Title:  Black Beauty, Young Folks’ Edition

Author:  Anna Sewell

Release Date:  March 31, 2004 [eBook #11860]

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  Us-ASCII

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BLACK BEAUTY

YOUNG FOLKS’ EDITION

1902

[Illustration]

BLACK BEAUTY

CHAPTER I

MY EARLY HOME

The first place that I can well remember was a pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it.  Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master’s house, which stood by the roadside.  While I was young I lived upon my mother’s milk, as I could not eat grass.  In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her.  When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees, and when it was cold we had a warm shed near the grove.

There were six young colts in the meadow beside me; they were older than I was.  I used to run with them, and had great fun; we used to gallop all together round the field, as hard as we could go.  Sometimes we had rather rough play, for they would bite and kick, as well as gallop.

[Illustration]

One day, when there was a good deal of kicking, my mother whinnied to me to come to her, and then she said:  “I wish you to pay attention to what I am going to say.  The colts who live here are very good colts, but they are cart-horse colts, and they have not learned manners.  You have been well-bred and well-born; your father has a great name in these parts, and your grandfather won the cup at the races; your grandmother had the sweetest temper of any horse I ever knew, and I think you have never seen me kick or bite.  I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways; do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick even in play.”

[Illustration]

I have never forgotten my mother’s advice.  I knew she was a wise old horse, and our master thought a great deal of her.  Her name was Duchess, but he called her Pet.