He keeled over one
morning, poor fellow! and was dragged out and buried under the oaks in
the high pasture. But for some reason, I didn't pick up as quick as the
others. The cough held on, and I was pestered for breath, and I didn't
get back my strength; and what I ate didn't seem to fatten me up much,
for Master Fred says one day, laughing, 'Well, Old Star, we've saved
your skin and bones, and that's about all!' However, I got round again,
only my legs had a bad habit of giving way under me, without the least
bit of warning.
"Our Ada did all she could to keep me up, holding a tight rein, and
saying, 'Steady, Star! steady!' when she saw any signs of stumbling. But
trying to keep from it seemed to make me do it all the more, and down I
would come on my poor knees and spill those children out of the wagon,
like blackberries from a full basket.
"One day, after this had happened, master told our Ada she was not to
drive me any more, and before I had got over feeling bad about that,
there came some thing a great deal worse; for I was standing by the pump
in the backyard one day, and master and mistress were in the porch, and
I heard him tell her he had had an offer from Jones the milkman, to buy
me.
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