John put the horse in the stable. He remembered then that he had given him no water all day. As he did not want to be obliged to go out to the barn again he gave him a pail of ice-cold water, which the horse drank greedily. Then he put his supper before him and left him.
He did not stop to rub down the aching legs or to give the faithful, exhausted creature any further attention. He just threw a blanket over him and closed the barn for the night.
When John came to the store the next morning a very angry looking grocer met him at the door. “You can go home as soon as you like. I won’t have a boy that drives my horse to death,” he said.
“Is the horse dead?” asked John, turning pale.
“It is not your fault if he is not dead. I have been up nearly all night with him, and I must get another horse to take his place until he is well.”
“You told me to hurry every time I went out,” answered John.
“Well, if you had any sense, you would know when a horse is used up and rest him,” replied the grocer.
The horse died that day; and the grocer, the boy driver, and Mrs. Bell were all to blame.
The grocer ought not to have trusted a boy who had no sympathy for animals. Such a boy is not fit to drive and care for a horse.
John was too selfish to give the horse time to breathe or to eat, and he did not care whether he was made comfortable in the stable or not.
Mrs. Bell was thoughtless in giving her orders; so she made the horse take many unnecessary trips to her house.