by Anna Sewell

Chapter IV


BIRTWICK PARK

It was early in May, when there came a man from Gordon's, who took me away to the Hall. My master said, "Good-bye, Darkie; be a good horse and always do your best." I could not say "good-bye," so I put my nose in  his hand; he patted me kindly, and I left my first home. I will describe

the stable into which I was taken; this was very roomy, with four good stalls; a large swinging window opened into the yard, making it pleasant

and airy.

The first stall was a large square one, shut in behind with a wooden gate; the others were common stalls, good stalls, but not nearly so large. It had a low rack for hay and a low manger for corn; it was called a box stall, because the horse that was put into it was not tied up, but left loose, to do as he liked. It is a great thing to have a box stall.

Into this fine box the groom put me; it was clean, sweet, and airy. I never was in a better box than that, and the sides were not so high but

that I could see all that went on through the iron rails that were at the top.

He gave me some very nice oats, patted me, spoke kindly, and then went away.

When I had eaten my oats, I looked round. In the stall next to mine stood a little fat gray pony, with a thick mane and tail, a very pretty  head, and a pert little nose. I put my head up to the iron rails at the top of my box, and said, "How do you do? What is your name?"

He turned round as far as his halter would allow, held up his head, and said, "My name is Merrylegs. I am very handsome. I carry the young

ladies on my back, and sometimes I take our mistress out in the low cart. They think a great deal of me, and so does James. Are you going to

live next door to me in the box?"

I said, "Yes."

"Well, then," he said, "I hope you are good-tempered; I do not like any one next door who bites." Just then a horse's head looked over from

the stall beyond; the ears were laid back, and the eye looked rather ill-tempered. This was a tall chestnut mare, with a long handsome neck;

she looked across to me and said, "So it is you have turned me out of my  box; it is a very strange thing for a colt like you to come and turn a  lady out of her own home."

"I beg your pardon," I said, "I have turned no one out; the man who  brought me put me here, and I had nothing to do with it. I never had  words yet with horse or mare, and it is my wish to live at peace."

"Well," she said, "we shall see; of course, I do not want to have words  with a young thing like you." I said no more. In the afternoon, when

she went out, Merrylegs told me all about it.

"The thing is this," said Merrylegs, "Ginger has a habit of biting and  snapping; that is why they call her Ginger, and when she was in the  box-stall, she used to snap very much. One day she bit James in the arm  and made it bleed, and so Miss Flora and Miss Jessie, who are very fond

of me, were afraid to come into the stable. They used to bring me nice  things to eat, an apple, or a carrot, or a piece of bread, but after  Ginger stood in that box, they dared not come, and I missed them very  much. I hope they will now come again, if you do not bite or snap." I  told him I never bit anything but grass, hay, and corn, and could not  think what pleasure Ginger found it.

"Well, I don't think she does find pleasure," says Merrylegs; "it is  just a bad habit; she says no one was ever kind to her, and why should  she not bite? Of course, it is a very bad habit; but I am sure, if all  she says be true , she must have been very ill-used before she came here.  John does all he can to please her; so I think she might be  good-tempered here. You see," he said, with a wise look, "I am twelve  years old; I know a great deal, and I can tell you there is not a better  place for a horse all round the country than this. John is the best  groom that ever was; he has been here fourteen years; and you never saw  such a kind boy as James is, so that it is all Ginger's own fault that  she did not stay in that box."

For kids who love stories about horses, a must-read is Saving Bluestone Belle, the award-winning comic-adventure novel by Strawberry Shakespeare. Click the link below to see the eye-popping book cover and learn more about this rollicking adventure tale!