“I won’t try to dispute that, sweetheart, since I gave you the name myself,” replied her father as he rose from the table and came for his good-by kiss before leaving for town, “so I dare say I shall soon have our four-footed neighbor’s biography.” “You needn’t tease me,” she said, with a wag of her pretty head, “I’m going to _do_ it.” So now she stood confronting the owner of the unpleasant voice and more unpleasant personality, and her own voice quivered with indignation as she answered: “Do you see anything very fiendish in him just at present? Perhaps you might find the angelic side of his nature, just as I have, if you would take pains to try.” All this time, although quivering with apprehension, the horse had stood perfectly still with the girl’s arm resting protectingly across his withers. “Is he _your_ horse?” she continued, for the man had stopped stock-still to regard the great animal’s intrepid little defender with amazement. “Naw! he aint that; and I don’t want him neither. He belongs to the boss up yander. But I’ve got to take care of him, and if he don’t look out I’ll kill him some day, if he don’t get a lick at me first. Here, come on out o’ that, the boss wants ye,” and he made a grab at the horse’s forelock. Up flew the nervous creature’s head as though to avoid a blow, to which, undoubtedly, he was only too well accustomed, and in so doing he hit the hard bridge of his nose against the man’s chin, causing him to bite his tongue. With a furious oath he drew back his huge fist and dealt the horse a cruel blow upon his soft muzzle. With the pathetic cry a wounded horse gives, the poor creature fell almost upon his haunches, and then, with a superb bound, leaped clear and clean over the man’s head. It had all happened in a few seconds, but those few seconds had been sufficient to arouse within the girl’s soul all the fury of righteous anger, and with a wild cry of, “Oh, how _dare_ you do such a cruel thing! How _dare_ you, when you know he did not mean to hurt you!” she caught hold of the man by both his arms and shook him till his teeth fairly chattered. Then, pushing him from her, she cried: “Now go! You are not fit to have the care of a wild bull, let alone such a splendid creature as that, and you shall never, never touch him again if I can prevent it.” Never probably in all his life had this great, strong man encountered such a little fury as now confronted him with flashing eyes and crimson cheeks. The girl’s whole nature rose in wrath against such injustice, and for the time being she was beside herself, and all thoughts of “Mrs. Grundy” flew to the four winds. Too astonished to speak, he stood like a wooden image staring straight at her, then, as she stamped her pretty little foot and pointed toward the gate, he turned and slunk off toward the distant stables; for once, at least, dealt with as he deserved, although it had fallen to the lot of a girl of fifteen to administer justice.